we got a bottle of "sudden death chili sauce"....

[marshman]

There's definitely a trend to have vulgar/pseudo-risque labels and names for hot sauces, though I generally think of that as an immature response to the task of naming something (and sometimes wonder if most of those aren't the same sauce, just relabelled so they can show off thier latest clever label).

The problem with hot sauce is that it takes so long to go through a bottle that by the time you've gone through bottle number 3, it's been so long since you finished bottle #1 you can't remember what it tasted like.

A decade ago my wife brought me home a bottle of Arizona Hot Sauce that was fantastic. We were out there last year, and it's a totally different (and no where near as tasty) product.

 

[bluesfordan]

I love good hot sauces. I like looking in small general stores for their spice racks, you tend to see a better selection than grocery chains.

In Barrington, NH, at Calef's General Store, I found a bottle of New Hampshire Hot Sauce. It was a beautiful blend of heat and flavor. I wish I had saved the bottle, so I could ask the maker for more. I guess it was a one time deal, as I haven't seen it since.

I buy the hot sauces and keep them at my friend's house, where we often partake of tacos on friday nights. Plus we like to use hot sauce with many other meals, like pork chops, chicken, steaks, etc. Both he and his wife like hot. We all loved that NH Hot Sauce. After it ran out, I got a bottle of something called Jersey Death. I tried it first, although the warning on the label said 'do not use without dilution'. I took a toothpick, daubed the very tippity tip in it, and put it on my tongue. My eyes are sweating now, just thinking of it. I tried putting a drop on a taco. It was scathingly hot. My friend put at least a half dozen drops on his taco. He was practically reduced to a crying, coughing mess.

His wife forbade us to use that stuff again, unless we cut it with something. What I like to do is take something like Texas Pete's Hot sauce, put 2-3 spoonfuls on a plate, and cautiously add one and only one drop of the Jersey Death. Mix it up good, and the puddle is good for a meal. Any more than one drop, and there will be heck to pay later, if you know what I mean.

 

[Tdot]

I think I'll stick with Sweet Chili sauce - the coward that I am.

I have a friend that is afraid of hot, I gave him bottle of Pappy's Sauce for Sissie's.

Just say "Gimme the Sissie Sauce". But say it like a man.

 

[superchicken_VI]

I eat hot in Asian and Mexican foods, but not much else. "Sesame chicken, and have Tony nuke it". My wife's eyes tear in the car with the container closed.

 

[jazztele]

blair's is a fun company, and i really enjoy their "life after death" sauce for pepping up things without adding any flavor...but this is a bit over the top:

http://www.hotsauceblog.com/hotsaucearchives/blairs-16-million-product-review/

to me, there's two kinds of hot sauce--those that really enhance a dish (ass in space, ass in antarctica, dave's garlic pepper sauce, a lot of mexican sauces) and those that are just to test your "cajones."

 

[meyekel]

The reason the burn is so hard to get rid of is that the hot stuff is an OIL. You either need something which is a solvent or something that chemically neutralizes the capsicum.

True dat. Grab a glass of milk next time that happens. It coats your tongue and gives some relief unless you're talking raw habanero. There's no hope for that!

 

[tjalla]

I read an interesting article a few years back on why hot food hits the spot as it does... turns out that:

1) It actually enhances taste sensations, and
2) If its hot enough your body releases natural endorphins and you end up with a natural high.

Ah, so that explains the light-headed buzz/slight deafness/giggling that happens. IMO that's what hot food is about, *enjoying* it with a friends who are on the same page with ya. (The "can you handle it" machoism misses the point somewhat...)

Oh, and paradoxically, the way to alleviate the heat and bring on the natural high quicker is to eat something hot (temperature-wise) eg hot soup or steaming rice. Asians/Indians know this well. Works for both oily food and raw chillies. It'll burn twice as bad for 10 seconds, and then come down to a soothing aaaahhhhhh..... followed by

*riiiiiiiiinggggggggg*

*heheheheheheh*

Trust me on this one!

