Give Grilled Chicken 10x More Flavor With A Bottle Of This Classic 1929 Sauce

We're of the opinion that hot sauce makes just about everything better, and we'll shout that statement to the rooftops. This is the reason why we were able to determine that Aldi's hot sauce is a Frank's RedHot copycat (score!) and to state with absolute certainty that you should probably skip bottled hot sauce at Mexican restaurants because you risk overpowering the food. Where we don't skimp on hot sauce, however, is when it comes to basting grilled chicken ... and Texas Pete, specifically, is our pick for the job. Too many times, aggressive hot sauces can blow out the palate with a powerful chili kick, but the selling point behind Texas Pete is that the heat is mild, but the vinegar tang is off the charts, which makes it what we want for smothering grilled chicken fresh off the grates.

It might interest you to know that the supermarket staple of Texas Pete has been in business since the dawn of the Great Depression. Sam Garner and three of his seven children were, as was the case with many Americans, having trouble keeping themselves afloat. Thad, one of the aforementioned adult children, struck out on his own in 1929 and bought a BBQ restaurant, the house sauce of which was a closely guarded secret. This sauce became the basis of Texas Pete, so named because the moniker sounded very American. The vinegar-forward presentation of Texas Pete classifies it as a Louisiana-style hot sauce, as opposed to other brands that take their hot sauces in different directions. Since Texas Pete involves less spicy kick and more pungent flavor, it's a good option for brushing onto that grilled chicken you just made and elevating the flavor levels into the stratosphere.

For the speediest, least-hassling way to elevate the flavor of grilled chicken, simply brush your hot sauce onto the chicken before serving. You can briefly pop the meat back on the grates to caramelize your sauce, but don't let it linger too long, as the sauce can char. You can also indulge in chicken that's marinated in a Texas Pete blend of the sauce and your favorite add-ins. Don't overlook the joys of hot sauce and honey, either; we've seen grilled chicken brushed with melted butter spiked with these two complementary condiments, and the results were spectacular.

To be 100% truthful, you could execute delicious grilled chicken with any other hot sauce. We're not being brand loyalists, however, when we say that we think Texas Pete is a superior choice. The brand enjoys terrific name recognition, but that's not why we like it. Perhaps the most telling citation is the title of a Reddit thread: "Why is Texas Pete so good, and if not, why are you lying?" 

More than a bit biased? Certainly. It's objectively true, however, that the lower Scoville units of Texas Pete make it a palatable hot sauce for those who dislike a spicier product, while the vinegar notes add tremendous flavor. A plump piece of juicy grilled chicken is already a treat, but we encourage you to brush it with hot sauce to really elevate the flavor at your next BBQ. Just remember to never wash chicken before cooking ... unlike Texas Pete's popularity, that's a (potentially dangerous) myth.