Octopus Overlords

I don't like Cholula or Tabasco... too much vinegar, IMHO.

I prefer the Huifong Sriracha, the original. Though sometimes I would much prefer mixing it with some hoisin sauce.

I tried Aardvark sauce as recommended somewhere, it's okay, but expensive as it comes in pretty small bottles.

Alefroth wrote: ↑Sat Oct 16, 2021 7:07 pm
Something else that lies outside of typical hot sauce that I've been really hooked on is spicy chili crisp.

i am also a fan.

https://www.eater.com/22308176/best-chi ... -essential

one way to diy it:

https://www.seriouseats.com/homemade-spicy-chili-crisp

Brian wrote: ↑Sat Oct 16, 2021 7:05 am On a trip to Mexico back in 2018, the villa we stayed at was stocked with a variety of hot sauces from the Chimay brand.

I found a source that imports them into the US and have been buying it in 12 packs of bottles.
It's hotter than my previous favorite, Cholula, but still maintains a very good flavor.

I thought the Chimay brand was a shitty Belgian monkey beer? How does it relate to Mexico and hot sauce?

My favorite hot sauces are the ones I make myself. However, that's too much bother most of the time, my bottled hot sauces include TGI Friday's Ghost Pepper Sauce (not quite as much of a burn-you-a-new-asshole like other ghost pepper sauces I've tried), Trader Joe's Jalapeno Hot Sauce (my wife's favorite and a very nice jack-of-all-trades), Trader Joe's Habanero Hot Sauce -- price is right, flavor is good, I use it mainly for squash soups (I prefer my own habanero sauce for other dishes). Sriracha is a staple, as well as Frank's Extra-Hot. Sometimes I have Tabasco around, but not at the moment.

A neighbor was giving away some ghost peppers from his garden last week...I was tempted to claim some to make a hot sauce, but then he mentioned if nobody took them, he'd make a stout beer ought of them. I double-dog dared him and told him I won't believe it until I try it.

Chimay is from the Mexican state of Tabasco and is made of habanero peppers.

Tabasco brand is named after the Tabasco peppers someone brought to the Southern US (probably Maunsel White), which was planted by Edmund McIlhenny in his plantation in Louisiana, who later founded the McIllhenny Company and launched the Tabasco brand of hot sauces.

I know, confusing as heck.

Chimay Ale is an alleged beer that is chunky enough to eat with a fork (blocks of yeast floating in it) and is light and bubbly like champagne, which I can't stand.



It's made by trappist monkeys who I suspect are highly sedated.

hitbyambulance wrote: ↑Sat Oct 16, 2021 9:18 pm

Alefroth wrote: ↑Sat Oct 16, 2021 7:07 pm
Something else that lies outside of typical hot sauce that I've been really hooked on is spicy chili crisp.

i am also a fan.

https://www.eater.com/22308176/best-chi ... -essential

one way to diy it:

https://www.seriouseats.com/homemade-spicy-chili-crisp

I may try that once my Laoganma runs out. That's funny about the serving size, though mine says 7.

Hmmm we just got a Trader Joe's. May need a trip down there next month for that Trader Joe's Jalapeno Hot Sauce.

EDIT: Looking on the Trader Joe site i came across this. Anyone tried it?

Peri-Peri sauce originates in Africa (with a Portuguese influence) and is traditionally a blend of African bird's eye chilis. The flavor is typically spicy, garlicy, tangy, and lemony. The Nando's franchise popularized the sauce and flavors, but Peri Peri simply means "pepper pepper" in Swahili.

I've not tried that one. I'm disappointed they no longer have their chili sweet and sour sauce though. Now what am I supposed to serve with eggrolls? I'm also bummed that they apparently discontinued their cocktail sauce. Fortunately, Menards has been selling Kraft's for $1 per bottle so I'm good until they run out.

I use Trader Joe's Chili sauce when making chili...I don't use chili powder, but a half-bottle of this is terrific.

McNutt wrote:

Combustible Lemur wrote:

McNutt wrote:I use a lot of hot sauce. My main one is Trappey's Ghost Pepper sauce, but I really like the El Yucateca line. Great heat with a lot of flavor.

