hot-sauce Hot Sauce Snob

[Edmick]

We won't tell them it is actually PBR that you rinsed your growlers with.

I have a PBR hand warmer.. Kind of an odd thing for a beer company to make right? Hmm

 

[dragonsfire]

Hey dragonsfire, would you know if mother could turn beer into vinegar?

The boss could make a mint selling OH beer vinegar to the hipster lineup outside Other half.

Yes, that would be malt vinegar, just add the thick stuff on the bottom to the beer thats done. People do that with a bottle of wine too.

 

[The Hot Pepper]

He talks of disliking vegetable fillers like carrots and tomatoes, yet does it himself. But what gets me is the fact one of his ingredients is water? I'd much rather someone add carrots and tomatoes to a sauce over water which has no flavor whatsoever. 

 
You never use water when you cook?
 
Nothing wrong with water in a recipe. Let's say you have perfected your sauce but it is too thick. You do not want to add any other flavors, sweeteners, acids, whatsoever, it is just thick. Water. I've seen this ever since THP existed. The whole "if I am going to add a liquid it might as well have flavor." Okay well what if you don't WANT to add flavor?   Water is normal especially when cooking something down, adding back, for the flavors to enhance. Using pineapple juice just for the sake of it not being water would not make sense.

 

[Shorerider]

Yes I use water when I cook. However when making hot sauces I rarely do. I find the liquid that is contained in the ingredients, combined with the citrus juice and vinegar that gets added is more than enough to thin out a sauce. For me it is usually just a balancing act of lid off/on during simmering to adjust the thickness of a sauce. On the odd occasion I need to thin out a sauce, I would normally just add a splash of the particular vinegar in the sauce I am making at the time. 
 
My sauces are small batch, and do vary from batch to batch depending on what particular peppers and other ingredients I have on hand at the time. Being a hobby sauce maker, I have the luxury of being able to vary a particular sauce from batch to batch. 
 
 

 

[pallottahot]

I agree I make my own hot sauce with actual spices added and no carrot or tomato as filler as well. Tastes better than store brand.

Ive never heard of carrots or tomatos being used solely as fillers. They add sweetness without having to use a lot of sugar. Ive had some very good sauces that have carrots as well.

 

[pallottahot]

I make sauces, but before that, i ate sauces.  I still do, but it's hard to find something i can get behind.

Frank's Red Hot was my go to in the 80s, i had outgrown Tabasco in my early teens and until the 90s there wasn't much of a hot sauce market so choices were limited.
Now that i am experienced in gardening and cooking (not just sauce but in commercial kitchens), my pallet has changed.

I pretty much write off any sauces that have:

• extracts
• thickeners
• sugar
• preservatives
• colorings
• a filler vegetable like tomatoes or carrots as the second ingredient
• a $5 or less price tag

I consider them basic and impure.
My other issue is since i've been into super hots since 2015, nothing is as hot as it claims to be on the bottle.  That's my fault, but still, when something says XXX HOT and the hottest pepper that is listed is habanero...WTF???
 
Maybe i'm the odd man out here, which i'm fine with, but does anyone else share my views?
 
 
 

There are tons of companys that put some of those ingredients in there sauces that are considered top tier companies.

Carrots and tomatoes offer sweetness in lieu of sugar, they arent typically used solely as fillers. I have three sauces that are a tomato base and people seem to like them. Bill Moore did a nice review of my three (not a video one yet) and he told me hes a sucker for tomato and garlic hot sauces.

Although Im not much of a fan of sugar in hot sauces, its in a lot of great sauces. For example Jersey Barnfire has sugar in some of their sauces and they make award winning sauces. I make a pineapple sauce that was rated top ten best at this years NYC Expo by NY Mag and I put sugar in that - again Im not much of a sugar hot sauce fan either but if it makes a great sauce then why discount it.

I wouldnt turn my head up at anything under 5 bucks. Im trying new sauces all the time that are under 5 bucks. True, most arent what I like, but the two Dinosaur BBQ hot sauces are 3.49 and theyre really good.

Point is try to be more open minded. Youre probably missing out on a lot of great sauces because youve shrunk your sample size, however I digress, each unto their own.

 

[pallottahot]

 
Also you know second ingredient does not always mean filler or even second most in some cases...
 
You would pass on this:
 
Vinegar, Carrots, Ghost Peppers, Scorpion Peppers, Reaper Peppers
 
But let's say this is the percentages:
 
Vinegar (25%) Carrots (23%) Ghost Peppers (20%) Scorpion Peppers (19%) Reaper Peppers (13%)
 
That's 100% and in order of the amounts.
 
Look what you have there. 
 
52% Peppers, 25% Vinegar, 23% Carrots.
 
It's last! 

Thats ALOT of heat man! Lol

 

[Hab_Nut]

I loved the CaJohn's line of pepper purees - just one variety of pepper, vinegar and IIRC a bit of salt. Pure pepper flavor, kind of like a single-malt whisky vs. a blend.
 
But, CaJohn sold the company and I don't know if those purees are still being made. The labels were plastic, so for fun I trimmed one and stuck it on myself for a pic of a habanero transdernal patch.
 

 

[salsalady]

Cajohn's company is sold?  Interesting, I'll have to check the totally reliable feeds on Facebook for confirmation.  (just a little sarcasm there.  )  If this is true, I wish John and Sue all the best and look forward to hearing about the new owners. 
 
