Hat sass - Whatcha eatin'? Is it good?

[Old Man Gravy]

Straight married white male seeking new hot sauce to add some spice to his life. I've been in a Dave's Insanity rut for some time, and need something that will add a new adventure to my evenings. I've tried some of the Ass Kickin' habanero stuff recently, and it was okay, but I just can't keep myself from going back to Dave's Total Insanity or Hurtin' Habanero afterwards.

So - anyone got a good sauce they're partial to these days? Can I get it online?

[stusser]

I know neither is ass kicking nor insane, but my favorite hot sauces are Tapatio (http://www.tapatiohotsauce.com/index.aspx) and Tabasco Chipotle (http://www.tabasco.com/tabasco_tent/pepper_sauce/chipotle_pepper_sauce.cfm). I used to like the really hot stuff too, but at this point I go more for flavor. Not that either one is really mild as such, but habanero they're not.

I buy the chipotle sauce by the gallon. (http://countrystore.tabasco.com/prodinfo.asp?number=00052) Don't turn your nose up just because it's Tabasco, it's goddamn delicious.

[Lunch of Kong]

I'll trade you my Blair's Jersey Death Sauce for some Dave's Total Insanity. I haven't had any Dave's sauces yet.

[Ryan A]

Sriracha (http://www.huyfong.com/no_frames/sriracha.htm) is a fantastic multi-purpose hot sauce for when Cholula (http://www.cholula.com/) is too mundane. I like both of the Habanero sauces you already mentioned, and typically use one of those instead of Cholula with latin dishes. The Sriracha is great with asian dishes.

[Old Man Gravy]

LOVE LOVE LOVE Tapatio. I always keep a bottle or two on hand, but for me it's a pretty specific-purpose sauce (OLG's chicken-mushroom enchiladas... unbelievable with Tapatio). I've tried the Tobasco Chipotle, and yeah, it's pretty good. Just not quite hot enough.

Thanks for the tip on Jersey Death, Wongakong. Sudden Death with Ginsing looks too interesting to pass up, so I've got some on order.

Some of Blair's other sauces look too scary - I don't have enough chest hair to take on those food additives and creepy pure capsacin extracts. Plus the extract sauces have a really synthetic vitamin taste to me.


And oh yeah, Sriracha is another of those I keep on hand too. I never knew it was called that, though - I get it at a Vietnamese grocery, where all the writing on it is in like seven asian languages. Always just think of it as rooster sauce. You're right about it being perfect for asian dishes.

[stusser]

Of course I love srirachi too. I don't really think of it as hot sauce, for some reason. It's also great in scrambled eggs for a change of pace from the tabasco chipotle sauce (my cure-all).

If you want to try out a bunch of mexican hot sauces, try mexgrocer (http://www.mexgrocer.com/catagories-hot-sauces.html). I got like fifteen different hot sauces from them as a sampler, just to discover what I already knew, that I like tapatio and tabasco chipotle the best. But your mileage may vary. Mexgrocer is a good source for all mexican groceries like dried chiles, cajeta, etc. Good stuff if you don't live on the left coast or don't want to schlep.

[RightWrong]

My favorite by far is Melindas (http://www.melindas.com), made in Costa Rica or farmed there or whatever. They have a nice selection and steadily rising grade of hot sauces. Their taste is more complex I find than Srirachas. They put more carrots in than Habanero until you get hotter, with lime juice and onion, giving it a good balance. I've only tried all the X's of the basic Habanero and the jalapeno though, but I think I'll order the Scotch Bonnet and Red Savina when I'm in the States.

[Uncle Larry]

You're eating Dave's on food, like directly? That's insane!

I'll put a few drops in a pot of something to make it hot, but it never occurred to me to put it directly on something that was going straight into my mouth. Because that would be silly. Seriously, that's not hot sauce so much as it's concentrated evil.

[Pogo]

I don't even see the point in discussing these high-powered brands. They're all made for one purpose, and that is to be uncomfortably hot and used in small increments to spice up a larger quantity of food.

I can see the point in the more toned down sauces, as at that point you can actually tell if one tastes different from the other.

[Ryan A]

I don't even see the point in discussing these high-powered brands. They're all made for one purpose, and that is to be uncomfortably hot and used in small increments to spice up a larger quantity of food.

I can see the point in the more toned down sauces, as at that point you can actually tell if one tastes different from the other.