Love the Yucateca xxxtra hot.

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Have you tried their special reserve sauce? It's a smokey sauce that works great on leftover chicken fingers.

I don't think I have. I tried a couple, but not that.

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Kasey Chang wrote:I don't like Cholula or Tabasco... too much vinegar, IMHO.

I prefer the Huifong Sriracha, the original. Though sometimes I would much prefer mixing it with some hoisin sauce.

I tried Aardvark sauce as recommended somewhere, it's okay, but expensive as it comes in pretty small bottles.

If you have sweet baby rays regionally, it's in the same genre but a little more buttery and deep. A little less vinegary.

As to Harissa. Ermagerd the best. Perfect as a rub for a whole roast chicken w/veggies, or a batch of roasted potatoes.

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Love Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce. Also Stubbs. Hell I aint that picky maybe..I love Krafts too. And KC Masterpiece.

Daehawk wrote: ↑Sat Oct 16, 2021 11:22 pm Hmmm we just got a Trader Joe's. May need a trip down there next month for that Trader Joe's Jalapeno Hot Sauce.

EDIT: Looking on the Trader Joe site i came across this. Anyone tried it?

Peri-Peri sauce originates in Africa (with a Portuguese influence) and is traditionally a blend of African bird's eye chilis. The flavor is typically spicy, garlicy, tangy, and lemony. The Nando's franchise popularized the sauce and flavors, but Peri Peri simply means "pepper pepper" in Swahili.

No, but that sounds really good. I'll look for it next time.

Chinese "hot sauce" tend to be more like chili oil or chili paste, not in sauce form. And generally they have some pickled vegetable chunks to give it some texture. Boingboing has long sang the praises of "LaoGangMa" brand of Chinese chili mixes so try some of that if you ever wander into an Asian grocery store. NOT your typical sriracha, great if you put a teaspoon over your ramen or rice.

Daehawk wrote: ↑Sun Oct 17, 2021 12:02 amAlso Stubbs.

I couldn't tell you the last time that I had meat (beef / chicken / pork) that wasn't marinated in Stubb's. That stuff is glorious.

Kasey Chang wrote: ↑Sun Oct 17, 2021 9:04 am Chinese "hot sauce" tend to be more like chili oil or chili paste, not in sauce form.

I love the Huy Fong chili garlic sauce (paste). In not anywhere near an incapacitating hot sauce, but the flavor is quite good.

Smoove_B wrote:

Kasey Chang wrote: ↑Sun Oct 17, 2021 9:04 am Chinese "hot sauce" tend to be more like chili oil or chili paste, not in sauce form.

I love the Huy Fong chili garlic sauce (paste). In not anywhere near an incapacitating hot sauce, but the flavor is quite good.

+1

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Annie Chun's Go Chu Jang Korean Sweet And Spicy Sauce

Alefroth wrote: ↑Sun Oct 17, 2021 1:44 am

Daehawk wrote: ↑Sat Oct 16, 2021 11:22 pm Hmmm we just got a Trader Joe's. May need a trip down there next month for that Trader Joe's Jalapeno Hot Sauce.

EDIT: Looking on the Trader Joe site i came across this. Anyone tried it?

Peri-Peri sauce originates in Africa (with a Portuguese influence) and is traditionally a blend of African bird's eye chilis. The flavor is typically spicy, garlicy, tangy, and lemony. The Nando's franchise popularized the sauce and flavors, but Peri Peri simply means "pepper pepper" in Swahili.

No, but that sounds really good. I'll look for it next time.

We just got a Trader's Joe that opened last week, I have not ventured there yet due to the crowds, but I'll look for that sauce when I do.

What do you typically serve it with? The thing about hot sauces is they can come off very badly if not complementary with the food it's served on. Ghost pepper sauce works in my chili for example; habanero, OTOH, most certainly would not.

Jeff V wrote: ↑Sun Oct 17, 2021 7:08 pm What do you typically serve it with? The thing about hot sauces is they can come off very badly if not complementary with the food it's served on. Ghost pepper sauce works in my chili for example; habanero, OTOH, most certainly would not.

https://www.nandosperiperi.com/peri-products/recipes

Today is National Hot Sauce day, so what better time to resurrect this thread? (with a hot sauce pentagram)

Despite my spicy heritage, I have a relatively bland palate. I usually don't wander beyond mild spices like red pepper flakes and Tabasco.

