LEISURE > FOOD
Heat Up Your Home Kitchen With Shake Shack’s
Hot Ones Sauce Recipe
Culinary director Mark Rosati shares how to make the new
Spicy ShackSauce
BY EVAN BLEIER
October 19, 2022 6:10 am
The Hot Ones Spicy ShackSauce debuted to rave reviews in September.
Shake Shack
As a soup-stained Vincent van Gogh painting at London’s National Gallery can attest,
many people are not pleased with the rate at which the world is heating up.
At Shake Shack, which rolled out burgers, chicken sandwiches, and fries topped with
a new Spicy ShackSauce made with ingredients used in First We Feast’s viral YouTube
series Hot One’s last month, the sharp increase in temperature is much more
welcome.
Far from the Shack’s first foray into the sphere of spice, the Hot Ones-inspired menu
was created in tandem with series host Sean Evans and sauces he procures from
Brooklyn-based hot sauce purveyor Heatonist. Of all the Scoville-packed items
available at Heatonist, Shake Shack culinary director Mark Rosati and the team finally
decided to use Hot One’s Classic and the Last Dab: Apollo sauces as the heat
sources for their new mayo-based condiment.
“We played around with it and there’s a lot more of The Classic compared to The Last
Dab. The Classic has a good amount of Fresno chili and garlic and those two
ingredients played really well with our ShackSauce,” Rosati tells InsideHook. “The Last
Dab brings up the heat and it brings up a little bit of flavor. It’s very tangy. There’s a
good amount of vinegar to it too. After a few bites. you can handle it — and then it’s
gonna start to creep up.”
True hotheads may be disappointed as that creep only goes so far and, according to
Rosati, clocks in at a seven out of 10 on the spiciness scale. “It’s hot, but I’d say it’s in
the medium zone of heat,” he says. “For some people, there’s going to be some tingle
going on here. For others, it’s not going to be at the height of their tolerance. It’s kind
of the middle of the road, but it won’t satisfy everyone’s cravings for heat. There’s a
fine line between creating something that has a good amount of heat and something
that only a small number of people will actually enjoy.”
When introducing a new condiment like Spicy ShackSauce, the idea is that the sauce
will ultimately end up adding a twist to what is already a tried-and-true menu
offering. “We developed our burger blend 18 years ago in 2004. That burger blend
has not changed and it still holds up today,” Rosati says. “The sauces or condiments
can change it and give a whole different flavor profile. For us, that’s where the fun is.
My favorite way of eating a burger is a cheeseburger with a little bit of mustard. It’s
what I’ve been eating since a kid. You could add this sauce to that same burger and
it’s a completely different experience. You can do a lot with just that single
ingredient.”
Here’s how to make it.
Shake Shack x Hot Ones Spicy ShackSauce
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: None
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: Approximately 1 cup
Ingredients
1 cup Hellman’s real mayonnaise
2 tbsp. dijon mustard
1½ tsp. Heinz ketchup
½ tsp. kosher dill pickling brine
2 pinches of cayenne pepper
1½ tbsp. Hot Ones Classic Hot Sauce
1 tbsp. Hot Ones The Last Dab: Apollo Hot Sauce
1½ tsp. honey
Directions
1 Combine ingredients in a bowl.
Join America's Fastest Growing Spirits Newsletter THE SPILL. Unlock all the reviews, recipes and revelry
— and get 15% off award-winning La Tierra de Acre Mezcal.
Leisure > Food
Evan is a senior editor with InsideHook who earned a master's degree in journalism from NYU and has
called Brooklyn home since 2006. A fan of Boston sports, Nashville hot chicken and Kentucky bourbon,
Evan has had his work published in publications including "Maxim," Bleacher Report and "The Daily
Mail."
SUBSCRIBE Subscribed? Log In.
More Food, Right This Way
GROOMING
You Should Be Gifting Flamingo Estate’s Unique Home Goods This Holiday Season
COCKTAILS
The Startlingly Fun Evolution of High-Low Food and Cocktail Pairings
FOOD
IKEA Expands Its Food Offerings With a London Restaurant
FOOD
These Are Our Editor-in-Chief’s Most Used Kitchen Items
EXPLORE MORE FOOD
Keep Reading
AUTOS
Crashing My Dream Car: The Day I Totaled My $200,000 Porsche
SPORTS
The NFL Is Looking to Expand Its International Presence
WELLNESS
A Virologist Took a Dramatic Step to Treat Her Cancer
SPORTS
NFL Fined the 49ers' Nick Bosa for Political Headgear
Follow Us
Newsletters Sections
Flagship Daily Email Style Grooming Books
The Goods Drinks Fitness Film
The Journey Food Longevity Design
The Spill Travel Mental Health Internet
The Charge Gear Running Music
The Stitch Watches Sex & Dating TV
NY • CHI • LA • TX • DC • SF Autos Advice Sports
Cities The Basics
New York About IH Privacy
Chicago Editorial Policy Careers
Los Angeles Contact Us Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Washington DC Advertise Accessibility
Texas Terms Manage Subscription
San Francisco
Copyright © 2024 InsideHook. All rights reserved.
