Puckerbutt Unique Garlique

Smokin’ Ed Currie, the inventory of the Carolina Reaper and the new record holder of hottest pepper in the world, Pepper X, has a huge variety of sauces available via his Puckerbutt Pepper Company store, from the sweet to the savory, with many creative flavor combinations, and many available in multiple heat levels. The one sauce that comes up again and again when discussing Ed Currie and Puckerbutt however, is this one: Unique Garlique.

Featured in Season 19 of Hot Ones in the 9th heat slot (the highest any non-Heatonist branded sauce can make it in the modern seasons since the advent of the Last Dab line of sauces) this sauce has garnered plenty of praise from the chile head community due both to its strong heat punch and its excellent flavor. While the label on the bottle is unnecessarily vague about the peppers uses (just stating “Chile Peppers”) the Heatonist website informs that he peppers used are a blend of Carolina Reaper, Trinidad Scorpion, and 7 Pot Primo.

While most Puckerbutt sauces feature fairly basic labels, and this has the same overall graphic trend as their other sauces, the dark purple and gold foil used are quite attractive. The aroma of the sauce is pepper-forward, you can tell this sauce has super-hots in the mix when you take a whiff. The texture is thick, and it requires a bit of time outside of the refrigerator to warm up in order to pour.

The peppers are forward in the flavor as well. The blend of reapers, scorpions, and primos works well as they each have their own strengths that compliment one another. The reapers bring an initial bite and a bright fruity flavor, the scorpions add floral notes and a more delayed lingering burn, and the 7 Pot Primos bring a smoky earthy flavor and a high sustained level of heat. The garlic, onion, and the Italian seasoning are very present in the flavor profile as well, and provide a backbone beneath the flavor of the super-hot peppers that give the sauce a deep savory, almost umami, flavor. Vinegar is the second listed ingredient, but Unique Garlique doesn’t come across as an overly vinegary sauce. Heat, acidity, and flavor are all very well balanced in this sauce.

Unique Garlique is a heavyweight in terms of heat. The way the heat presents can be sneaky with this sauce. As compared to another ultra-hot garlic sauce, Torchbearer’s Garlic Reaper, this one has more of a delayed heat onset that starts to build more and more over time, as opposed to Garlic Reaper’s initial wall of heat. Comparing the two sauces further, as two are perhaps the most popular ultra-hot garlic sauces amongst hot sauce enthusiasts, Unique Garlique is perhaps one degree milder compared to Garlic Reaper, but has a more prolonged burn. The blend of peppers and spices used in Unique Garlique also give it an earthier and smokier flavor compared to the brighter flavor of Garlic Reaper. Unique Garlique is also a bit thicker in texture than Garlic Reaper.

I wondered if the inclusion of the Italian Seasoning would limit the pairing options for this sauce, but I found that it was quite versatile. With the peppers and alliums being the dominant flavors this pairs well with any savory food. I enjoyed it with Cuban moro rice, empanadas, pizza, sandwiches, chicken, collared greens, roast pork, and even on tacos. The slow-burn heat and full savory flavor of this sauce is an excellent way to elevate the flavor of foods if you want a substantial extra heat kick.

I can strongly recommend Unique Garlique. It’s one of the most flavorful super-hot sauces I’ve tried. As an added bonus this sauce is all-natural with no artificial preservatives, flavors, colors, or thickeners.