One Pepper X to Rule Them All
Step aside Caroline Reaper, there is now a hotter chili pepper in town. And it comes from the same guy who brought us the Reaper in the first place. Ed Currie of the PuckerButt Pepper Company has just claimed a Guinness World Record for a new chili he cultivated known as Pepper X. That one has an average rating of 2,693,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU), which is quite a bit higher than the 1.64 SHU average for the Reaper. Currie unveiled the Carolina Reaper over ten years ago, but he was already working on Pepper X at that time. The new chili had its debut on an episode of The Hot Ones, and it is not available commercially yet. His company does have sauces available using Pepper X that you can buy online.
Popeyes Partners with Truff
Popeyes has launched its latest salvo in the Chicken Sandwich Wars by partnering with Truff. The new sammy comes with a spicy mayo infused with black winter truffle. The chain is offering that on its Spicy Chicken Sandwich along with its Blackened Sandwich and its Bacon and Cheese Sandwich. In addition, Popeyes is selling Truff Fries, Truff Chicken & Fries, Truff Nuggets, and Truff Mac & Cheese. All of those come with the spicy mayo for dipping and you can buy the sauce by itself for a buck. These are around for the dreaded limited-time-only, so if you want to give them a try get to the drive thru pretty soon. When Truff partnered with Taco Bell on the Nacho Fries, that disappeared within a few weeks.
Potbelly Heads to the Ring of Fire
Potbelly Sandwich Shop has released a new sammy in commemoration of the Ring of Fire eclipse and this one brings some heat. Named, obviously, the Ring of Fire Sandwich, it includes grilled chicken, cheddar cheese, their new signature Hot Pepper Ranch, Yellowbird Ghost Pepper Sauce, and roasted red peppers on bread of your choice (white, multibrain, or flatbread). This is another limited-time item and will be rolling off the menu on November 19th (or sooner), so make a trip soon if you want to grab one. You can find a location near you at their website.
Side Note: We were right in the line of the eclipse here in San Antonio and I got a good view of it. I was listening to Pink Floyd’s “Brain Damage” and “Eclipse” from Dark Side of the Moon as the eclipse happened. The perfect accompaniment!
Marco’s Is Pouring on the Hot Honey
Hot Honey has become all the rage lately (especially the Mike’s brand) and now Marco’s is adding it to one of its signature pies. That pizza slinger is drizzling the heated up honey on its Pepperoni Magnifico Pizza which is topped with topped with pepperoni, Old World Pepperoni (which cups up when it cooks), and Romesan seasoning (not a misprint, that is a parmesan-based seasoning with Italian herbs and spices). It sells for $10.99 for a large (price may vary) and is of course only around for a limited time. But if they run out, go get some Mike’s Hot Honey (always good to have in the pantry) and drizzle on the regular Pepperoni Magnifico to your heart’s content. Marco’s is also offering dip cups of the honey for other menu items. You can find a location near you at their website.
Heading Back to Limited-Time-Only-Ville
The end of October will see several limited-time items disappearing from menus. Jack in the Box will not be as angry anymore (not necessarily a good thing) as the Angry Monster Tacos go away after the Halloween season (the regular Monster Tacos will be heading out as well). Two items at Burger King will be ghosted after October with the Ghost Pepper Chicken Fries and Ghost Pepper Whopper rolling off the menu. And any new item at Taco Bell could be gone at any time (the Cheesy Jalapeno Mexican Pizza and Chicken Enchilada Burrito have already disappeared).
Reviews from This Week
The Chicken Sandwich Wars: The Honey Pepper Pimento Chicken Sandwich from Chick-Fil-A delivers a nice twist on the premium poultry sandwich and the spicy version brings a kick. READ
Review: The Ghost Pepper Chicken Fries from Burger King bring a nice kick of heat to a fast food favorite from that chain. READ