US Steak Sauce vs UK Brown Sauce! | Taste Lab #8

In the ongoing UK foods tasting series, today we're looking at "brown sauce." It's not as foreign as you think, even though it did originate in Europe. Find out more in today's video, including a taste-test comparison of foreign and domestic varieties.
0:00 Introduction
0:41 Origins of "Brown Sauce"
1:00 Invention of "Steak Sauce"
1:20 Similarities
1:54 Taste Test!
2:06 A1 (American)
2:31 HP (United Kingdom)
2:55 Chef (Ireland)
3:40 Conclusions
4:23 PLEASE SUBSCRIBE!
4:36 Outro
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[@3allz]

In the UK, I'd wager that HP Sauce is mostly used on bacon 'butties' (bacon sandwiches). As a kid its sliced white bread, butter on one side, some streaky or back bacon and red (ketchup) or brown (HP) sauce! Some freaks like it with no sauce!

[@anytimecowboy]

I had a roll on square sausage today with no sauce, awesome

[@pesmerga182]

Brown sauce is used on beef stew, corn beef hash, sausage sandwich rtc

[@JoshtheJust]

Thank you for this review. I've been curious about brown sauce for years now.

[@liammclean6047]

I had no idea A1 sauce was similar to brown sauce (what I've always heard HP sauce called here in Scotland) the idea of using it for steak is strange to me but some people eat steak with ketchup. I might put try hp sauce on steak next time I have some, maybe I'm missing out

[@marcberm]

I'm sure folks only realized it worked on steak when they found they could make more money selling it that way to a new market that hadn't heard of it before.

[@adey88splace]

Dad, from Manchester UK, brought us up on HP Sauce.

[@RaijinGod-Indra]

I know this may sound a little weird coming from someone on the internet lol I'm assuming you're American then and your dad British, what was your accent like growing up was it like a mix of English and American or purely americanised through school and such.

[@adey88splace]

@@RaijinGod-Indra Hi there, thanks for the response. Us kids (4) were brought up in Canada. Our American cousins think we have a funny accent although I never thought of it until they told us. They are in Virginia and have a southern accent. Which I think is pretty cool. Dad had a very muted English accent.

[@paulmichaelfreedman8334]

The inventor of brown sauce was also the caterer for the House of Parliament (get it?) and it was standard on every table , like ketchup. Later on he commercialised it and named the brand HP. It is currently the property of Heinz.

[@marcberm]

I don't know how I missed te House of Parliament name connection!

[@derekfaeberwick]

HP is king on Scotch pies and bacon rolls.

[@angiehomeschoolmom3269]

I'm Canadian and am married to an American. We used to bring A1 sauce home to Canada from vacations in the USA because my hubby didn't like HP sauce. Then we saw A1 in a Canadian grocery store and snatched it up. It WAS NOT the same as the American product. A comparison to the American A1 bottle, and indeed the ingredient list was different.

[@lumpyfishgravy]

Good shootout. Cheers.

[@mgtowrules1649]

I use HP sauce on Chips & egg Shepard's pie and Scotch pies!

[@marcberm]

It's good stuff! I've got another video in the works that's a sort of brown sauce follow-up... UK Gravy grans vs. US gravy packets. 😀

[@jacobmarley2966]

I recently bought some HP off the internet because a Brit told me it tastes like A1, it tasted nothing like A1 to me. I also ordered something called Geo Watkins mushroom ketchup from Britain that stuffs amazing. Like worcestershire but even better.

[@marcberm]

I've actually tried the mushroom ketchup before too! It's great and I don't even like mushrooms! 😀

[@anytimecowboy]

In the UK, the notion of putting brown sauce on a steak would be ridiculous, brown sauce is awesome but why would ruin a steak by putting brown sauce on it?

[@marcberm]

That's kind of the whole thing... Brown sauce came to America only because they made up a need that didn't really exist by selling it as a condiment for steak. Though to be fair, at the time most steaks were probably cooked well done, so they could use whatever additional flavor you were willing to throw at them. For myself, I might put it on a burger or a really cheap steak, but that's about it.