Just because your lily white palatte leads you to believe Pace Mild Salsa is living la vida loca doesn't mean others have similar taste.

[Bad Neighbor]

Good, reliable Frank's hot sauce on pretty much anything that tastes a little too bland for me. Over-cook the eggs? No problem. Splash on some of that red love and now it's not only edible, but good. It's also the ultimate in buffalo wing technology. Still, it's a little too one-dimensional and I too crave something new.

I also bought some hot sauce made by these guys (http://www.geocities.com/~cafetequila/) at a local tomato festival a couple years ago and it was fantastic. Sadly, the website is shit and they're apparently local to the west coast.

I'm also very interested in any homemade suggestions using jalapeno or habanero.

[Sol Invictus]

I eat Thai baby chilis raw. They go great with Kikkoman soy sauce for asian dishes, and pretty much any kind of food that isn't fried chicken or steak. Goes pretty well with omelettes and even subs without the soy sauce. Sometimes you just want that flame in your mouth.

[hong]

I eat Thai babies raw.

Hmmmmm.

[Sol Invictus]

Congolese babies, too. It's either that or they're mining rare materials for the evil Sony corporation. I'm saving them from a world of servitude, I tell you.

[tiohn]

Marie Sharp's Habañero Hot Sauce (http://www.mariesharps-bz.com/sauces.html). You will thank me.

[Hanzii]

My delicate European palate set for finer cuisine agress with Pogo.

[Bahimiron]

I like mixing a half-gallon of Blair's 16 Million Reserve with a big bucket of white truffles, mash it all together and scoop it onto waffle cones.

[Jason McMaster]

I'm fond of the green Tabasco nowadays. Great on eggs.

[tiohn]

Good, reliable Frank's hot sauce on pretty much anything that tastes a little too bland for me.
Frank's Red Hot is still my go to sauce for popcorn and hot wings.

Valentina goes in my micheladas. Like everybody else, I like some Sriracha. We used to make grilled cheese sandwiches by grilling chinese scallion pancakes with cheese and Sriracha. Those were just absolutely amazing. Sriracha also makes some mean hot wings. For most other applications, I actually prefer the chili garlic sauce that is also made by Huy Fong Foods. That's the one that comes in the jar and is chunkier.

[Houngan]

For sheer flavor (and a damn sight of heat) there's also Sriracha's cousin, the ground-up thai chili paste that comes in a similar container. I'll get the name tonight, but it is one of the best-tasting heats I've come across.

H.

[Skipper]

Frank's Red Hot is still my go to sauce for popcorn

How does that work exactly? I'm picturing wet, soggy popcorn which does not compute.

Old Man Gravy you can't go wrong with a good Thai chili paste. Great flavor and decent heat. If you just want the heat and not the hot sauce taste I would recommend cooking with fresh chili's instead. I can get many local chili's and there is nothing that beats the flavor and heat of about 1/2 a diced habanero directly in a dish I'm cooking. If you must have it in a sauce format, El Yucateco (http://www.mexgrocer.com/brand-el-yucateco.html) Green is the way to go.

We have a sub chain here called Firehouse Subs that keeps a pretty good selection of hot sauces so it's fun trying them out each time we go there.

[Mr_PeaCH]

Funny but I'm totally aligned with stusser and others. While I can take it hotter I prefer the flavor of Tapatio and many of the Tabasco incarnations these days. You kids and your crazy teflon-coated rectums.

[tiohn]

How does that work exactly? I'm picturing wet, soggy popcorn which does not compute.


The key is to put on just the right amount. It'll get just a bit soggy, of course, but a few dashes will give a bowl of popcorn a nice kick.

[Jon Rowe]

I do not like food that is too spicy.

Sirachia is the only spicy sauce I will use.

Ever since I was dared to take a shot of tabasco as a kid. I will never again touch the stuff, it is vinegar pepper water.

[Sol Invictus]

Just drink the stuff whenever you feel anxious about anything. Like in War Inc.

[Slothrop]

I am a confirmed Frank's, Rooster Sauce (I didn't know what it was called either until I was almost out and had to tell my wife what to get so I was looking for English words on the bottle and realized what the name was), and Tapatio, but the reason I'm posting is that I wanted you psychos with your habanero sauces to know that just reading the thread has literally caused my face to start sweating, my eyes to tear up slightly, and my sinuses to clear up. I'm not kidding, I actually feel like I've just takien a big spoonful of hot sauce. I guess I'm very suggestable, at least concerning hot sauce!

