Texas Roadhouse Peppercorn Sauce

Yes, Texas Roadhouse's Peppercorn Sauce is high in histamine. The buttermilk in it is cultured and the soy sauce is fermented, and those processes, plus yeast extract and tomato concentrate, are what push it up. The pepper is not the problem.

Why texas roadhouse peppercorn sauce is rated high

Almost everything driving this sauce is a process rather than a raw ingredient. Buttermilk is milk that has been deliberately cultured with bacteria, and that microbial activity on milk protein is exactly what leaves histamine behind. Soy sauce is fermented soybeans and wheat, one of the most reliably high histamine condiments there is, and soybeans themselves are counted high as well. Yeast extract is a concentrated savory booster that also sits high. Then tomato concentrate brings a classic liberator into the mix, which is a separate issue layered on top of the fermented parts. Potassium metabisulfite, and the sulfur dioxide that comes along with the grapes, are preservatives some people react to on their own. The butter, the sauteed carrot, celery and onion purees and the black and white pepper are the milder parts of the recipe, but they cannot offset what the cultured and fermented ingredients bring.

What changes your risk

• The cultured and fermented parts carry it — buttermilk, soy sauce, soybeans and yeast extract are the high pieces, and they are blended through the sauce rather than sitting on top.
• Tomato concentrate adds a liberator — that is a different mechanism from fermentation, and it stacks on top of the fermented ingredients rather than replacing them.
• Sulfites are in the mix — potassium metabisulfite is in the recipe and sulfur dioxide comes with the grapes, and sulfites bother some people separately from histamine.
• Warm holding does not undo any of it — the histamine formed while the buttermilk was cultured and the soy sauce was fermented is already in the sauce, and heat does not remove it. Because this is a rich dairy sauce, long holding can add to it depending on how it is handled.
• The vegetable purees are not a counterweight — the sauteed carrot, celery and onion purees and the pepper are the gentle parts, but they do not dilute the fermented ingredients out of the picture.

Lower-histamine alternatives

Among the lower items at Texas Roadhouse, Lil' Dillo Steak Bites is the only actual dish on that list, and Browning Sauce, Garlic Salt and Onion Salt are the lower ways to get savory flavor if that is what the peppercorn sauce was doing for you. Be honest with yourself about the gap: none of those is a creamy pan sauce, and there is no lower histamine version of this sauce to order instead. For drinks, Juice - Apple and Iced Tea - Peach Sweet sit on the lower list.

How to lower the risk

This is a fixed recipe item and the chain publishes what is in it rather than what can be taken out, so there is no published version of this sauce without the buttermilk, soy sauce or yeast extract. The practical approach at Texas Roadhouse is to plan the meal around the lower items instead: Lil' Dillo Steak Bites, with Garlic Salt, Onion Salt or Browning Sauce for savory flavor, and Juice - Apple or Iced Tea - Peach Sweet to drink. It is also worth knowing that this sauce carries both dairy and wheat, including enriched wheat flour, hydrolyzed wheat gluten and malted barley and wheat flours, so gluten comes with it as well.

Common questions

Is the peppercorn what makes this sauce high in histamine?

No. Black and white pepper are not what drive the rating. The buttermilk, soy sauce, soybeans, yeast extract and tomato concentrate are.

Why is buttermilk high when butter is not?

Buttermilk is cultured, meaning bacteria are added to the milk on purpose, and that microbial activity on milk protein is what leaves histamine behind. Butter has not gone through that step.

Does this sauce contain soy and gluten?

Yes. It contains soy sauce and soybeans, and it contains enriched wheat flour, hydrolyzed wheat gluten, malted barley flour and malted wheat flour, so both soy and gluten are present.

Does it have sulfites?

Yes. Potassium metabisulfite is in the ingredient list, and sulfur dioxide appears with the grapes. Sulfites bother some people separately from histamine.