Re: [CH] TRULY HOT sauce recommendations???

John Benz Fentner, Jr. (jbenz@courant.infi.net)
Sat, 21 Mar 1998 05:10:39 -0500 

Brad Charbonneau wrote:

> Hi Folks,
>     I have recently taken an interest in hot stuff.  I made my own hot
> sauce which is loaded with habaneros (40 habaneros and 6oz of hab powder
> for an 80 oz batch).  However, I want to find a commercially
> available hot sauce, for variety, that is TRULY HOT.  I mean, all of the
> hot sauces say "HOT AS HELL" etc...For instance, I have bought
> "Mad Dog's Liquid Fire", "Melinda's Habanero Sauce"...Both of these are
> almost all just flavor, and a tiny aftertaste at the end.

Well...there's hot sauce and there's HOT SAUCE. The marketing weenies tend
to go overboard on titles...something like "Nuclear Inferno Rip Yer Nose
Off" hot sauce may end up tasting like ketchup. You need to try a variety,
either in a store or restaurant or, better yet, at a Hot Luck. Tastes vary
enormously too so something I like would probably assasinate you or vice
versa. BTW..Melinda's Habanero Sauce is the baby version...it also comes in
XX, XXX and XXXX versions. The 4X will get your attention real quick.  :)

Generally, the super hot cap extract sauces like Dave's don't taste very
good ('burned cat " seems to be the general choice of description) but they
can be handy for cranking up a good tasting but mild sauce. Or there are dry
sprinkle mixes like Death Rain. You can also use dried peppers or pepper
powder. I go through quite a bit of Melinda's Habanero Powder which can be
used to heat up just about anything ("You put that stuff on TUNA? Are you
NUTZ?" she wails). Makes for a dandy grilled cheese sandwich too.

I discovered Melinda's first but you can also get a terrific variety of
dried peppers and powders from list member Jim Campbell. His Apple Smoked
Hab Powder and regular Hab powder can be used like the Melinda's and they
are cheaper and taste better too (<--- slavish testamonial designed to get
me on the short list for beta tasting the Red Savina (TM) Powder when it's
ready).

If you don't have a decent selection of hot sauces where you live (like here
in Darkest New England) you can find a big selection online. It's more
expensive but it pays to shop around. You'll find prices vary by 2 bucks or
more a bottle. The big places like Mo Hotta Mo Betta and Salsa Express have
a huge selection but the smaller operations like Bob's Firey Foods or Hots
Desire (more list members of course) or Jim's Mild to Wild Pepper Company,
also have good selections and much better prices.

(Standard disclaimers, no connection, yada, yada, yada)

JB
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John Benz Fentner, Jr.
Unionville, Connecticut, USA
http://www.geocities.com/~jbenz/
"Lex Non Favet Delicatorum Votis"
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