FANCY HANKS: Habanero & Carrot Hot Sauce – 200ml

The one at the end of the shelf

Fancy Hank's call this the final boss and they aren't being cute about it. Red habanero at 14% carried on sweet carrot and olive oil — the carrot isn't there to cool anything down, it's there to give the heat something to ride on. Use it sparingly, cook with it rather than pouring it, and wash your hands afterwards. Twice.

The flavour

Vinegar and carrot open it — sweet, earthy, almost gentle for about a second and a half. Then the habanero arrives: floral, apricot-ish, and properly hot across the whole mouth rather than just the throat. Onion, garlic and olive oil round the body out and keep it savoury. The heat builds rather than spikes, and it stays a while.

How to cook with it

• Put a splash in a chicken marinade with oil and citrus, then grill over direct heat — the sugars in the carrot catch and go sticky.
• Stir a teaspoon through a slow-cooked stew at the start and let the heat mellow into the whole pot.
• Thin it with olive oil and lime and dress charred broccoli or cauliflower with it.
• Whisk a few drops into mayo for a burger sauce that actually announces itself.
• Add a drop — one — to a bloody mary and hand it to someone who claims they like it hot.

In the bottle

Bright orange, thanks to the carrot, and thicker than the other two hot sauces in the range. It clings to a spoon, which matters when a teaspoon is genuinely all you need.

Ingredients & Dietary

Ingredients: White Vinegar, Water, Carrot (20%), Red Habanero Chilli (14%), Onion, Olive Oil, Sugar, Garlic, Salt, Xanthum Gum (415).

Dietary: Vegan. Preservative free. No gluten. Always check the physical label.

The Rub Smuggler's Verdict

Carrot and habanero is an old smuggler's trick — the sweetness gets the heat past the guard before anyone realises what's happened. Rub the thighs with Blackbear BBQ Chicken Rub, then build the marinade with a splash of this and a slug of Smoke on Wheels BBQ Marinade. Marinate overnight and the habanero mellows into something you can actually eat a plateful of.

FAQ

How hot is it?
3 out of 4 on the Fancy Hank's scale — the hottest of their three original hot sauces. Habanero heat that builds and lingers.

Why carrot?
It carries the habanero. Carrot brings sweetness and body so the chilli has something to sit on instead of just hitting vinegar.

What has it won?
A Silver Medal at the 2018 Australian Food Awards.

How should I use it?
Sparingly, and cooked in rather than poured on. It's built for marinades and stews.

Is it Australian made?
Yes — made in Australia from 91% or more Australian ingredients.