I'm not enough of a masochist anymore to want to actually eat anything hotter than the above three though. I think a perfect level of heat is one where it creeps up on you after a couple bites and reaches a nice level of warmth that stays with you until about 10 minutes after you finish eating. Any more than that just seems to me to be punishing yourself.

[Skipper]

You kids and your crazy teflon-coated rectums.
I do not like food that is too spicy.
Any more than that just seems to me to be punishing yourself.

Just for you guys:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc_UCc8EQcQ

[ElGuapo]

I had a straight up habanero eating contest with a friend one day. We were surrounded by people cheering us on. The rules were we each ate a habanero and let it sit in the mouth for 10 seconds or show, showing each other the chewed up remains. Then we swallowed them together. Then we moved on to another pepper. We each had a half gallon of milk beside us. First person to give up and reach for the milk lost. We were on our third pepper when I won.

The next day I was in intense pain on the toilet and we both called each other and cursed hot peppers. Since then I've toned down my super hot sauce/pepper eating. Now I mostly eat fantastic chipotle sauces with a little heat or will throw some jalapenos in with the pico de gallo. None of that crazy hot sauce anymore for me. 100,000 SHU is about as hot as I go now. I'd rather have good spices and flavor than heat. Never again will my rectum burn for an entire day!

That chipolte/smoked Tabasco sauce is pretty fantastic, in my book. I wouldn't really call it a hot sauce but it's pretty good for an off the shelf easy sauce.

[skedastic]

I am a confirmed Frank's, Rooster Sauce (I didn't know what it was called either until I was almost out and had to tell my wife what to get so I was looking for English words on the bottle and realized what the name was),


http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41AV56FKGRL._SL500_AA280_.jpg

Do you mean this brand of sambal oelek? Which is great stuff.

[Old Man Gravy]

We used to make grilled cheese sandwiches by grilling chinese scallion pancakes with cheese and Sriracha. Those were just absolutely amazing.

This sounds pretty dope. Tell me a little more - done on a griddle or skillet, or actually grilled?

Also - which of the Marie Sharp sauces have you tried? A couple look pretty tempting.

[Old Man Gravy]

I had a straight up habanero eating contest with a friend one day. We were surrounded by people cheering us on.

You, sir, live a truly charmed life.



Homer reapproaches Wiggum's booth, his tongue now sealed in wax.

Wiggum: Hey, everybody, look who's back. It's the biiig baby.
(childlike) Oh, dis porridge is too hot! Oh, wah-wah-wah!
(crowd laughs, but Homer hands his spoon in silence)
Want some more, do you? Well, sure! Heck, it's not my job to
talk people out of killing themselves.

To everyone's surprise, Homer quickly downs the pepper, and asks for
more. Wiggum fearfully hands him two more peppers, which follow the
first one as rapidly.

Quimby: Good lord, this can't be happening!
Hibbert: By all medical logic, steam should be shooting out of his ears.
Krusty: His ears, if we're lucky.

Showing off, Homer gulps down a last one, and bows in front of his
audience.

Homer: Well, Chief, don't quit your day job... Whatever that is.


The crowd laughs and applauds, as Homer walks away in triumph.
Savoring the moment, his regret is that Marge wasn't there to see it.
However, his attention is quickly drawn to his stomach, which emits a
loud rumble. He walks around in pain, searching for help.

Flanders: Well, sure, buddy, I'd be happy to help out. What can I
(Ned's visage begins changing as Homer hallucinates) do-
diddily-doodily-diddly-hobbily-hibbily-gobbily-gobbily-
gobble-gabba-gabba-hey.
Homer screams and falls. He then sees everyone else as caricatures of their normal selves

Jasper: Goo Goo Ga-Joob?
Nelson: (parrot-like) Ha-HAW! Ha-HAW!
Krabappel: (muted trumpet sounds)
Barney: (incredible belch)

[Malcolm Tucker]

I always knew Srircacha as 'cock sauce'. I think even my parents say it.

[Houngan]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41AV56FKGRL._SL500_AA280_.jpg

Do you mean this brand of sambal oelek? Which is great stuff.

That's what I was talking about, it's fantastic.

H.

[Slothrop]

I always knew Srircacha as 'cock sauce'. I think even my parents say it.
Aaaaaaand we're done.

