Jackaroo Australian Style BBQ Sauce (1 of 5)
This should be quick. There was only one positive aspect of this particular sauce… and if you are smart, you can probably figure it out by the time I tell you.
Give up?
It’s the tiny 4 ounce container. I bought it for under a dollar, after becoming curious walking past a display at my local Hanniford. So I didn’t have to waste much money at all on this terribly malodorous sauce.
When I first looked at the packaging, I thought to myself, “Hmm. What is Australian Style Sauce?” Maybe I’m far too American, but you know, I’d be lying if I didn’t say I thought of Crocodile Dundee, Alligators, Boomerangs, Sharks, and the beer that most Australian natives are actually ashamed of - Fosters.
So I Googled “Australian Style Sauce”
According to Wikipedia, “in Australia, barbecue sauce can be simply a blend of tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce. There are various sauces in the market from fruity to brown sauce.”
But Wikipedia (in their all knowing anyone-can-write-whatever wisdom) seemed to leave out how some Australian Style Sauces have an artificial and rotten meat flavor. Seriously, remember those Ramen Noodles back from college days?
This tasted similar to the beef flavor packet, except even more artificial and mixed in with a metallic tinge that I would almost wager was caused by the tin foil cover… I searched around on the label for the word China to no avail. I was seriously thinking I would break a story on the latest food poisoning incident - if I made it to the phone in time.
Let’s get into it, one by one.
The Smell
Let’s see. Meaty and metallic. Like a steak that was used to clean sheet metal. Certainly qualifies for the unique category.
Before Cooking Flavor
Again - tastes like a Beef Ramen Noodle flavor packet - with a metallic tinge that I could have sworn might have been LEAD. But I am still alive. For now.
Consistency
Just like ketchup. Highly mass produced. No visible signs of actual food or spices in there. (In Homer Simpson voice: Mmmmm. Hydrolyzed corn and yeast protein. Mmm.)
After Cooking Flavor
Although much of the metallic flavor was tapered after a grilling session, I couldn’t handle the outright artificial flavors and “beefiness” of the sauce. My chicken wings felt dishonest, like it was pretending it wasn’t chicken, and was actually some form of beef. On actual beef, this tasted a little better, but nothing to dig it out from the grave.
In this case the grilling experience did little to add or subtract from the overall taste of the sauce. Probably because there was just so much junk in it… just like those pictures/videos of burning oilfields we’ve all seen… This could probably burn all day/night and still taste the same. Which is NOT a good quality of a sauce.
Ingredients
Water, Vinegar, Tomato Paste, Corn Syrup, Molasses, Sugar, Seasoning (brown sugar, modified food starch, spices including paprika, rice flour, salt, dextrose, autolyzed yeast extract, natural flavor, hydrolyzed corn and yeast protein, xanthan gum, garlic and onion, beef color, caramel color, citric acid, lemon juice powder, malic acid, dextrose, maltodextrin, spice extractives, tricalcium phosphate), salt, mustard seed, natural grill and smoke flavors, tamarind concentrate, soybean oil, paprika, spices, garlic, onion. Contains: wheat.
Nutrition Information
Not available on this sample pack.
Positives: Small package. Wide distribution. Under a buck to try it. Ate just enough to taste it, review it, and survive!
Negatives: Everything else.
No comments on marketing or packaging. Just please stop putting this stuff in my supermarket. People could get sick or somethin. Jeez.
Ordering Information
Comment by Linda | April 24th, 2008
I absolutely LOVE Jackaroo BBQ Sauce, I just hate it is impossible to find. I finally went to a warehouse I heard about, and bought a case of the bottles. I have’nt been able to find it since we ran out, except for in those little cups, which I did buy until the store quit selling them. Now I just do without, and look for in any store I might be in. I also tell people about it hopeing someone one day will say, “Hey I know where you can buy it.”