I’ve accumulated a recommendation here and there for Chattanooga-based Hoff’s hot sauces, but never tried one until today. I picked up some Hoff’s Smoken Ghost on a recent Whole Foods junket. I don’t remember exactly what I paid for it, but though it must have carried a premium over mass market sauce territory, I don’t remember balking a bit like I did at Truff.
The ingredients panel tells an uncomplicated story. We have chiles (red jalapeno, habanero, chipotle, and ghost), vinegar, salt, and garlic. Had vinegar been up front I might fear a whored-up Louisiana sauce awaited me, but with peppers leading it’s likely to be much thicker and more flavorful.
And indeed, Smoken Ghost looks and handles much like ketchup, though it’s a shade darker. It smells most strongly of smoke, though there are chiles on the nose too. I tried a Tostitos Scoop full of it, and I also had it with a few meatballs.
There is an immediate burst of flavor and heat that settles into a pleasant gustatory narrative. Smoke is prominent throughout, though it never overwhelms. The chile cocktail, while good-tasting, is mixed such that no one variety really dominates. (Well, if you don’t count the smoke from the chipotles.) Interesting trick, really, and maybe easier to pull off with the aforementioned smoke running interference, though I’d think you might want ghost a little more front and center in a product called Smoken Ghost.)
More than anything else, this sauce hits me like the younger brother of Marie Sharp’s Smokin’ Marie (and that’s a fine product, so this is a compliment). However, Smoken Ghost is neither as smoky nor as hot, so you can use it a bit more liberally. (The tender-palated should still proceed carefully.)
My first outing with Hoff’s was a rewarding one. I’m looking forward to trying other Hoff’s sauces.
7/10
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