[Glenn]

The sauce in a can of chipotle chiles makes for a pretty spectacular and potent (and also cheap!) hot sauce. Great on eggs and as a marinade for meat.

And I like Frank's simply because reducing in a little butter is buffalo sauce. Chop up some chicken wings, fry them in peanut oil for about ten minutes, coat with buffalo sauce, serve with celery and blue cheese. That plus beer is a cheap, decent football menu.

[Funkula]

I think I've mentioned it before, but Mrs. Renfro's Green Salsa (http://www.renfrofoods.com/All-Green_Salsa-P5.aspx) is about my favorite hot sauce. Very simple stuff, but I absolutely love the flavor of jalapenos so it's pretty much perfect in my book.

Jalapeno peppers, water, onions, distilled vinegar, corn starch, salt, spices, garlic.

Apart from that, I recommend you try my parents' homemade habanero apricot steak sauce. I'm not sure how you'd get some (please don't break in and steal it!) but if you do get some I wholeheartedly endorse it. Actually, I need to ask them whether the habaneros bore this year, because I know they were planning on making another batch and using mango as the fruit base this time.

[tiohn]

This sounds pretty dope. Tell me a little more - done on a griddle or skillet, or actually grilled?

Also - which of the Marie Sharp sauces have you tried? A couple look pretty tempting.

The asian grilled cheese was done on a griddle. I think you can get frozen scallion pancakes pretty easily.

I have only tried the Marie Sharp's Extra Fiery, but I think I'll order some of the Belizean Hot next time. The Extra Fiery is really mild on my scale, but the flavor is absolutely fantastic. This is the sauce that I put on my eggs in the morning. Be aware that it's actually carrot- rather than vinegar-based.

As for chicken wings, I believe that only heathens actually fry them. Baked is the way to go. There is, however, a place in Durango, Colorado that broasts their wings. They are by far the best wings I have ever had.

[tiohn]

Swagger.


Pussy. I have no problem eating three habañeros without people cheering me on.

[Bad Neighbor]

The sauce in a can of chipotle chiles makes for a pretty spectacular and potent (and also cheap!) hot sauce. Great on eggs and as a marinade for meat.

Adobo sauce. I eat that shit like candy.

[rossm]

I'm not really into the absurdly hot, borderline-novelty sauces. If you are, you might want to check out a sauce called "The Man" made by a restaurant in Seattle/Bellevue called Dixie's BBQ. I don't think they sell it online, unfortnuately. Perhaps someone in the area would be kind enough to pick some up.

Somebody at a weekend gaming tournament had some, and they would put it on people's lips or in their mouth while they slept. The victims would wake up screaming and spend an hour crying under a faucet. To me, it wasn't very funny; I thought the people involved should be arrested or something. One guy got some in his eye after wiping his tears. Another guy won $20 in a bet that he could eat a spoonful (it's more like salsa than liquid), but he spent several hours vomiting and had to resign from the tournament.

ANYWAY, check it out?

[Ryan A]

I'm not really into the absurdly hot, borderline-novelty sauces. If you are, you might want to check out a sauce called "The Man" made by a restaurant in Seattle/Bellevue called Dixie's BBQ. I don't think they sell it online, unfortnuately. Perhaps someone in the area would be kind enough to pick some up.

Somebody at a weekend gaming tournament had some, and they would put it on people's lips or in their mouth while they slept. The victims would wake up screaming and spend an hour crying under a faucet. To me, it wasn't very funny; I thought the people involved should be arrested or something. One guy got some in his eye after wiping his tears. Another guy won $20 in a bet that he could eat a spoonful (it's more like salsa than liquid), but he spent several hours vomiting and had to resign from the tournament.

ANYWAY, check it out?


The Man is totally overrated. Dixie's BBQ (the bbq joint where they serve The Man) is a decent bbq joint, but The Man really isn't particularly hot, unless you find Tabasco sauce to provide more heat than you're comfortable dealing with.

[Kraaze]

Just out of curiosity, are all you hot sauce aficionados using the hot stuff as a condiment to already prepared food or are you using it as an ingredient in preparing the food?

[tiohn]

Just out of curiosity, are all you hot sauce aficionados using the hot stuff as a condiment to already prepared food or are you using it as an ingredient in preparing the food?

I basically use hot sauce as a condiment and much prefer to cook with fresh chiles.

[Ryan A]

Just out of curiosity, are all you hot sauce aficionados using the hot stuff as a condiment to already prepared food or are you using it as an ingredient in preparing the food?

