Newk's X Grillo's Dill Pickle Hot Sauce Review: It's All Tang And No Twang

Alongside the introduction of its brand new Blazing Hot Pickle Chips, pickle connoisseurs Grillo's has teamed up with Newks to bring us an exciting new anomaly — Grillo's Dill Pickle Hot Sauce. What started as a Kickstarter passion project for Newks founder Jake Newcomb in 2019 has quickly flourished into a boutique hot sauce brand that ships nationwide. Known for making creative hot sauces using fruits and other ingredients you might not expect, a dill pickle-flavored hot sauce is a natural fit for the brand. With the increasing popularity of Nashville hot chicken (and hot chicken-inspired snacks), this combination of extreme heat with the sweet, brine-y tang of dill pickles is a winner for many fried chicken fans and others who indulge in spicy food. 

Now, there is only one question that remains: Is the Newks Grillo's Dill Pickle Hot Sauce any good? And does it deliver the hot and tangy flavor promised on the label? Okay, maybe that's two questions, but we have answers to both of them in our review of this specialty hot sauce.

Just by looking at the bottle, you can tell Newks Grillo's Pickle hot sauce is going to be full of all-natural pickle flavor. And it is! The salsa verde green color does not lie. Upon first tasting, the pickle flavor was clear and present. 

The taste of a tangy, sweet pickle hits your tongue first before a mild heat gives a hint of sharper flavor. This isn't one of the hottest sauces in the world, but the pleasantly mild heat goes well with the dill-forward flavor. We could have done with a bit more heat from the habanero since even the bottle of Crystal in the fridge was spicier than this. The Dill Pickle Hot Sauce matches the same mild heat as Grillo's Hot Pickles, so in that sense, it will satisfy the expectations of Grillo's fans flocking to Newks for the first time. 

Of course, trying hot sauce by itself isn't representative of how most people will try it. So we decided to test Newks pickle sauce out on one of our favorites — fried chicken and french fries. 

While attempting to douse our chicken with a reasonable amount of sauce we first noticed the texture, which is a bit thin. Much of the sauce slid off the piece of chicken, making a mess on the plate. We made use of this to dip our fries in. Still, when we bit in we got that assertive pickle flavor. Since its not too hot on its own, the Grillo's Pickle sauce would make an excellent companion to Nashville Hot Chicken, hot dogs, or burgers as well. 

From farmers market and regional Oregon chains to supermarkets like Whole Foods, Newks hot sauce can be found at any number of locations in its home state and a handful beyond. You can also purchase it online.

When purchasing direct, a 5-ounce bottle of Grillo's Pickle Hot Sauce starts at $15. However, when buying it online in bulk the price goes down. This is far from the cheapest hot sauce on the market, but shipping is included even for the smallest of orders. Considering Newks takes on all shipping costs, the pricing makes more sense. 

Since this is a hot sauce, you are probably going to use it sparingly — even if you somehow put it on everything you eat. Even if you douse the stuff on a hamburger or hot dog, there isn't much of nutritional value here whatsoever. But it won't set you back much either, since nothing here is processed or artificial. 

Newks Grillo's Pickle Hot Sauce is made with all-natural ingredients and is completely gluten-free and vegan friendly. The ingredients listed on the bottle are Grillo's pickles and brine, jalapeños, cucumber, yellow onion, dill, habanero, and garlic. That's all that's in here and it works out to a whopping 5 calories per serving, which is 1 tablespoon. The only additional nutrition information to speak of is that each serving of the hot sauce contains 70 milligrams of sodium. 

When it comes down to it, how much you like Newks latest collaboration will depend on how much of a pickle-head you are. Is that a thing? Regardless, this Newks x Grillo's sauce ends up being exactly what it says on the label and for that we can't complain. 

Overall, we didn't find the Newks Grillo's Dill Pickle Hot Sauce to be very hot — we would categorize it as mild, for sure. But the pickle flavor is pronounced and would be a solid condiment to have in your fridge for a number of occasions, be it grilling or a night ordering in. Whether its on a hot dog or a piece of hot chicken, this pickle hot sauce will definitely get used up quick in the right household.