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My Tropical Death Sauce

worlok

worlok

Fruity things like mango, banana, lime, and some apple, etc... VERY HOT stuff. I can't even say how many homegrown dried Ghosts, scorps, 7 Pots, etc went into this...

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I've been churning out various mild to hot to very hot sauces and so far everyone I have try them loves them. People at work, friends, etc. They're all telling me to go into business although starting something where you can produce and bottle a legally sell-able foodstuff is very tough...
 
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Yep, worlok I have to agree with Blue man. You need to get some out to some people that aren't friends and family and don't want to hurt your feelings. When I started making sauce seriously I contacted some of the members here and asked if I could send them some and get their opinions telling them that I really wanted some good constructive criticism of them. Then that’s what you’re going to get and it’ll do a great deal towards you getting a sauce that’s so-so to be a good one and a good one to be a great one. JMHO Bro
 
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I understand what you guys mean but I have brutally honest people and you can't fake the enthusiasm they show. I've had several offer me money to keep the sauces coming. Others have used them in recipes. One guy's fiancee is a chef and she has used them in making some restaurant quality dishes complete with the fancy presentation - I've seen pictures. You just don't do that to be polite. Of course I won't take money from them I'm just happy to make the sauces. Even my fiancee. She's not a typical hot sauce person and believe me if she doesn't like something she won't touch it. lol

But yeah having fellow chilihead feedback is invaluable too I'm not knocking or minimizing that at all. When I get enough varieties hot packed I'll ask around here for volunteers and maybe have a web or email form for input. ;-)
 
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worlok said:
I can't even say how many homegrown dried Ghosts, scorps, 7 Pots, etc went into this...
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Oh, ok.... That's a shame. It sounds great!
I was kinda hoping that the hot sauce recipe might contain the exact recipe on how to make the hot sauce mentioned!
I'm hoping that if you do get into production, that you can remember the recipe!
 
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nee said:
Oh, ok.... That's a shame. It sounds great!
I was kinda hoping that the hot sauce recipe might contain the exact recipe on how to make the hot sauce mentioned!
I'm hoping that if you do get into production, that you can remember the recipe!
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This is how I make hot sauce. First off, my mom is a great cook and just cooks/bakes. I know what tastes good, usually. I've always been great in the kitchen making my own stuff, and never from recipes. I used to make my own pasta etc and my family makes home made tomato sauce for preserving and also wild blueberry preserves for pie filling etc. For generations... Sauce making (or at least the mechanics of it) is in my blood.

Once I got into growing these crazy hot peppers, and dehydrating them for preservation, making sauce was the next logical step.

Also, I work in technology so I have plenty of Indian friends (Asian Indians from India). These people know hot spicy food. I am also great at making curry type stuff and my own masala chai. I also used to ferment my own yogurt and kefir... What I am saying here, is "I gots skillz." ;) Not rying to brag, but I know what I know.

Anyhoo, not only are my American friends and coworkers going bonkers over the sauce I give them - with strict instructions to tell me if anything sucks, telling them that being honest is a good thing, my Indian friends are loving it too. I know that this is no replacement for the opinion of hot sauce afficianado "strangers". I know this. I get it. That being said, I know what tastes good and I know how to make a good sauce. ALSO, what is one man's swill is another man's gourmet. You can't please everyone. I have tasted successful commercial hot sauces and was like, "Meh." So, just because one or a few Joe Blows say "Meh", plenty of others might say "yay". At some point all you can do is shrug your shoulders and go with your instincts and gut feeling. Some people (like me) prefer the sweet fruit based sauces, while other prefer the sour kind, others like mild heat while real sickos like us like extreme heat. I know that if I could get certain flavor combos professionally bottled and "out there" I could make a go of it. I just can't get from A to Z right now. I lack the seed money with too many bills right now, so I will just enjoy it as a hobby for the time being, refining my skillz. Sure when I get enough certain flavor profiles bottled for easy transport I will send some to some of you fellow chili freaks.
 
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worlok, slow and easy is a good way to go with this so just use this time while you save towards that Go Live, yep, I'm IT also, use the time to develope and refine your recipes, make sure you always do them by weight rather than by volume as it helps you to keep your batches consistent and if you go with a copacker they will most likely want it that way, in grams. Try and get your sauces infront of as many opinions as you can, think church and school functions as well as members here and when you find that one pallet that can tell you exactly what spices you used then that's a golden resource.

I'm following that same path. One day I'll get there but it's been a great hike so far and one that has allowed me to make alot of new friends alot of whom I have never met face to face.

Cheers,
RM
 
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It's good you have enough confidence in your abilities,but your opinion and that of your friends and family are just the starting point! Don't let any of these guys discourage you.,Just send out some samples to a few people and let them decide! You can tell everyone your whole life story and what not,but none of that holds up until you can prove it to others.Not just family and friends but people from all over. For me it means a whole lot more to get a good review from someone on the other side of the U.S. as opposed to someone in my own backyard! Just look at it as advertising and if you can't afford to send out some samples,well then i'm not too sure how your going to make a buissness out of it.


