Hot Stuff! Part Deux

I have commented on bottled hot sauces (as condimentary supplementation) many times here in the past; there was even one earlier post dedicated specifically to the fiery little devils (see 'blog-entry from March 21st, 2010). I feel that hot sauces complement both eggs and potatoes perfectly (and occasionally even coffee[1]).

I really don't like to use any extra salt on my food; however, most hot sauces do have a high salt content. It is one of the main ingredients in many hot sauces (after chili peppers, of course). Tabasco® brand products (and many similar Louisiana style hot sauces) are just chili peppers, vinegar, and salt.

Usually the brands that can be found in most restaurants are: Tabasco® (while most places just offer the standard red, there are several other varieties: green Jalapeño; Chipotle ~ which is my favourite of the McIlhenny Company products; Garlic; Habanero; and a few others); Crystal® Hot Sauce; Frank's® RedHot (they also have several variations available now); and in California there are usually the additional brands of Cholula® (which I feel is the best in flavour of the more readily available hot sauces; it is made with many spices in addition to chili peppers, salt, and vinegar) and Tapatío®. Now there is absolutely nothing wrong with any of these hot sauces, but I like a little bit more options and currently have fifteen in my own collection. I will usually bring along two to three bottles with me whenever I eat breakfast out.

(Left to right)

Cherry Republic® KaBOB'S Kick'en Hot Sauce; Serious Food… Silly Prices Sweet Heat Hot Sauce; El Yucateco® XXXTRA HOT SAUCE Salsa Kutbil-ik® de CHILE HABANERO; and Cholula®.

(Left to right)

YOUK'S HOT SAUCE; Serious Food… Silly Prices Chunky Habanero Hot Sauce; Oaxacan Hot Sauce; and Serious Food… Silly Prices Mango Hot Sauce.

All of those pictured above are of varying heat levels. They are not too hot where you can't taste the flavour of the hot sauce over the heat level. Chili peppers are rated on the Scoville Heat Units Scale. Certain peppers are hotter than others. The standard tabasco chili pepper is nowhere as potent as the habanero pepper and others.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scoville_scale

 
Then there are those hot sauces made from the jolokia naga chili pepper and others that are made with extract of capsaicin where the heat level is just ridiculous. I have several of those (all of which had been given to me as "gifts" ~ I like a bit of heat, but I am not really into any masochistic pleasure) in my collection, too. Just a few drops of any of these is really all that is needed, and these bottles will probably last me many, many years of pain… er, pleasure.

(Left to right)

BIG PAPI EN FUEGO HOT SAUCE OFF THE WALL TRIPLE HOT; BIG PAPI EN FUEGO HOT SAUCE GRAND SLAM XXXTRA HOT; BLAIR'S SUDDEN DEATH SAUCE®; One Stop Hot Shop "Son of Smart Arse" Sauce; One Stop Hot Shop 'Nuclear Naga' Atomic Chilli Sauce; One Stop Hot Shop 'Smart Arse'® Extreme Chilli Sauce; and BLAIR'S AFTER DEATH SAUCE®.

 
I even have a subset collection of Boston Red Sox hot sauces.

(Left to right)

BOSTON RED SOX HOT SAUCE; BIG PAPI EN FUEGO HOT SAUCE; and YOUK’S HOT SAUCE.
 

The BOSTON RED SOX HOT SAUCE was basically a tabasco style hot sauce; distributed by HOT SAUCE HARRY'S, Inc. The BIG PAPI hot sauces were produced for David Ortiz' restaurant. There were four variations of heat available. I have already used up both the SINGLE and DOUBLE of my collection, as they were the least hot. The YOUK'S is produced by Kevin Youkilis' brother who has a restaurant in San Francisco. Of the three brands, I like the YOUK'S the best (even if he plays with that other Sox team now); it isn't very hot, but it is pretty flavourful.

I don't have a bottle of Palo Alto Fire Fighters Pepper Sauce in my collection currently as I had used the last of it a few weeks back and need to replenish it. This has to be my favourite hot sauce in a long time. It packs a bit of heat, but the flavour from the fresh chilies really makes this a great hot sauce.

http://www.paloaltofirefighters.com/


Glen Bacon Scale Rating:  Palo Alto Fire Fighters Pepper Sauce ~ 7.6; Tabasco® (standard red) ~ 6.0; Tabasco® Jalapeño ~ 6.2; Tabasco® Chipotle ~ 6.5; Cholula® ~ 6.7; YOUK'S HOT SAUCE ~ 6.9


[1] My local Peet's Coffee & Tea® invented an espresso drink that they call the Scorpion Bite. It is just a standard espresso shot with a few drops of hot sauce added to the demitasse before adding the coffee to it. It does have a bit of a "bite" to it, but it really isn't that bad. It gives you that extra added jolt for the morning.