Poirier’s Louisiana-Style Hot Sauce Review

Poirier’s Louisiana-Style Hot Sauce sure has a “kickin” pedigree. It’s a sauce made in partnership between Louisiana-born MMA fighter Dustin Poirier and Heartbeat Hot Sauce. And, in an ingredient twist for Louisiana-style hot sauces, it features extra-hot red habaneros along with cayennes. But how hot is Poirier’s really? Does it kick above its class? How big is the flavor? And is it as usable as its super-usable competitors? Let’s dive into Poirier’s Louisiana Style Hot Sauce to see what it’s all about.

Flavor

Just like its Louisiana-style hot sauce competitors, Poirier’s leans into the tang upfront in the ingredients list. But there are a few surprises here, too. Its ingredients: vinegar, aged cayenne peppers, sea salt, red habanero, celery, garlic, and canola oil.

The big surprise is those red habaneros, but we’ll get into the heat down below. The other unique twist is the addition of that celery and garlic into the flavor profile, which you do experience on the back-end of the flavor.

But, it starts with that bang of tang right up top. Poirier’s is true to its roots: it’s a vinegar-forward Louisiana hot sauce, but it starts taking different flavor paths quickly. You get a little more sweetness from those red habaneros. And you also get hints of that garlic and celery on the tail end of the flavor.

That depth of flavor is a key differentiator to Poiriers. This isn’t just a dasher hot sauce to get tang and heat. Poirier’s has a point of view and something to say.

On the sodium: Poirier’s Louisiana-Style Hot Sauce has 150 mg per teaspoon (7% of your daily allowance.) So, it’s high, and you could find yourself leaning into this hot sauce more than other dashers. Just be aware. As a comparison, Tabasco Original Red Sauce sits at 35 mg per serving.

Heat Balance

You’d expect with both red habaneros (especially) and cayenne peppers in that ingredient list for Poirier’s Louisiana-Style Hot Sauce to punch pretty hard. Habaneros, after all, pack a significant punch (100,000 to 350,000 Scoville heat units) and Caribbean red habaneros often more (100,000 to 445,000 SHU.)

But in truth, the heat is more of a jab, than a roundhouse. It’ll sting a little, but it won’t knock you out. The spiciness grows from mild to medium as it builds over a few bites. Poirier’s doesn’t list its Scoville heat rating, but we’d estimate it between 2,000 to 3,000 Scoville heat units. That’s inline with Tabasco Original Red Sauce (2,500 to 5,000 SHU) and at times milder.

A novice hot sauce eater can handle this heat, as it just leaves your tongue nice and tingly. It never hits the back of your throat.

For some, that may be anticlimactic given the MMA pedigree of Dustin Poirier (a.k.a. “El Diamanté”) and the inclusion of extra-hot habs, but in terms of heat to flavor balance it works just fine. Any hotter and this hot sauce would lose some of the unique depth it gains from that celery and garlic on the tail-end of the eating experience.

Usability

Just like most other Louisiana hot sauces, Poirier’s in incredibly versatile. Really, anywhere you’d add dome Tabasco, you could reach for Poirier’s just as easily — from chicken wings and eggs to nachos and tacos. It really works well with buffalo wings because of that celery in the ingredients. So if you’re going to try it with only one thing, start there.

Poirier’s Louisiana-Style Hot Sauce is also slightly thicker than some of its competitors. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a thin vinegar-forward sauce, but just a hair thicker. That little additional thickness allows the sauce to float atop your food instead of sinking right in. You can control your hot sauce placement on your meal with more accuracy.

The other big value to usability is the use of a squeeze bottle over a dasher bottle. That’s a total game changer in terms of usability. You can use as little or as much as you want without the need to shake that bottle until your hand hurts. So if you like a lot of Louisiana hot sauce on your food, the squeeze bottle style is 100% win.

Collectibility

If you’re looking for a Louisiana-style hot sauce that’s not the typical supermarket choices, Poirier’s is a great out-of-the-box hot sauce for your collection. There’s a lot to talk about here — from the red habanero addition to “El Diamanté” himself, Dustin Poirier (who is a Louisiana native, to boot.)

The label plays with his nickname too. “El diamanté” in spanish is “the diamond”, and what’s that shining bright front and center? A white diamond on a dramatic black background with orange-red flames. Its styling is bold with a cool modern vibe.

The Score

Poirier’s Louisiana-Style Hot Sauce brings some delicious depth to its vinegar-forward sauce with the inclusion of celery in the mix. It’s tasty, well-balanced, and very usable. Though the inclusion of red habaneros (and Dustin Poirier’s MMA background) leave us wanting just a bit more kick!