What happened to Smoked Tabasco?

[hlwd_marko]

Just, 3-4 years back I saw it in everybody's kitchen, the bottle was kinda big, lots of people, including I, who doesn't really care of about Tabasco, loved it. At my at-the-time household Smoked Tabasco was heavily over-used. It was just right, not too vinegary as the plain T, not too hot... I cannot believe that the product was withdrawn for lack of popularity, if that's the case. That big bottle lasted in our house for a week, the regular T lasted like 4 months. Everybody I know who is into food said they loved it. Anybody know what's the story? Or is it sold only at some secret locations?

[aelph]

well...certainly :)

my point was that this trendy(now bandwagonesque) very yummy product existed long, long...long before it's current incarnation as a mayonaise dye.

[Drew E]

First Chipotles for me were in the late '70's at a small NYC mexican place called Bonampak. Tiny and down a half-dozen stairs. The owner knew that my friends and I like spicy food so he would always bring out a bowl of chipotles with our dinner.

[Pat Hammond]

Tabasco has a new flavor called Sweet and Spicy.

[aelph]

It's certainly interesting that people would notice the "smoked" label and not the "chipotle."

One of the more interesting culinary trends of the past decade (or more) is the ubiquity of the chipotle pepper; not least of which is the continuing inability of some people to pronounce it.

I first encountered it as a salsa at the venerable worker-owned Casa Nueva in Athens, OH in the early-90's. It was just a regular menu item...no pretense as to it's supposed "trendiness."
Then, boom! it shows up emasculated-nigh-homopathic in mayonaises from Subway to the eponymous McD's burrito palace.

as posted above, I enjoy chipotle tabasco, but it's far from the cold rock stuff

[hlwd_marko]

In my case, that's why I bought the bottle because I noticed the word "smoked." The word "chipotle" didn't make me try it. Also, at the time I was helping out every now and then at this catering place, and the very same smoke T. craze was going on among the employees when having their own meals. Could not escape that word at the time. I also remember several camping trips, and people were talking about smoked T. while I can't recall enybody mentioning "chipotle." I am absolutely positive that word "smoked" was the second biggest word on that "burned" -looking label underneath "Tabasco."
I really hope it's the same stuff.

[aelph]

I agree it has many applications. I've also seen it's subsequent overuse as "chipotle" flavors became the addition du jour several years back. Just last year I remember watching a Food Network "competition" for some completely unrelated event where virtually every contestant's secret ingredient was a big bottle of chipotle tabasco. Though I certainly enjoy it(I use it in tuna and egg salads), it's a definite dumbing-down of the complex heat and flavor profile of chipotle pepper(s). No matter what Rick Bayless's smiling face implies.

For serious cooking I have my chipotle in adobo(sometimes I wash the adobo from the chiles, others I include it...depends on the recipe) and a selection of beautiful, sweet moritas. Chipotle tabasco coupled with it's dozens of additions is really it's own tasty product.

[Fog City Kid]

I have a bottle with a green lable at the top that says "Smoked Tabasco". The main lable says "Chipotle". Yhis is a 5 oz bottle. I've not seen a bigger bottle of it on the Left Coast...

[aelph]

That's the one. I actually never noticed it reads, "smoked tabasco." It was released at the height of the chipotle craze some years back. And, of course, the main label reads: Chipotle Tabasco. I actually always wished it came in the reg. size bottle. Never having seen the smaller, I assumed it was only available in the big bottle.

[aelph]

What you are misapprehending is most definitely the Chipotle tabasco. Tabasco comes in regular, jalapeno(green), garlic, habanero(my favorite), and chipotle(I've only ever seen it in a big bottle). Of course, I'm not sure what's available in your area, but in Chicago you can find it at any chain supermarket. I gather it remains one of the most popular flavors. It has more of a bbq taste than other chipotle hot sauces. Not bad. I keep a pantry stocked with all the tabasco flavors(and took a summer trip to Avery Island, LA as a child, to boot).

[Will Owen]

While I use the original Tabasco almost exclusively, the chipotle has enough uses to warrant keeping it around. One of my favorite at-home cocktails is a sort of fake Bloody Mary made with V8 and vodka, and a good dash of the chipotle stuff in that wakes it right up. It's also good as a change of pace on eggs, and in small batches of homemade barbecue sauce - for big batches I just use canned chipotles.

[Candy]

And Garlic, my favotite. One store in my town carries the chipotle and the other the garlic. I do have both on hand

[newhound]

McIllhenny's website (tabasco.com) still shows the chipotle but doesn't list a "smoked" sauce although smoking is how you make chipotle... They do have a zip-code based "product locator" service through the web so you might try that. One last thing-- the website only lists 5 ounces for the chipotle flavor-- so no big bottles, alas.

[Pat Hammond]

If you'll look at the picture in this link, you'll see a green band on the neck of the chipotle bottle. It says "smoked". http://www.tabasco.com/main.cfm

[susanlll]

I just bought a bottle last weekend. They still make it.

[hlwd_marko]

Does it read "smoked?" If so, I wonder why there's no "smoked" in their website.
The chipotle -label does look similar to the smoked one. Perhaps they just changed the label. Who knows; I'll buy chipotle and try it out, maybe it's the same as smoked.

[beer786]

Is this the chipotle one with the burnt looking label?