I have nothing against Buc-ee’s.
No, really. I don’t. I’m a big fan of capitalism from way back, and what is the place if not an archetypal embodiment of such?
However, such a negative sentiment has clung to me, because I have found the unbridled ecstasy so many express at its arrival in northern Alabama silly. (And I haven’t been shy in saying so.) Also, there is the fact that I haven’t been in the place yet. (I’d rather buy brisket from Libby or Stan.)
So, rightly sensing an opportunity for Christmas morning hilarities, my son did all of his Christmas shopping for me at Buc-ee’s. I decided I’d try the 7-Pot Primo Pepper hot sauce first.
A look at the ingredients panel reveals tomatillos and apple juice leading the charge, so we can reasonably expect green and sweet. More ascorbic acid than any single pepper ingredient is interesting. And, with 7-Pot Primo—a cross between two superhots in the scorpion/moruga space—leading the chile charge, this might have some real kick.
(It does claim “fiery hot” on the label.)
So how is it? Well, it’s a pretty green sauce with numerous bits of this and that present. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to handle because it’s so thin. I started out trying to have it with meatballs, but the sauce isn’t nearly viscous enough to cling at all, so that was a non-starter. I retreated to Tostitos Scoops.
It hits on both sweet and savory from the start, with onions and chiles prominent. It’s not as hot as I thought it might be, but it’s still respectable. If Tabasco lights you up, you’ll find this a pretty good ride. And, reliably, it does have that cumulative characteristic most Capsicum chinense cultivars seem to have. That is, it’s considerably hotter a few minutes in than on your first bite, and you can count on it continuing to climb a good bit even after you stop.
This isn’t a bad sauce, but I don’t find it particularly memorable. Perhaps I’ll have a go at a different Buc-ee’s hot sauce another time.
(Son, remember my birthday is in April.)
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I love the over-the-top Buc-ee’s experience and I have visited the Athens location three times so far.
I like the brisket if I can persuade one of the brisket buckaroos to give me a helping prior to oversaucing it. I cook competition-style BBQ pork and chicken, but I have never cooked a brisket, so I don’t mind enjoying someone else’s BBQ brisket.
Come on, live a little – grab a bag of those Beaver Nuggets.
“Fresh brisket on the boaaaard!!!”
I’ve been doing a little side reading on the Buc-ee’s employment experience and larger culture. They’re…interesting.
I didn’t genuinely expect my long-term relationship with Buc-ee’s to be a qualified one, but it may end up there. I don’t have a problem spending money with places requiring a lot of their employees—the Disney empire comes immediately to mind—but some of the Buc-ee’s employee requirements just seem nakedly mean.
Dunno. Maybe more later.