[@kptlt.phillipthomsen5973]

Because A1 has a completely different flavor

[@fogtooth6824]

I like steak sauce, but I don't put it on my steak. I dip my steak into it

[@horsenuts1831]

I'm a Brit and for a very short while in the late 1980s, A1 sauce was sold here. Because HP sauce is so ubiquitous, the distributor of A1 had a mountain to climb and it never took off (interestingly both Taco Bell and Wendys tried to get into the UK at roughly the same time, but failed - they're now having another attempt). I did buy a bottle or two of A1 back then, but it just didn't measure up against the familiarity of HP sauce. Basically, it is a very close call and neither is better than the other - it boils down to what you are more familiar with.

[@marcberm]

Bingo! There's no right or wrong here; no winner or loser. Just different is all, and variety is the spice (and sauce!) of life!

[@paulmichaelfreedman8334]

Well for one, if A1 is more sour than HP, damn. HP chokes me up if the fumes hit my throat. Nevertheless, I'm an addict but it is hard to get here in the netherlands, the only format sold is the tiny glass bottle costing a small fortune.

[@jfinn3575]

There's a new king of brown sauce in Ireland named Ballymaloe Steak Sauce, Its a posh 'brown sauce'. It actually goes with steak too, as well as what these sauces are really best with, breakfast pork!

[@paulmichaelfreedman8334]

Oh a plate full of the cheapest pork sausages and drenched in brown sauce. Heaven. HIgh cholesterol too.

[@royalstevep68]

In Uk, majority of people will use HP sauce for bacon or sausage sandwiches/baps. It’s awesome for that. Putting it on steak would be considered ridiculous in uk

[@benlee8436]

It sounds like A1 may be more closely based on Daddies' Sauce which was created by the same man who created HP, but is less sweet and runnier and is owned by a different company (one of them was given away to repay a debt). I'd be interested in knowing how A1 stacks up against it. Daddies' is unique in the UK as supermarket own brands all ape HP, rather than the less popular but not going anywhere as it's different enough to exist.

[@SgtRocko]

We use HP and A1 a lot - though the HP SPARINGLY because it costs a fortune here in the US. A1 we use almost exclusively for beef - though for STEAKS we're Heinz 57 users LOL HP is a bit sweeter and more suited to other meats and especially poultry. Brown Sauce... don't recall ever seeing it anywhere near where we live, so... I've HAD it and LIKE it, but we just can't get it.

[@kevinputry5655]

I can't give an opinion on Chef Sauce. I haven't tried it yet. I've always liked A1. It's good stuff. However... I absolutely love HP Sauce! That stuff is amazing!

[@michaelalexander3828]

The background “music” is very irritating !

[@wrongwayup8217]

Okay so I’m a British expat turned Proud American. In 2017 I had to return to the UK for a family matter and was over there for about a year. One of the things that I missed the most was A1. I wish I had known that HP was similar. I had always avoided it when I was a Kid because of its unappealing name of “Brown Sauce”.

[@marcberm]

Turns out I only ever learned of the term "brown sauce" as an adult, but agree it isn't doing the product any favors! 😂

[@helpfultips1533]

Nice

[@DXSUCKIT1990]

HP has tamarind in it, giving a wildly different spice flavor than A1. HP is sweeter also

[@kevinputry5655]

Yeah, I noticed he forgot to mention that as an ingredient. The tamarind sure makes the difference!

[@graemedewar6262]

you forgot the tamarind in the HP ingredient list - to me that is the one flavour that turns me off HP.

[@missunknownunknown716]

In the UK brown sauce isn't used for steak in the UK it's mainly used for breakfasts and for bacon or sausage sandwiches

[@ronc.8964]

Personally, Marc, I think HP is a far better tasting sauce than the vinegary A1. Thanks for the taste test review. Most folks don't even know about HP (House of Parliment) sauce.

[@marcberm]

Very welcome! I've been working on a somewhat related video testing UK gravy grans against US packet gravy and a few other simialr products from boths sides of the Atlantic.

[@Getoffmytrain_97268]

The A1 isn't even American..it's from the UK

[@rn87mom94]

Excuse me, but CHEF sauce is THE rockstar. Add it to Sheppard’s pie. Eat it with any sausage. Eat on roast beef sandwiches. Eat with chicken. Mix it with apple sauce and serve on pork. Coat your roasts with it before baking. If it wasn’t for Chef sauce, I’d still be eating cereal at every meal. 😅

[@marcberm]

Hey, sometimes I like cereal a meal replacement! 😂

[@seanballantyne5608]

Chop Sauce, from Hammond's. A UK brown sauce and a name not so different from that steak sauce.

