Hot Sauce Thread '03

Gentle Giant · May-30th-2003, 12:03 PM

It's almost summer and a middle-aged man's thoughts turn to hot sauce. I know we've had threads on this topic before, but it seems like every time I go to the store I see another half-dozen new varieties, usually with names suggesting an anal fissure is more than a possible side-effect of consuming the contents.

I used to be all about heat, but lately I'm more interested in flavor. I still want it hot, but if it's just hot, or if the heat impedes my ability to taste the food, then I think it's counterproductive.

A long time favorite is Pickapeppa but I'd like to go hotter without sacrificing flavor. Has anyone tried Aerosmith guitarist-cum-entrepreneur Joe Perry's Rock Your World Boneyard Brew? How is it for flavor and heat?

I'll take all recommendations, and offer some of my own as I try different varieties this summer.

Uli · May-30th-2003, 12:15 PM

I never tried it but it's on my to get hot list:

Tanager · May-30th-2003, 12:28 PM

If you want flavor, may I suggest Inner Beauty, one of my personal favorites. It seems to have gotten harder to find, so when I come across any, I usually buy multiple bottles.

It's a somewhat fruity/tropical-tasting sauce - I believe the ingredients include mango/papaya puree, and it's a great sauce for meats and the like. If PeteC reads this, this is one of the better Paranthi condiments by my and Mrs. Tanager's opinion.

Another favorite (again, this one seems to be getting harder to find, but that may be otherwise in other regions) is Busha Brown's Pukka Sauce, which is fairly hot, based as it is on Scotch Bonnetts, but by no means overly so. It's quite tasty (and Scotch Bonnetts themselves impart a somewhat bright and fruity flavor, I think) and a step up from Inner Beauty in the heat department.

Chaz Longue · May-30th-2003, 01:06 PM

I like the Inner Beauty sauces a lot, partly because they are so flavorful, partly because the liner notes are so entertaining.

But if I had to choose one desert island hot sauce, I'd choose CHOLULA. That's the one with the wooden bead for a screw top on the top of the bottle. It's made with the "piquin" pepper and doesn't taste like any sauce I've had before. Lots of flavor, low to medium heat...delicious. I've been seeing it in more and more super markets recently so it seems to have better distribution than it did when I first started getting it from California in the mail. YUM.

GoodSpeak · May-30th-2003, 01:38 PM

Crystal Hot Sauce...a trusty old standby in the GoodSpeak household:

Jiveman · May-30th-2003, 02:14 PM

Another vote for Inner Beauty--I never see it anymore.

I have tried that Joe Perry Aerosmith Hot Sauce--I loved it.Now can't remember if it was Inner Beauty-like:mustard habanero, or if it was chipotle....

My fridge currently has a good Inner Beauty substitute:Iguana Gold--Golden Habanero Island Pepper Sauce

Black Eyed Sally's-Mardi Gras:Habanero & Chipotle Hot Sauce

I love em' both!

Tanager · May-30th-2003, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jiveman
Another vote for Inner Beauty--I never see it anymore.

I bought two bottles in a market in Seattle (something up on Queen Anne Hill, much more upscale than the supermarkets I usually frequent back here), and I wish I'd bought more.

Gentle Giant · May-30th-2003, 02:22 PM

I generally look for these in respective ethnic restaurants:

Ron Thorne · May-30th-2003, 04:40 PM

Flavor is definitely my primary goal, along with varying degrees of heat, of course. Frankly, much connected with the wave of hot sauces which peaked a couple of years ago was silly, even laughable to me.

I also love the Vietnamese sauce you pictured GG, Tuong Ot Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce. Also, Chili Garlic Sauce from the same producer, Huy Fong Foods. I like Cholula, too, but prefer some others for more robust flavor.

Of course, the American standbys where I spent most of my youth (Florida) were Tabasco and Mexi-Pep. We always had a bottle of each and pickled peppers on the table.

There are lots of hot sauces I enjoy, but here are two which are always on hand in our house, one which is decidedly mild, but very flavorful, the other considerably warmer.

Frank's® RedHot® Cayenne Pepper Sauce is a wonderful basis for hot wings, by the way. It's very pure and simple.

The next sauce, Pico Pica (available in two heat levels), has a couple of ingredients (thickener and preservative-sodium benzoate) which I'm not crazy about, but the flavor ...

shrugs · May-30th-2003, 04:44 PM

Enforcer · May-30th-2003, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ron Thorne
The next sauce, Pico Pica (available in two heat levels), has a couple of ingredients (thickener and preservative-sodium benzoate) which I'm not crazy about, but the flavor ...

I just can't imagine eating something *without* sodium benzoate. It's the cornerstone of any meal.

Choosing preservatives just to go against the grain,
Larry

May-30th-2003, 05:06 PM

Anybody have a chance to try the new "Psycho Bitch on Fire"?