It depends on the food, but at home it's typically something I add at the table like you would with salt/pepper. This is because my wife and kids don't enjoy very much eat, so when we have enchiladas or a thai curry, for example, I find them pretty boring but my wife and kids would not want to eat them if they had been prepared to my taste for spicyness.

When it comes to adding as an ingredient when cooking, I tend to use fresh chiles and peppers rather than sauces.

Here's another fantastic hot sauce tip: Add it to Top Ramen along with some egg to transform poor college kid food into a really tasty meal.

[bloo]

The next day I was in intense pain on the toilet and we both called each other and cursed hot peppers.

You want to follow that with a good helping of ice cream so that part of the pepper eating contest isn't so painful.

And instead of milk, you should have used sugar or what a lot of hot sauce judges use: a can of whip creamed, straight no chaser. The sugar unlocks the capsaicin's padlock on your taste buds more effectively than milk, apparently.

[jpinard]

Every time you post I get hungry for mashed potatoes and chunky gravy.

[Glenn]

As for chicken wings, I believe that only heathens actually fry them. Baked is the way to go. There is, however, a place in Durango, Colorado that broasts their wings. They are by far the best wings I have ever had.The only way I ever manage to uniformly render the fat out of the skin without overcooking the meat is frying. It's really, really hard to get that result with baking but really, really easy with frying.

As long as you don't bread them and you drain them well there's no greasiness, and beyond that why the hell would you care if they're fried?

[Skipper]

I basically use hot sauce as a condiment and much prefer to cook with fresh chillis.

Same here. And I don't use the sauce all the time, only when I'm in the mood for it. I may go through a habanero pepper a week if I'm in the mood to cook. Fresh chillis are *awesome* in a recipe. The problem is that they ruin you of enjoying bell peppers and jalapeno peppers anymore. At that point they are like non-alcoholic beer or decaf coffee, what's the point?

[fire]

I always knew Srircacha as 'cock sauce'. I think even my parents say it.

I am not your parents, but I say "cock sauce" as well.

[Enidigm]

I'm a fan of tomatillo based hot sauces, if you're looking for a change.

[Funkula]

Same here. And I don't use the sauce all the time, only when I'm in the mood for it. I may go through a habanero pepper a week if I'm in the mood to cook. Fresh chillis are *awesome* in a recipe. The problem is that they ruin you of enjoying bell peppers and jalapeno peppers anymore. At that point they are like non-alcoholic beer or decaf coffee, what's the point?

Jalapenos have the best flavor of any pepper. Fresh habaneros and cayennes are delicious, don't get me wrong, but I find jalapenos tastier than any other variety.

BONUS AWESOME THING TO DO WITH CHILIS:
(I may have posted this before as well)

Cuban Deathbed:
habanero peppers (about 1 for every 1 to 2 people served)
skewers or toothpicks
liqueur glasses
Grand Marnier (or a lesser triple sec if it's all you have)

Cut the tops off the habaneros and push the skewer through them just below the opening. Lay the skewer across the mouth of the liqueur glass so that the pepper is hanging point down. Fill the pepper with Grand Marnier and let stand thirty seconds. Empty the pepper into the liqueur glass and serve.

Vary the amount of time that the Grand Marnier sits in order to make it hotter or milder. Each pepper can be used to make at least three drinks, although it will have to sit for longer each subsequent time to reach the same heat.

[Athryn]

This might sound odd, but I love a good dashing of Frank's on my homemade macaroni and cheese. The spiciness and tangyness cut through the richness of the cheese.

[Ephraim]

This might sound odd, but I love a good dashing of Frank's on my homemade macaroni and cheese. The spiciness and tangyness cut through the richness of the cheese.

Not at all odd. I do the same.

[Old Man Gravy]

I love Dave's in my morning ten grain oatmeal, with a sprinkling of brown sugar. (note: this is the Hurtin' Habenero or Total Insanity, not the thick-ass original insanity sauce; using that would be like emptying a can of pepper spray in your oatmeal)

And pizza. And eggs. And on burgers, or mixed about 1:1 with ketchup for dipping fries. And on pot pie. And in sandwiches mixed with mayo.

Dave's is pretty much like heroin. I can't wait to try the Jersey Sudden Death with Ginsing. There's a Rosauers close to me that I believe carries Marie's, too. I'ma see if I can't get some of that Belizean stuff there.