 

[Cheesehead]

Dave's Insanity Sauce is the hottest one I've tried.

+1. OMG - I put a little drop on a cracker and almost died.

I freely put any kind of Tabasco on anything. Nice flavor. I don't consider it a really hot sauce by any means...

 

[AnthemBassMan]

True dat. Grab a glass of milk next time that happens. It coats your tongue and gives some relief unless you're talking raw habanero. There's no hope for that!

-I know an idiot, yes truly an idiot, who constantly bragged about how he could eat something hotter than anybody else. Then one day a little bit of poetic justice came a callin'. He was dicing up a bunch of habaneros to make salsa and wasn't wearing any gloves. Later that night he decided to take his contacts out! His wife said she heard an awful scream and ran to her husband as he had his head in the sink running water over his eyes. A day or two later the skin on his palms started turning white and peeling off. Like I said, poetic justice!

L8R,
Matt D.

 

[AnthemBassMan]

+1. OMG - I put a little drop on a cracker and almost died.

-Yeah, I got real smart when I tried that stuff and covered the whole top of a Ritz. WOW!! I was drinking milk and eating carrots to try and get that burn off of my tongue. My mouth was burning for almost an hour.

L8R,
Matt D.

 

[Blazer]

image removed

 

[jackleg]

the question is,,,, how hot can they make it, and still taste good??? like a great bourbon,,, the higher alcohol content detracts from the flavor.... only the best can balance the two...

 

[goldtopper]

Gives a (w)hole new meaning to Ring of Fire doesn't it?

I like Sriracha Vietnamese Sauce, I like Cholula and my favorite is El Yucateca. It's in Mexican stores and under 2 bucks a bottle. Great stuff and Habanero based.

 

[Cheesehead]

-I know an idiot, yes truly an idiot, who constantly bragged about how he could eat something hotter than anybody else. Then one day a little bit of poetic justice came a callin'. He was dicing up a bunch of habaneros to make salsa and wasn't wearing any gloves. Later that night he decided to take his contacts out! His wife said she heard an awful scream and ran to her husband as he had his head in the sink running water over his eyes. A day or two later the skin on his palms started turning white and peeling off. Like I said, poetic justice!

L8R,
Matt D.

Yikes! Did he go blind?

I have a friend who was cutting habeneros without gloves. Then he went to go to the bathroom if you catch my drift... OUCH!!!

 

[marshman]

Well, golves ain't all they're cracked up to be. Many years ago I cut up some Habs to make salsa and I had 2 gloves ON EACH HAND!!! I took the gloves off, very carefully, one pair at at ime, then scrubbed my hands with Lava (Pumiced soap that auto-mechanics use) and kicked back to watch some TV. Two hours later, I rubbed my eye.

I bought a bottle of Ring Of Fire hot sauce a few years ago in California, but was afraid to use it. Slogan: "So Hot It'll Burn Ya Twice!" (link removed) the "original recipe"...I get nervous just holdin' the bottle.

 

[bo]

Remember: Raw Cucumber!

Keep yer sauces. I used to be a lunch regular at one of the first and formerly most authentic Thai restaurants around here (that unfortunately changed ownership and cooks-The Gin Nha Rhee...or something spelled close to that). I haven't had a sauce yet that made food hotter than this sort of fish gruel that the owner whipped up for the staff of the restaurant. No flavor, just blow torch and fish bones. I learned all about eating spicy food there and so far nothing else Asian, Mexican/South American or Indian has come close. She used to let me sample stuff they wouldn't even think of selling to non-Thais. The main trick I learned (quickly...) is that for instant pain relief eat a piece of raw cucumber.

 

[Cheesehead]

I've heard buttered bread is good too. Or sugar.

I've gotten rid of all my extremely hot sauces like Dave's Insanity Sauce. Have four small boys in the house and don't want any of them to fry themselves by accidentally touching a bottle...

 

[Blazer]

image removed

 

[eddiewagner]

image removed

that is really funny!

 

[bluesfordan]

The timing on that Garfield gag could not have been any more perfect for this thread.