Some Like it Hot!
For those who like hot sauces, here are some suggestions from someone who loves it burning hot:
Coyote Cocina Prankster’s Red:
A very good, somewhat smoky hot sauce using chipolote and chiltepin chilies from New Mexico. The flavor is reminiscent of the store bought "chili powder" but without the stale taste of the chili powder. The company that makes this sauce is apparently connected with the very good Coyote Café in Santa Fe, New Mexico, so it is not surprising that it is a good sauce. Good with quesadillas or eggs. It doesn’t pack much kick, though. Coyote Cocina, 1590 San Mateo Ln, Santa fe, NM 87505; (800) 866-HOWL.
Gator Snowbird Surprise:
Sweet and mild, but good. Carrot and mango base with Scotch Bonnet peppers tinged with cinnamon. It claims to only be sold in the state of Florida. It’s good, but it isn’t worth going all the way to Florida to get. But if you happen to be there, pick some up. Counter-Productive Enterprises, Inc., P.O. Box 4917, Palm Harbor, FL 34685; 888-814-2503.
Lee Kum Kee Chili Garlic Sauce:
Made in Hong Kong. One of my favorite ingredients for almost any cuisine, though not really a hot sauce per se. Find it among the Asian foods. First two ingredients: chili pepper and garlic. A very basic condiment which I use by the multiple spoonfuls for cooking. If you love hot and you love garlic you will always want one or two jars of this around. I even hunted some down in Japan!
Iguana Mean Green:
Gotta like a sauce displaying an iguana on the label. Made in Costa Rica, the Iguana hot sauces are pretty good, but in general don’t stand out. The exception for me is their Mean Green, a sharp Jalapeno sauce. Habneros are hotter, but are over quicker. Jalapenos sneak up a bit and linger. This sauce has a good flavor, a good kick and it lingers like it should. Imported by the Half Moon Bay Trading company of Florida. All the Iguana sauces use “impurities” like carrots and onions, but I think the purists who look down their noses at these “impurities” are missing something. They add flavor to the kick. Mild to medium.
Tabasco Sauce:
It ain’t all that hot and it ain’t all that creative, but the old standby does work in a pinch and may be one of the best buys. About the most basic sauce you can find. It’s a good mix of mildly hot and quite tangy. Especially good is the harder to find Tabasco Green Jalapeno sauce. Anything from Louisiana can’t be all bad!
Siracha Sauce:
Look for the big bottle with the rooster on it, generally among Asian foods, not among the hot sauces. A very good bargain for a moderately hot sauce, possible the best hot sauce buy you’ll find. It is especially good for Thai cooking and I shocked a friend once when I made a quite passable Thai peanut sauce using just this hot sauce, some peanut butter and water. With sliced chicken and Thai noodles it made a great meal. From Huy Fong Foods, California.
Marie Sharp’s Habanero Pepper Sauce:
Made in Belize, it claims to be fiery hot, but is mild to medium in my book. But it has an excellent flavor thanks to all the garlic, carrots, onions and key lime juice they use in it. Great with quesadillas and eggs.
Dave’s Total Insanity:
Here we are getting a little bit away from flavor and more into serious heat. Still, it’s pretty good flavor as well as having a real burn. They cheat and use hot pepper extract. This is one to have if you are a serious masochist about your sauces.
Mean Devil Woman:
It’s from Louisiana, so you know it’s gotta be good. High on flavor, but only mild on spice. Strong tomato flavor with highlights of garlic and lime. A good addition to your collection, but it might need to be mixed with something with more kick to it. The name alone makes it worth it…especially if it’s a gift from a woman you’re hot on ; - ).
Blair’s After Death Sauce:
Now we are getting to the serious burn. About the second hottest sauce I’ve tried, but still with some flavor, if you have taste buds left. A friend once used a little too much making fried potatoes and, though it was delicious, we found even the smell of it got us coughing. We repeated this experiment several times! One time I used a bit much and after enjoying the meal, I noticed that the burn just kept increasing…I finally, for the first time ever, had to resort to drinking glass after glass of milk to kill the burn. Good stuff!
One to avoid:
Endorphin Rush:
This one is really the hottest thing I have ever found, but the flavor is unpalatable. I used a very tiny amount in a large bowl of bland rice pilaf and two things happened. The flavor became terrible and the heat became hellishly fiery. If only they could get a good flavor to it, they’d have something here. But as it is, I can’t recommend it except for masochism value.
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Email: michad03@mcrcr.med.nyu.edu
