Pringles Texas Barbecue Sauce

== TEXAS SAUCE BARBECUE SAUCE PRINGLES ==

Since my daughter got married last year and moved sixty miles away, we probably spend more time with her than we had in year!!
Anytime they can she and her husband come up to stay, or we go for the weekend there.
These ‘get togethers’ usually involve several bottles of wine, bottles of beer and masses of savoury snacks.
The snacks vary widely – nuts, crisps, olives, dips, ...
...a tube of two of Pringles devoured in one of these sessions.
Our last snack night involved a tube of a new variety of Pringles - Texas Barbecue Sauce - so they are what this review will be about.

So, are you sitting comfortably!!!

=== JUST WHAT ARE PRINGLES? ===

I am sure that you are all aware of Pringles, but just in case, here is a little background into them.

Pringles is a brand ... more

TEXAS SAUCE BARBECUE SAUCE PRINGLES

Since my daughter got married last year and moved sixty miles away, we probably spend more time with her than we had in year!!
Anytime they can she and her husband come up to stay, or we go for the weekend there.
These ‘get togethers’ usually involve several bottles of wine, bottles of beer and masses of savoury snacks.
The snacks vary widely – nuts, crisps, olives, dips, bread sticks etc, but what you can guarantee is that there will be a tube of two of Pringles devoured in one of these sessions.
Our last snack night involved a tube of a new variety of Pringles - Texas Barbecue Sauce - so they are what this review will be about.

So, are you sitting comfortably!!!

JUST WHAT ARE PRINGLES?

I am sure that you are all aware of Pringles, but just in case, here is a little background into them.

Pringles is a brand of potato snack, although actually there is less than 50% potato content.
What surprised me is that they are manufacted by Procter and Gamble, who I always think of as a soap manufacturer) Amazingly the company came up with the name "Pringles" from a Cincinnati telephone book, from the name of Pringle Drive in Finneytown, Ohio,
It was in 1956 when the recipe for this snack was invented and the Mr Pringle icon designed, but they didn’t go on sale in the USA until1966 , 1970 elsewhere.

The famous slogan of Pringles is the slogan "Once you pop, you can't stop", referring to their packageing.Which is the famous cardboard tube with a foil seal and a plastic, resealable lid.
Actually the first Pringles were packaged in a tall, cylindrical metal can with a red wrapper.
One fact I found amazing while researching the Pringles details is that in 1998 Pringles were available in 40 countries, today you can get Pringles in more than 100 countries and, amazingly, in 45 flavours. Some of those flavours are Natural, Sour Cream and Onion, Cheddar Cheese, Honey Mustard, Salt and Vinegar. Dill Pickle, Texan Barbeque and Cajun.
And – did you know - Brad Pitt appeared in a Pringles commercial in 1982 ?

Apart from the normal 170g tubes, Pringles also come in 40g and 74g ‘Grab and Go’ tubes and also in Pringles Mini (23g)

TEXAS SAUCE BARBECUE SAUCE PRINGLES APPEARANCE

PACKAGING

The Texas BBQ flavoured Pringles come in the well-known tube that epitomise Pringles to us now.
We have a Mr Fredric J Baur to thank for that tube. Baur was an American chemist and food storage, he designed and patented the Pringles container and for the method of packaging the curved, stacked chips in. He requested to be buried in one of his tubes,so when he died his family put some of his ashes in a Pringles tube and buried it!!
This particular flavour of Pringles is sold in a tube with an attractive dark purple/burgundy livery, which is colourful and distinctive so quite eye catching when searching the supermarket shelves for them. On the tube is the recognisable face of Mr Pringle sporting his very fine moustache and the name of the product ‘Pringles’ in bright yellow lettering.
The best part about Pringles, in my opinion, is the fact that ‘ once you’ve popped and you DO manage to stop’; the plastic lid keeps any Pringles that you don’t eat fresh for another day. This variety is no different to others in the range in the fact that the lid is present, also with a foil lid under it on first opening – that in fact is your POP!!!

And lets go green here we can use the tube once empty as a pen holder, storage container or even a home made maraca!!!!