But lately I've been increasing my spice tolerance. I'll share my thoughts on the sauces and condiments I've tried so far.

Louisiana Hot Sauce: very little flavor or fire to speak of. Why is this so popular? This is an insult to the state of Louisiana. The one thing I'll grant is that, surprisingly, it makes my avocado sandwiches taste a lot better. Otherwise, I'd have no use for it.

Endorphin Rush: this used to be my struggle sauce. All I could tolerate was scraping half a drop onto my food. But now I can liberally sprinkle it and enjoy the warmth and black pepper-like flavor.

Truff: I like the taste of truffle, so I was looking forward to this. But this was as disappointing as it was expensive ($16.00). It only adds a modest amount of heat, and its taste is only vaguely vegetabley at best.

Frank's RedHot: it's more spicy and vinegary than Louisiana Hot Sauce, but still not too thrilling.

El Yucateco Salse Picante de Chili Habanero: though this isn't the XXX version, it's pretty hot. But I get only heat from it, no flavor. Maybe I don't like the taste of habanero. Great for adding a lot of heat, but I have to get flavor from somewhere else.

Frontera Tomatillo Salsa: I love salsa verde, but this was just a dull paste. I threw out the jar after just one taste. You got some splainin' to do, Ricky.

Flatiron Pepper Co. Dark and Smoky pepper flakes: this is a mix of chipotle, ancho, and habanero flakes. I thought this would be an improvement over standard red pepper flakes. The first few shakes out of the bottle were really bland. But after that, I got to the good stuff. It is nice to have pepper flakes with a smoky flavor. But these flakes aren't as hard and dry as regular flakes, so they're chewy and get stuck in my teeth, which is not what I want spicy food to do!

Spice Dog Provisions: Revenge of Davy Jones: this is the hottest sauce I've tried yet. Made in Illinois! It's a mix of various peppers, though at the end of the ingredient list are california reaper and ghost pepper. When I first tried this sauce, it worked on my tongue in two stages, First, it would bury into my tongue, not causing much heat or pain but I could tell something weird was going on. Second, as I ate more, it coated the surface of my tongue while activating the sauce that had seeped inside my tongue, causing acute and long-lasting pain throughout my taste organ. Eventually, I got used to it and now it just has a conventional single stage attack which is no longer as painful. And now that I can endure the pain and taste the sauce, I can detect a vague black pepper taste that's not very exciting.

I'm nearly out of that last sauce, so I'm looking for the next sauce to try in my journey to one million Scoville. I wish I knew the Scoville rating of that sauce, but I'd guess it was between 50,000 and 100,000, so my next sauce should be at that level or a little higher.

Marie Sharp's Smokin' Marie Pepper Sauce 50k-250k scoville and available cheap at walmart. It has a Smoky BBQ taste that I like on mac and cheese. and any bland meat products my wife prepares (rest of the household fears and despises spice)

You are well outside of my "happiness" zone. But maybe take a gander at some of the sauces used in the Hot Wings interviews? In addition to the interesting interviews, you can see what people think of them.

If it ain't got Ghost Pepper, why even bother? I don't say Carolina Reaper because there isn't much flavor associated with it in my mind. Ghost Pepper is legit tasty if you can handle it.

Even when I ate them more regularly, my taste in hot sauces has always been 'Add some flavor and a little heat', not 'cause myself searing pain so that I don't even notice the food.'

This has been my go to sauce for the last few years.

Hipolito wrote: Louisiana Hot Sauce: very little flavor or fire to speak of. Why is this so popular? This is an insult to the state of Louisiana. The one thing I'll grant is that, surprisingly, it makes my avocado sandwiches taste a lot better. Otherwise, I'd have no use for it.

