We are still playing catch up on reviews and such, and sauce and wing making is no exception. A few months ago I looked at my large stash of sauces, and decided I just need to start opening up and checking sauces out. I was feeling a little Mexican, so I picked up the Valentina on my shelf and went for it.
From their website:
"Founded over 40 years ago, Salsa Tamazula began operations with its "Tamazula" Hot Sauce. Such was the acceptance of this flavor that over the years, the company brought Salsa Valentina hot sauce to the market, becoming the leader in the field of hot sauce production and sales in Mexico . . . Currently the factory, located in Guadalajara, Jalisco - Mexico, is over 279,000 sq. ft. and generates employment for over 125 families in the area."
Of course they have a regular hot sauce ( I actually reviewed it back in 2007 - wow there have been a lot references to the past lately . . . ) but that is a long time ago. This sauce is simple in ingredients: water, chili peppers, vinegar, salt, spices and sodium benzoate.
I decided to try this as a Buffalo inspired hot sauce, so I mixed it with butter. The sauce has a nice red colour, its a solid liquid that pours pretty easily but is still thicker than typical cayenne sauces.
I did a flour dusting on the chicken, then deep fried them. The oil was getting a bit old, so the chicken came out a little darker than usual. I tossed them in hot wing mixture and enjoyed their red glow.
First off I need to say that I had a too high butter-to-sauce ratio. It wasn't bad, but it diluted the Valentina too much. You can see it in the bowl above.
That being said, this was a good sauce. It had a very layered flavour, with a dry heat. Taste wise it starts off slightly sour, then the heat kicks in. Its a nice little burn that lingers a bit.
This is a good little sauce. Flavour, kick - it was good. I don't think I would use it straight up on wings, but on tacos or something this would be great. Mixed in with a larger hot wing recipe it would be a great contributing character.
Valentina Mexican Hot Sauce: Extra Hot
4 comments:
It probably wouldn't be too much butter for me, I like a smoother, velvety sauce.
@Chris - it wasn't bad, but it really cut the flavour of the hot sauce.
@Chris - I know there's some sort of joke about velvet in there, but I'm not funny enough to think of one!
I mix a heavy dose of the Valentina with a small amount of butter, some garlic powder, some black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes and absolutely love it. It's way better than the wings around here made with just Franks and butter.
Post a Comment