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Canberra Today 13°/15° | Saturday, March 30, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Dining / A taste of hot sauce

Sauce creator Ryan Brown… educating Australia on how wonderfully versatile hot sauces can be.
Sauce creator Ryan Brown… educating Australia on how wonderfully versatile hot sauces can be.

WHEN we hear “hot sauce”, we often think “burn-in-the-mouth death sauce”. Intense heat. Heat that numbs the tastebuds and stops them dead in their tracks.

Wendy Johnson
Wendy Johnson.

It’s s-o-o-o not true. Five friends, who grew up in Canberra and have known each other for 25 years, are out educating Australia on how wonderfully versatile hot sauces can be.

Ryan Brown, Ian Nicholas, Stuart Miller, Mark Vicol, and Shannon Douglas, formed Handsome Devils Co in Bronte and are creating boutique, top-notch hot sauces. The four styles are all made without compromise: no preservatives, no additives, no colours, no thickeners (only honey used in one).

The seed for Handsome Devils Co (no doubt a fiery, hot chilli seed) was planted a couple of years ago after the friends spent time travelling in the US where they fell in love with Mexican cuisine. After returning down under, the friends decided to create sauces around the style they worshipped in Mexico but couldn’t find here.

These seriously crafted products are made in small batches with ingredients sourced from Port Macquarie and surrounding region.

“Only some of the chillies come from Mexico, because they’re not available here as they are too hard to grow in the Australian climate,” says Ryan.

Each team member has their own skill set. Ryan is the sauce creator, Ian the business genius, Stuart the eye behind the camera, Mark the wordsmith and Shannon, the only female member, the graphics whiz.

But let’s get to those sauces, which are created more about flavour than intense heat.

“The most popular is the Chipolte.

“It’s sweet and smokey and made with a dark and mysterious mix of spices,” says Ryan. “And it’s a great replacement for a barbecue sauce.”

The De Arbol, which has just rated number one Australian hot sauce by the “Australian Good Food Guide”, is more a traditional Mexican hot sauce, made with two kinds of chillies, a healthy dose of vinegar and a fistful of spices.

“With the Savina, you don’t experience any heat initially, but it slowly emerges on the palette,” says Ryan. “It’s our fruity hot sauce, combining Habanero chilli, mango and coriander.”

The Verde is truly unique.

“It’s a mouth warmer,” says Ryan. “Tangy, herby and zesty, yet very approachable. It’s even great with salads.”

Handsome Devils Co. is available online or through Canberra retailers, mostly in the inner north and south, including Essential Ingredient, Meet Gather Collect, Barrio and some IGAs. The list is at handsomedevilsco.com

 

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Wendy Johnson

Wendy Johnson

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