CRISP

The Pringles them selves do vary from other varieties. The are the same shape and texture as all other Pringles; for the initiated this is a round, smooth, thickish disc that is slightly curved into a scoop like shape (that just shouts out to be filled with a scrummy dip). These Americanised ‘crisps’ are not ‘crisps’ as us Brits know them, no thinly sliced spuds deep fried in oil here, what you get are identically shaped concaved discs that are reconstructed from dehydrated potato, corn and rice flour. These crisps are designed to sit in each other in the tube and it really is quite surprising just how many do fit into the 170g tubes.

The difference in this variety actually lies in the colour; each Pringle has a reddish brown powdery coating, a distinctive BBQ look, which makes them look especially tempting. The flavour of Texas BBQ is a strong flavour and has been created for the highest pleasures.

SMELL

So just what does this variety of Pringle smell like, well let’s see.
I’ve popped – now will I be able to stop?
Wow, that smell hits you as soon as you pop that foil. It is a very characteristic aroma that immediately brings the distinctive BBQ smell to mind. There is a combination of sweet and savoury in the smell - BBQ meets onion and tomato, but all in a delicious way.

THE TASTE TEST

Of course appearance and smell are important but the ‘proof of the pudding’, as they say ‘is in the eating’.
Fingers in and we first notice that we get a lovely savoury dust on our fingers, just right for licking off. Initially the intense flavour doesn’t hit home, but as you carry on eating there is a definite BBQ flavour sitting there.
Now a traditional Texas BBQ Sauce is a sweet and spicy mixture of tomato, spices and vegetables – usually with garlic and Tabasco added, surprisingly the ingredients on the package don’t seem to incorporate these (more of that later), but Proctor and Gamble do seemed to have managed to find the perfect combination of whatever’s to recreate a BBQ taste. Surprisingly, as they are suitable for vegetarians, there is a hint of barbecues meats and a distinct onion/garlic back taste.
All in all I would describe them as delicious and just a little too morish!!

INGREDIENTS

Now I know I may be shot down for adding the ingredients in my review, but I stand by my principles (Pringle Principles – now there’s a name!) that I think a food review should include the ingredients. Even when they don’t (as in this case) sound that appetising!!

Dehydrated potatoes, vegetable oil, vegetable fat, corn flour, cheese flavour (cheese powder, whey powder, flavour enhancer: monosodium glutamate, flavourings, buttermilk powder, onion powder, sugar, Food acid: lactic acid, yeast extract), wheat starch, maltodextrin, emulsifier: E471, salt, rice flour, dextrose.

NUTRITION

I am not going to insult anybody’s intelligence by trying to suggest that these are actually good for you!!
This is not the healthiest snack on the market as the salt and fat content is quite high.
But once in a while we all need a treat so it does help to know just what we are eating when we POP!!

For every 100g the nutritional content is

527 Kcal
4.2g of protein
34g of fat
10g saturated fat
50g of carbohydrate
3.5g of fibre
And there are 170g in a tube, so do try to STOP after you POP!!

A little tip here to help those concerned with the NV’S but who would like to sample this variety, Pringles do make it in the Mini Pack, these are small packs of small size Pringles, ideal for lunchboxes (at the moment Home Bargains are selling them at 10p a pack), the NV for one of these packs (23g) is:
Energy - 118 kcal
Protein - 1.2 g
Carbohydrate - 13 g
Fat - 6.9g
of which is saturates - 3.0g

PRICE & AVAILABILTY

These Pringles are available at most supermarkets.
As of 1/10/09 they are 99p from Tesco, £1 from Asda and £1.59 from Sainsburys – so you do need to shop around.

QUACKERS!!!!

If you are still wondering about my title to this review ‘You might just go quackers for these BBQ Pringles’, there is actually a reason for it.
That reason is that by putting two Pringles in your mouth in a certain way you can make yourself into a very realistic duck look alike – as demonstrated by my son Jack!!

Now you really DO have to buy some don’t you!

IN CONCLUSION

I have to say that as a crisp person I’m rather boring and usually stick to the ready salted, or in the case of Pringles, the original variety. But this flavour certainly did hit all the right spots for me.
These are an unusual and tasty flavour, ideal for parties, snacks or just for a remedy for an attack of the munchies.
I loved them dipped in a sour cheese dip.

Go on have a pop at them!!!

For more information on Pringles visit their excellent website- www.pringles.co.uk, some good games and competitions on there.

Don’t forget to look at Jack’s duck impression!!!!

 

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