Key Bridge - 2024
IN SHORT…
Right before the pandemic the famed spice company McCormick released an Old Bay hot sauce; it was a sensation and remains a top seller, but the sauce is boring, relies heavily on flavorless distilled vinegar and is ultimately uninspired. So this year we decided to make something better, a true homage to Maryland. Our version is loaded with ripe peppers - including the mid-Atlantic's own Fish Pepper - and Old Bay as well as tomatoes, smoked carrots and celery leaves. Our sauce would, of course, be great on crab cakes and would make the most spectacular base for a cocktail sauce. It would also be amazing in Manhattan clam chowder and Cioppino, with Chicken Chesapeake, and it would provide a fantastic boost to a Bloody Mary.
This sauce was low-temperature pasteurized and a truly tiny amount - less than a fiftieth of a gram per bottle - of preservative (potassium sorbate) was added to prevent re-fermentation. While technically shelf stable, we would strongly recommend keeping it refrigerated to help preserve its flavor.
Common Allergens: Onion/Garlic, Soybeans, Wheat, Fish
This sauce is not vegetarian. It contains a small amount of Red Boat Fish Sauce which is made from anchovies.
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Cowhorn Peppers, Mammoth Jalapeño Peppers, Gypsy Peppers, San Marzano Tomatoes, Husky Cherry Tomatoes, Fish Peppers, Flaming Flare Fresno Peppers, Old Bay, Acorn Squash, Carrots, Spring Water, Roma Tomatoes, Leeks, Sweet 100 Tomatoes, Sweet Onions, Kosher Salt, Corno di Toro Peppers, Garlic, White Soy Sauce, Campari Tomatoes, Red Wine Vinegar, Banyuls Vinegar, Aleppo Peppers, Butternut Squash, Demerara Sugar, Green Onions, Shallots, Red Boat Fish Sauce, Red Onions, Coconut Aminos, Celery Leaves, Ascorbic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Thyme, Potassium Sorbate
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All of the peppers and almost all of the tomatoes were grown in Tim's garden in Baltimore County, Maryland. The carrots came from Bartenfelder Farm on Maryland's Eastern Shore, and most of the onions and garlic came from Albright Farms, a collection of four properties in Baltimore County, Maryland. Of course the Old Bay was made by McCormick but their headquarters and principal factory is also in Baltimore County, only a fifteen minute drive from Tim’s house.
A few items came from outside the area like the vinegars from Italy and France, and the white soy sauce which was in the Kanto region of Japan.
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This sauce was blended from five batches, one started in early August, another in late August, another in mid-September, another in early October and a final one in late October.
The peppers were destemmed, deseeded and their placentas (“ribs”) were removed. Some of the tomatoes and carrots were smoked over hickory wood, others oven roasted and others simply chopped. Both the acorn and butternut squashes were oven roasted.
Most of the rest of the ingredients - including nearly all of the Old Bay - were placed in vacuum sealed bags and slowly fermented at 55°F for several weeks before resting - and very, very slowly fermenting - at 41°F until ready for blending.
In late December the sauce was blended, diluted slightly with spring water to thin its texture, its acidity was adjusted with red wine and Baynuls vinegars, and a bit more Old Bay was added before it was gently pasteurized for seventy-five minutes at 136°F and then bottled.
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Sometimes when you are doing this kind of thing you end up with a perfect batch of sauce, one that has everything you want, and nothing you don’t want.
For us in 2024, that was Batch #2 of Key Bridge. It had great freshness and the perfect balance between Old Bay and tomato-driven sweetness. Sadly, there would only have been enough of it to send to one or two of you, so it got blended in with other batches.
But next year Key Bridge will be built around the recipe we used for Batch #2. We hope it will have a slightly fresher, more vibrant flavor.