[@OrioleBeagle]

You forgot the American Heinz 57 Steak Sauce.

[@marcberm]

I'm working on a follow-up with a whole bunch more from both sides of the ocean.

[@infobahnpirate9713]

I’m on a low sodium diet and HP saved my life!!!

[@PortmanRd]

One major difference between H.P & A1 is corn syrup. H.P doesn't contain any.

[@marcberm]

Sprry to say that's not correct. HP Sauce absolutely contains high fructose corn syrup (which is another name for the "glucose-fructose syrup" listed on the ingredient label).

[@PortmanRd]

@@marcberm My bad. Seems like manufacturers are are disguising ingredients by calling them something entirely different. At the end of the day it's pretty safe to say that they're not good for you.

[@marcberm]

@@PortmanRd I am certain they do it on purpose. Definitely not the first example I've seen either. Always pays to check labels lol.

[@iAdzii]

brown sauce is better for bacon or sausage buns

[@davidhartley9455]

An American bean?

[@gunnargundersen3787]

Having lived and worked in all 3 countries I've tried them all. My personal preference is the UK, then Irish and coming up in last place is A1. But then my US house is in Nebraska where you get some great steak that I don't think needs any sauce on it. Although my favorite steak was in Chile and Argentina. HP is perfect on a Bacon sandwich and an English/Irish/Scottish breakfast (delete as appropriate). Whilst American independent diners have great breakfasts, nothing beats an English Breakfast in a "greasy spoon" cafe. Norway just doesn't have the same Breakfasts as either the British or Americans.

[@marcberm]

Agreed! I think A1 is trying to get away from their "steak sauce" roots in the US, now just rebranded as "A1 Sauce..." You know, just like how brown sauce is a multi-use condiment nearly everywhere else.

[@santamanone]

Yeah I liked the English/Irish/Scottish breakfasts also for the most part. But When I was there I did miss my grits, biscuits and sausage gravy, and fig preserves. I also missed steak and eggs (usually a 16 ounce ribeye with three ranch fresh eggs)

[@CyberChud2077]

A1 is a lot more runny, tart and tangy than brown sauce tends to be. Brown sauce usually has the consistency of ketchup. Out of all the different brands of brown sauce, HP is a bit more like an American steak sauce, and it’s marketed that way in the US.

[@TheSeafordian]

Daddies Sauce for me. Especially with pies and corned beef.

[@marcberm]

I'll have to get a hold of some and give it a try! Seems it's owned by the same folks as HP which was the one I liked best overall. Chef sauce was a little gloopy as if thickened with corn flour.

[@smudger671]

@anglovirtual I agree. I like the strong peppery taste.

[@TruthHurts2u]

Heinz 57 is best...

[@marcberm]

I've possibly never actually tried it! I'll have to include it in a round 2.

[@armandopina8529]

When i eat steak at steakhouse i ask for an empty small bowl. I add 1 tbsp each of A-1, Heinz and Worcester sauce. Mix well and spread one tbsp all over my steak. Taste amazing.

[@JonnyVision88]

A1 is British Not American

[@marcberm]

It's both. The product is distributed by Premier Foods in the UK, and by Kraft Heinz in North America through separate licensing agreements. Rights and distribution by a UK company in the UK and a North American company in North America. It's no different than candy brands like Kit Kat bars being made by Nestle in Europe and licensed by HB Resse in North America and elsewhere.

[@JonnyVision88]

@@marcberm no its British invented by a British man invented in Britain even got its name from the king at the time lol you can get more British than that

[@Sirharryflash82]

@@JonnyVision88 Awww did you get your widdle panties in a knot?

[@santamanone]

@@JonnyVision88 ironically Catsup as we know it today was also invented in Britain. The original fermented fish sauce was Chinese but once the British got it through early trade routes they later corrupted it by adding tomatoes and created what we live today. Equally ironic the number one consumer of catsup (per capita) is Switzerland rather that the US.