I'm from Louisiana and this is not something I ever add to food with one exceptio: I have a huge bottle that I will use to add some additional flavor to a crawfish boil. Otherwise I never use it. My 11yo son loves it. It's an introductory hot sauce.

for really good flavor, i recommend Secret Aardvark from Portland, OR

https://secretaardvark.com/

TheMix wrote: ↑Mon Jan 22, 2024 5:40 pm You are well outside of my "happiness" zone. But maybe take a gander at some of the sauces used in the Hot Wings interviews? In addition to the interesting interviews, you can see what people think of them.

A local hot sauce producer is going to be featured in an upcoming episode. Funky's.

Thanks for all the recommendations!

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Mon Jan 22, 2024 5:56 pm Even when I ate them more regularly, my taste in hot sauces has always been 'Add some flavor and a little heat', not 'cause myself searing pain so that I don't even notice the food.'

It's about the endorphin high! When you're in the zone and the food is too hot but not TOO too hot, ain't nothin' better.

McNutt wrote: ↑Mon Jan 22, 2024 6:41 pm

Hipolito wrote: Louisiana Hot Sauce: very little flavor or fire to speak of. Why is this so popular? This is an insult to the state of Louisiana. The one thing I'll grant is that, surprisingly, it makes my avocado sandwiches taste a lot better. Otherwise, I'd have no use for it.

I'm from Louisiana and this is not something I ever add to food with one exceptio: I have a huge bottle that I will use to add some additional flavor to a crawfish boil. Otherwise I never use it. My 11yo son loves it. It's an introductory hot sauce.

I see from Isgrimnur's map that Louisiana Hot Sauce is not favored in its home state!

(And it's galling that it's favored in MY state, yet my dumber cousins in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana recognize that Frank's RedHot is better.)

Louisiana is something I'll put on eggs, etc. for flavor. Not for heat. Franks adds a bit of heat, but it's still mostly for the flavor. I do use Franks for wings.

I prefer Crystal as my go to LHS.

That's funny that ND and SD are at the extremes of hot sauce purchasing.

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Mon Jan 22, 2024 5:56 pm Even when I ate them more regularly, my taste in hot sauces has always been 'Add some flavor and a little heat', not 'cause myself searing pain so that I don't even notice the food.'

This is me also. Usually I add Tabasco to my jambalaya or stews, it's my preferred hot sauce staple. Just enough heat and I like the flavor.
But i do like to venture out and try other unique hot sauces. Wife got me one made with peaches as a stocking stuffer for Christmas. Have not tried it yet.

I can handle many of the hotter sauces but I don't enjoy my food being that spicy and hot, all I can taste is the hot sauce.

How the HELL did I not know this thread existed?

My current standard for anything that requires hot sauce is a combo of Sriracha and Tabasco Habanero. When I need extreme heat and still maintain some sort of flavor, I go with Blair’s Ultra Death.

I love trying new stuff all the time, but nothing else has been able to supplant my big 3 for regular use.

Hipolito wrote: ↑Mon Jan 22, 2024 11:36 pm (And it's galling that it's favored in MY state, yet my dumber cousins in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana recognize that Frank's RedHot is better.)

As a dumber Michigander, Frank's actually is the prefect mix of heat and flavor and also something you can accidentally overdo and not ruin your food. I tend to mix Frank's and diced chili's whenever I want to add a heat and flavor to anything. I'm a big fan of 505 but I let my Costco membership expire and that was the only economical way to get 505 diced chilies.

My wife got me a kit to make fermented hot sauce a while back. It's a bit labor intensive up front (lots of pepper chopping), but then it ferments for a couple of weeks before you blend it up and bottle it. Each batch makes a ton, so I have plenty to give away. Last time I tried to make one (kiwi jalapeno, I think) I messed something up, though, and there was a layer of mold on top. Apparently some people just skim that off the top and proceed, but not this guy. I want to try that one again soon, though.

ImLawBoy wrote: ↑Tue Jan 23, 2024 10:54 am Apparently some people just skim that off the top and proceed

Good god, man! Spoiler that with a NSFS(moove) tag. Do you want to give him a heart attack?

I guess the theory is that everything that is submerged is in vinegar so it's still fine, but the stuff that snuck above the fermentation weight (sloppy on my part, I guess) grew the mold and can be disposed of without ruining the rest. Still, no thank you.