Why We Made The Almighty OG Habanero Hot Sauce
The one that started it all, Almighty OG a flavour that can’t be matched or compared to, unique and on its own level! It brings out a smokey, sweet, umami flavour bomb that is actually very hard to describe other than addictingly delicious! The recipe came together after fermenting, roasting and cooking the ingredients in such a way that in simple terms, it just works!
How Almighty OG Habanero Hot Sauce Came to Life
Finding a break and bringing something new to the market was an approach I was determined on getting right. It’s quite a saturated market, very competitive and relatively easy to start so finding different ingredients to use was a must.
The fermentation approach has been done but I hadn’t seen fermented tomatoes in anyone's sauce recipes. Roasted red caps was another but Vegemite was the big one, if I could get this right, I’d be on! It was actually after my first attempt that I nailed it. I had friends and family try it, love it so that was enough for me to commit and scale it into what it is today.
Why Vegemite Belongs in Our Habanero Hot Sauce
As mentioned previously it was a combination of substituting some salt while giving the sauce an Australian kick! It was always my idea and I was surprised no one (that I know of) had done it before.
I remember the first time trying it and being blown away, “I did it, this is fucking delicious!”. I was so annoyed that I had only sampled enough for 3 - 4 bottles. One of the first went to Tom and his team to try and they were blown away by the unique umami flavour hit, the real turning point to committing to Chooks Hot Sauce!
Getting the Balance of Flavour and Heat Right
Approaching the market with a hot sauce heat level that most people will enjoy was a no brainer to me. Using habaneros I knew wouldn’t blow people away but still have enough kick to give a nice medium heat. Combining the other ingredients was advice from a YouTube video from Pepper Geek which was spot on and didn’t need any adjusting.
The biggest recipe adjustment was the Vegemite. My original recipe had a lot of Vegemite in it, so much that it kind of left that after taste on your tongue (personally I loved it but I love Vegemite). When it came to our first bulk cook we drastically reduced it and I’m glad we did, the balance is perfect. One really cool adjustment was actually adding salt and sugar, this amplified the flavours like you wouldn’t believe (great advice from chef Tom).
0=
Making Almighty OG in St Kilda, Melbourne
I’m very grateful to use a local kitchen in St Kilda that belongs to my friend Tom who owns FairFeed. I work full time so weekends are my only availability to cook so crucial planning is needed to maximise my time there.
I do my cooking in sections meaning I’ll cook the chilli and tomato in a large batch and store in sizes ready for production day. Capsicums are roasted, blended and frozen in batches again, ready for production day. When production day comes I use all those pre made ingredients plus the rest to then produce the bottle ready sauce.
From Early Taste Tests to Award-Winning Hot Sauce
Submitting your product of any kind to be judged by others is always a little daunting, I don’t care what you say. The reason I submitted my sauces this year was to really test and see if others truly loved it as much as I did.
Receiving the first two gold medals for Almighty OG blew me away. I was very proud of what we achieved with the best habanero hot sauce from Mr Chilli & best medium hot sauce from Euro’s for 2026. This helped me greatly with having the confidence to truly sell Almighty OG over my own bias!
When I submitted to Melbourne Royal I knew this was going to be the big one. They have been around for a while and the best of the best will be there. I was hopeful for the hat-trick though receiving 3rd was amazing. Beyond stocked for the awards received!
How We Use Almighty OG at Home
Almighty OG is the sauce that shouldn’t leave your dining table, lunch box or car. It goes on anything! Starting off your day you will love it on your bacon and eggs. Think of how elite Vegemite on toast is but now combined with spice and pourable onto your plate!
Smoko, you can’t look past a poke bowl, toastie, chicken and rice you name it, you’ve just made that boring meal pop! Finally dinner, you can’t go past not trying it with your steak, it is a match made for meat lovers heaven!
Add a quarter cup to your spag bowl, stir fry, curry and taste the difference Almighty OG will have on your taste buds! Please try these for yourself and let me know how creative you get with it!
Try CHOOKS Full Range of Hot Sauces and Beef Jerky Here