Those pepper purees are pretty simple to make if one can get the peppers.  In the past, I've contacted growers (and I'm talking about purchasing 20-400 pounds of specific chiles) and set up purchases ahead of time.  Otherwise, it's kind of a grow-em-and-wait-until-harvest to make the purees.  AJ's puree recipe is super simple and very popular to make. 
 
There are other companies selling pepper purees.  Puckerbutt is the first one that comes to mind because...they are the growers, also.  I (THINK) CaJohn was processing for them, but I don't know for sure. 
 
PS- to THP!
Have Fun~
salsalady

 

[Hab_Nut]

BTW  I don't know if you've met John in person, but when he's in Santa drag he can be very convincing. White beard and all.
 
I wonder if we have met before, if not in person then online.
 
 

 

[salsalady]

I have met 'The Godfather' as he is called in some circles, at some hot sauce festivals.  Santa Drag?  kinda scary but I can totally see him pulling that off. 
 
not sure if we have met, I haven't been to any festivals/events back east.  Been to some events in Tx, NM, Cali, OR,
 
Sauces are "Texas Creek"?

 

[Hab_Nut]

Then maybe you know Jim Campbell, who owned the Mild to Wild company. He's the one who opened his pepper field for gleaning back in 1998. That has turned into a big campout event, which survives even after the pepper field is no more.
 
 
*Jim Neighbors voice* BACK HOME AGAIN IN INDIANA, O'ER THE FIELDS I USED TO ROAM...
 
 
 
 

 

[The_NorthEast_ChileMan]

`

not sure if we have met, I haven't been to any festivals/events back east.  Been to some events in Tx, NM, Cali, OR,

Then maybe you know Jim Campbell, who owned the Mild to Wild company.

`SL, Jim was able to travel to shows because of his full time job (Note t shirt in below.), maybe you remember him?
 

 
 
He's the non-smoker on the right...

`

 

[Hab_Nut]

Jim knows his sauces very well, having been in the biz. That pic is from Open Fields.
 
Now the thing about that pic is, who is that effigy next to him? It represents Scotch Bonnet Steve (aka SBS), who was a legendary grower and breeder of several strains of peppers. Ace pepper smoker, too. He grew manzanos that would fill your hand. This is a pic from him, which by his request I turned into his avatar on C2C back when I was an admin there:
 

 
Maybe we should start an Open Fields picture thread.
 
 
 

 

[salsalady]

Then maybe you know Jim Campbell, who owned the Mild to Wild company. He's the one who opened his pepper field for gleaning back in 1998. That has turned into a big campout event, which survives even after the pepper field is no more.
 
 
*Jim Neighbors voice* BACK HOME AGAIN IN INDIANA, O'ER THE FIELDS I USED TO ROAM...

  

`




`SL, Jim was able to travel to shows because of his full time job (Note t shirt in below.), maybe you remember him?
 

 
 
He's the non-smoker on the right...

`

I have purchased many pounds of dried peppers and chipotle powder from Jim, starting around year 2000. Talked to him several times on the phone and online, but never had the pleasure of meeting him in person. M2W was at the shows I attended (2011-ISH?) but I think Jim had sold the biz or at least had others working the events. Jim is an icon in the chile world. Great guy.

 

[Ruid]

Can Manzanos even fit in an SFRB?

 

[Hab_Nut]

Yes, Jim is a great guy. I look forward to meeting him again.
 

 

[Ashen]

I loved the CaJohn's line of pepper purees - just one variety of pepper, vinegar and IIRC a bit of salt. Pure pepper flavor, kind of like a single-malt whisky vs. a blend.
 
But, CaJohn sold the company and I don't know if those purees are still being made. The labels were plastic, so for fun I trimmed one and stuck it on myself for a pic of a habanero transdernal patch.
 
habanero_transdermal.jpg

I loved their purees myself. They illustrate salsalady's often made point about how it doesn't really matter how high the scoville rating of the pepper in a sauce is but thd percentage. If I recall correctly both the fatalli puree and jolokia 10 were rated about the same heatlevel but the fatalli always seemed to have more bite after bite build and lasting hang time.
I liked their pop(percentage of peppers) ratings.
http://cajohns.com/store/index.php?route=information/information&information_id=115

 

[Captain Caliente]

I make sauces, but before that, i ate sauces.  I still do, but it's hard to find something i can get behind.

Frank's Red Hot was my go to in the 80s, i had outgrown Tabasco in my early teens and until the 90s there wasn't much of a hot sauce market so choices were limited.
Now that i am experienced in gardening and cooking (not just sauce but in commercial kitchens), my pallet has changed.

I pretty much write off any sauces that have:

• extracts
• thickeners
• sugar
• preservatives
• colorings
• a filler vegetable like tomatoes or carrots as the second ingredient
• a $5 or less price tag

I consider them basic and impure.
My other issue is since i've been into super hots since 2015, nothing is as hot as it claims to be on the bottle.  That's my fault, but still, when something says XXX HOT and the hottest pepper that is listed is habanero...WTF???
 
Maybe i'm the odd man out here, which i'm fine with, but does anyone else share my views?
 
 
 

 

Hmmm, I guess he's OK with water. Hahhhh!
 

 

[WarrantMan]

Each to his/her own I reckon. Aside from H2O, kudos for him not mentioning the scoville force multiplier NaCl. Some sacred cows shall not be gored.