CROIX VALLEY: Hot 'n Spicy Sauce & Marinade | 355ml (12oz) glass bottle

Genuine warmth built into a tomato-forward marinade

Hot 'n Spicy brings real heat to the Croix Valley range — sweet and tomato-forward up front, with a warm spice kick the brand states as medium. It's built to work double duty as a marinade and a finishing sauce.

The flavour

Front: a sweet tomato base. Middle: warm spice builds steadily rather than hitting all at once. Finish: a lingering, genuine heat that sits rather than fades fast.

How to cook with it

• Marinate chicken wings for a few hours before grilling to let the heat work through
• Brush onto pork ribs in the last 15–20 minutes so sugars glaze instead of burning
• Toss through grilled prawns straight off the barbecue
• Use as a spicy base for burger patties before they hit the grill
• Left-field: stir a spoonful into a bloody mary for a spiced kick

In the bottle

Deep red-orange, medium-thick with visible spice flecks. Warms up glossy and clings well when brushed — worth warming the bottle first so it spreads evenly.

Ingredients & Dietary

Ingredients (from the brand's label): Tomato Concentrate (tomatoes, sugar, water, spice, onion), Tapioca Syrup, Worcestershire Sauce (distilled vinegar, molasses, tamari [water, soybeans, salt, sugar, cornstarch], sugar, spices, ground mustard, onion powder, garlic powder), Balsamic Vinegar, Granulated Onion, Spice.

Contains: soy, mustard (as declared on the brand's label).

Dietary: Vegan and gluten free (brand-stated) — always check the physical label.

The Rub Smuggler's Verdict

This is the bottle for customers who actually mean it when they ask for heat — sweet tomato base up front, a warm spice that sits and lingers rather than fading fast. Marinate wings a few hours before they hit the grill. Finish the plate with Hardcore Carnivore's Texas jalapeño salt. For ribs, brush on Four Saucemen Manuka Hot Honey Rib Glaze as a sticky last coat.

Questions answered

How hot is Hot 'n Spicy?

Croix Valley states it as medium heat — genuine warmth rather than a mild BBQ sauce, but not an extreme-heat product.

Can it be used as a marinade before grilling?

Yes, it's built to work as both a marinade and a finishing brush sauce.

What does it pair best with?

Chicken wings, pork ribs, prawns and burgers, per the brand's own recommendations.