Seriously, I pack a full assortment of the Mexican sauces, the real ones that actually come from Mexico with the full variety of peppers. Give me those sauces, fresh corn tortillas, jack cheese, and avacado, and I'm set to go!

shrugs · May-30th-2003, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by John L
Give me those sauces, fresh corn tortillas, jack cheese, and avacado, and I'm set to go!

I'll take that and some Negro Modelo.

Bill Barton · May-30th-2003, 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by shrugs

Ah yes, Melinda's xxxTRA HOT SAUCE is a favorite here, others currently in the cabinet include the old standby Crystal, Maggi Masala Chili, Piccapeppa and Louisiana (the mild green).

Jon Abbey · May-31st-2003, 01:13 AM

wow, all three of my faves namechecked in the first ten posts, Melinda's (three X's, please), the Vietnamese one with the green top that Gentle Giant posted, and the Busha Brown's.

one I just found this week that I've been really enjoying is called Marie Sharp's Habanero Pepper Sauce, from Belize. along the lines of Melinda's, but not as hot, and somehow fruitier, despite the ingredient lists being identical and in the same order.

you guys know about this place, right?

http://www.mohotta.com

Tanager · May-31st-2003, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jon Abbey
you guys know about this place, right?

I do now...thanks for posting it.

Gentle Giant · May-31st-2003, 06:12 PM

I tried the Joe Perry sauce with some baby backs last night and was very pleased. The combination of Habaneros and Chipotles add a nice amount of flame and flavor - more of both than I would have expected. And for a thick sauce (the red color comes mainly from red bell peppers, no tomato), it packs a big vinegar kick, which I also like.

I also noticed that the bottle is shaped like a pint of booze, which is sorta funny/sorta sick, given the celebrity endorsement. Some also come with a Joe Perry guitar pick attached.

I also recommend this site, which claims Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson as a customer: http://www.firegirl.com

Sergio Zamora · May-31st-2003, 07:34 PM

I'm all about the rooster sauce. Bufalo chipotle with eggs and beans (yeah, it's cheap shit, but I've been eating it since I was a little kid). And, of course, homemade (not by me).

Bill Barton · June-1st-2003, 11:42 AM

Surely do wish we could find Busha Brown's around here. Last time we bought some was months ago at the local co-op, but haven't found any since. "Busha, Busha, where art thou, Busha?"

clinthopson · June-2nd-2003, 12:28 PM

When we travel to Europe, I always pack a bottle of Tabasco to boost things up.

I use Tabasco in everything but also have Chrystal on hand. Folks from N.O. tell me that Chrystal is the sauce of choice in the Big Easy.

I picked up some Cajun Chef the last time were were down there, I liked the flavor very much. They have it on the table at Felix.

In Mexico, we like the Bufalo sauces, either their smoky tasting picante or their explosive chipotle.

To me the habanero based sauces have nothing much going for them except heat which covers the flavor.

There's a couple o

shrugs · June-2nd-2003, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by clinthopson
I use Tabasco in everything but also have Chrystal on hand. Folks from N.O. tell me that Chrystal is the sauce of choice in the Big Easy.

I lived there for the first 21 years of my life and it ain't the choice of everyone I know. It could have changed. I'll find out when I move back in Nov. And it's Crystal!!

Also, they make just about every other condiment known to mankind.

shrugs · June-2nd-2003, 03:12 PM

Also, I love the milder habanero sauces with scrambled eggs. Melinda's especially. I don't really like spicy eggs unless it's an omelette with jalepenos thrown in with a bunch of other veggies.

MRS · June-2nd-2003, 03:38 PM

My personal favorite is Louisiana Hot Sauce--house hot sauce at Free St. Brewing Co. in Lawrence, KS. Don't follow the bottle's slogan, in that "One Spot (does not) Does It." It's not as pissy vinegary as Tabasco but it could be a bit hotter.

Jimmy Cantiello · June-3rd-2003, 06:14 AM

Has anyone here ever tried Peri-Peri sauce? If so, tell me what you think of it...............

Tanager · June-3rd-2003, 07:10 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by clinthopson
To me the habanero based sauces have nothing much going for them except heat which covers the flavor.

This hasn't been my experience, with notable exceptions (Dave's Insanity Sauce is better used for stripping paint than in food, for example). I find that a sauce based on Habaneros/Scotch Bonnetts, assuming it's not one of those "test your manhood by inducing pain" sauces, have an interesting fruity quality that goes better with meats and salty foods in some cases than the more sour ones.

One of my favorite ways to make salsa is a salsa verde with mango and habanero - 11 or 12 lightly broiled tomatillos, 1 ripe mango, 2 lightly roasted habaneros, puree, 1 chopped onion, a couple of teaspoonfuls of white vinegar, a handful of chopped cilantro, salt and sugar to taste, refrigerate overnight, consume.

I just find that habanero matches with fruit much better than jalapenos/serranos/thai chiles, etc.

Gentle Giant · June-3rd-2003, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jimmy Cantiello
Has anyone here ever tried Peri-Peri sauce? If so, tell me what you think of it...............

You can find a review of it here:

http://www.firegirl.com/hs1235rh.html