Best of luck,
Nick
 
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I don't consider the co called "nay sayers" as such. I know that everyone here is just offering honest advice and the best advice they can give as they see it. No offense taken, and if you guys look at my replies you can see that I AGREE that "strangers" also need to be in the tasting group. Believe me I get it. I still have high confidence based on true belief and a true passion. I couldn't care less about skeptics and such but yeah I understand the sound advice that's given as far as what's been said here. Bottom line, if I never go into real business selling hot sauce I will still be growing hot peppers and enjoying and sharing great sauces.

RocketMan said:
worlok, slow and easy is a good way to go with this so just use this time while you save towards that Go Live, yep, I'm IT also, use the time to develope and refine your recipes, make sure you always do them by weight rather than by volume as it helps you to keep your batches consistent and if you go with a copacker they will most likely want it that way, in grams. Try and get your sauces infront of as many opinions as you can, think church and school functions as well as members here and when you find that one pallet that can tell you exactly what spices you used then that's a golden resource.

I'm following that same path. One day I'll get there but it's been a great hike so far and one that has allowed me to make alot of new friends alot of whom I have never met face to face.

Cheers,
RM
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Right now that's the hardest part. I can make a great sauce and write down what went in it for the amount that comes out but I have no idea how to go the other way - like okay I want to make a gallon or 50 gallons of a particular sauce then say how much of what goes into it. That part I don't get. I do have a food scale so I guess I should start weight out what I know is a medium onion, large onion, x many cloves of garlic etc...
 
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bluemeanietsi said:
Before you decide to make 50 gallons, you should look into what is needed to sell sauces.
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It was just a statement about having to learn about recipe scaling.

armac said:
Funny, without even tasting your sauce, people are beating you up.

If you like it, and your friends like.......good deal.
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Thanks dude. :)

I've been an on/off member here for a little while. I love this forum and I appreciate ALL the advice and the feedback on growing peppers and hot sauce. but... I dunno man, I said so many times that the suggestions and advice are well taken and I agreed with it etc so I can't understand why some of the continued negativity but hey if some people can just take pot shots at those who are positive thinkers (just for the sake of being cynical or whatever) then so be it. Some people are just cynical and think that their "realistic" doom and gloom advice reins supreme. No skin off my ass. ;-) Do I realize ALL this stuff? Of course I do. I may sound naive but I am not. I just choose to think positive.

Last night I cracked open a jar of my mild mango-pineapple sauce and was truly amazed at how frekin delicious it was. I come in this morning and this Indian dude who I know who I gave a bottle tells me it's the best sauce/hot sauce he has ever tasted. He went on at length about how the tastes were perfectly melded and the contrast between sweet and hot were so delicious. So I'm supposed to TOTALLY discount that because I happen to know the guy from work? Hell frekin no.

This other woman at work - her husband grows hot peppers every summer and makes his own sauces etc. He's a super hot freak like people here. He liked all the stuff I gave him so far, (okay no rave reviews just minor feedback like "that's pretty good stuff) and I only met the guy once casually. I know his wife not him. She takes a jar of the Tropical Death Sauce (sweet fruity very hot sauce) to him the other night and she stops me the next morning telling me she gave it to him and he cracked it open and started tasting it off his finger. He's like, "while I wouldn't put it on wings..." (My note: it's NOT a wing sauce and this guy is a hot wings freak) "...this stuff really tastes great!" It was extremely hot but heat doesn't phase this dude. Do I totally discount that because I haven't passed it around here (this forum, yet) for the ultra critiquey "hot sauce aficionado" set? Again, no frekin way. Like I said, one's man's poison is another man's elixir. You can't please everyone, that's why you make different flavors and styles. Let the people decide what flavor profile they prefer.

I tried to say thanks for all of the general opinions and cautions, I agreed with the cautions, and I asked to not confuse my BEING A POSITIVE THINKER and CONFIDENCE IN MY ABILITIES AND TALENT with cockiness. In most areas of my life I am very very hard on myself, so much so that it has held me back. The ONLY thing that gives me this much passion and zest for life are hot peppers, growing hot peppers, and making things from my hot peppers. I can't explain it. Show me exotic hot peppers and anything to do with them and the passion spills over and I get this shit eating grin on my face. :onfire: :hell:

The thing about this forum though - sending my stuff to people here.... Most of my hot sauces are mildly hot, not nearly as hot as you fellas would prefer. I tailor most of my stuff to the average palate not the super hot freakazoid palate. ;-)

Me and that lady at work's husband and maybe one or two Indian people at work are the only few who would enjoy the really hot stuff, so I don't make as much of the strong stuff.
 
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