Bottom Line: Frank’s RedHot is an old favorite and a standout among the Louisiana-style hot sauces, and the Xtra Hot has a nice kick.
There are lot’s of Louisiana-style hot sauces out there (including one called . . . . well . . . Louisiana Hot Sauce), so you may wonder just which one to pick when confronted with so many choices on the store shelves. The fact is that you can’t go too wrong as all of these offer a similar combination of red pepper, vinegar, and salt. For the longest time, Gebhardt Louisiana Hot Sauce was my favorite (and it was pretty economical too), but that company was bought out and the hot sauce was discontinued (several other Gebhardt items are still available like their chili powder). So with that off the shelves, I just reach for the old standard Frank’s RedHot when I am looking for some Lewsiana heat.
This hot sauce has been around since 1920 and is made with a “premium blend of aged cayenne peppers” that are mixed together with vinegar, salt, and garlic. The Louisiana-style of hot sauce is a pretty simple thing with only a few ingredients, and the majority of the taste comes from the blending of peppers (which are often aged or fermented) with the vinegar and spices.
Frank’s RedHot falls very much in line with the expected flavor profile, delivering a tangy and strong vinegar punch that causes some pucker but does not overwhelm. It also has a good red pepper flavor, just as you would expect from this type of sauce. It has plenty of saltiness to it, but doesn’t go overboard like some Louisiana sauces do. When it comes to the competition, the overwhelming salt in some of the other brands is what cuts them out for me.
Heat-wise, the original is Mild level at most (according to Wikipedia, it comes in at 450 Scoville Units). That is not a sauce you are adding to amp up the heat much, it’s more about the tang and the flavor it brings. If you want more heat, then simply buy the Xtra Hot version. The taste is basically the same, but I would place it between Medium and Hot heat levels (Wikipedia claims it is 2,000 SHU, but it seems hotter than that to me). The wing sauce is thicker because it has oil in it, but the taste and heat are very close to the original.
Like the commercial says, you can put this s*!t on anything, particularly the original (side note: Frank’s spokesperson Eli Manning really comes in mild on the personality scale compared to his brother). It goes really well with eggs because I’m not looking for a whole lot of heat with my morning coffee. You can also put this on tacos, pizza, burgers, gotta have it on mac and cheese or with a bowl of creamy soup, and it can even kick up a batch of spaghetti sauce and give it a Cajun twist. I’m a particular lover of Boudin and this is a must with that Cajun sausage. Heck, you can even put some on a slice of tiramisu if you want. But that’s going to be your piece . . .
How does Frank’s RedHot compare to Louisiana king Tabasco? It’s not as hot, even the extra spicy (Tabasco ranges as high as 5,000 SHU). So when you really want the heat, you go for the king. But Frank’s is a good alternative, especially for those who don’t like the hotter sauces (and we weep for them). The original should be perfectly fine for the average mortal, while the Xtra Hot is what us chiliheads will be reaching for. But be sure to have a bottle of one or both in your pantry, because sometimes the Louisiana-style of hot sauce is exactly what you need.
Tale of the Tape:
Ingredients: Aged cayenne red peppers, distilled vinegar, water, salt, and garlic powder.
Serving Size: 2 tsp (5ml)
Calories: 0
Fat: 0 (0g Sat/0g Trans)
Protein: 0g
Carbs: 0g
Sodium: 190mg