The Fruity Secret To Texas Roadhouse's Steak Sauce

Fans of Texas Roadhouse's delicious steaks may not realize that part of what gives it its distinct flavor is a fruity, tangy component of its steak sauce. Traditional steak sauces are typically composed of some combination of Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, salt, and pepper. That Worcestershire sauce, which is also found in Texas Roadhouse's steak sauce, adds a dash of complexity to any flavor profile because it contains tamarind extract.

Tamarind comes from fruit trees native to Africa, harvested from large, dark brown pods. The darker the pod, the riper the thick, pulpy fruit inside. The consistency of tamarind pulp is like that of dates, but its flavor is more complex. Depending on when the pod is harvested, the resulting pulp can be sour, tangy, or subtly sweet. Tamarind is a key ingredient of sauces across many international cuisines, including Indian chutney, pad thai sauce, and as a topping for a variety of Trinidadian staples. 

Texas Roadhouse recently started selling bottled steak sauces at retail, including major grocery stores like Kroger and, appropriately enough, Texas supermarket icon H-E-B. To fully replicate the Texas Roadhouse experience with your steaks at home, you'll want to pick up the Roadhouse Gold Sauce flavor – the Classic Steak Sauce variety isn't used at Texas Roadhouse restaurants.

When it comes to steak, tamarind is conventionally used in sauces to top or dip the meat, but the fruit could also be used as an effective marinade. This is because tamarind is highly acidic; it can tenderize the steak as it marinates and cut through the steak's rich flavor to add more depth. Tamarind's strong, complex taste provides ballast to a variety of flavors. While its sweet qualities balance out heavy steak flavors, its sour qualities keep sauces and chutneys from becoming overly sweet. To get a taste of tamarind's full spectrum of flavor, try a Caribbean-style tamarind ball, one of the few recipes in which the fruit is the star ingredient.

The same principle applies to pairing red wine with heavier meats like steak and lamb. The chemical compounds found in red wine known as tannins break down the meat's fat content, and the fat in turn enhances the fruity profile of the wine.