Bottom Line: The Phoenix Fire, Vampire’s Bane, and Day Walker salsas from Mrs. McArthur deliver first-rate craft sauces that pack quite a bit of heat.
Craft salsas have become quite common lately, and when I find someone who makes them locally, I try to give them my support. The sauces from Mrs. McArthur (aka Lady McArthur, aka The Pepper Lady) fall into that category, and she offers some that will really light you up! She makes her products in the town of Dobbin, Texas and she has a booth at the Texas Renaissance Festival where you can sample much of what she has to offer. She also sells these at other fairs and you can purchase them online at her website. Here is a rundown of three that I have bought, with each packing some notable heat:
Vampire’s Bane: This is a salsa for lovers of garlic, or should I say fanatics of the bud? It would be inaccurate to say this has a strong garlic flavor and much more on point to say that it punches you in the mouth with the garlic. But it also brings a nice, tomatoey richness with some tang to keep the garlic from completely dominating. Along with that, it has a fair amount of sweetness, but that acts as a counterbalance to the other bold flavors. In addition, there’s a little bit of a zing from the cider vinegar, with the onion and seasonings giving it a nice finish. The large amount of garlic used actually gives the salsa a horseradish-like taste, and this would work well as a cocktail sauce or to give a nice boost to a tartar sauce.
Heat-wise, this starts at Medium on my scale then quickly works its way up beyond hot. It does not quite get to the Fiery level, but after you have had a few bites of this one, your mouth will be on fire. Note that she does make her salsas in small batches so the heat may vary, but each jar I have tried (I’ve been through three of these so far) has definitely brought the burn. And the garlic will certainly keep you safe from vampires for an extended time. (Also note that this is not recommended for a first date!)
Day Walker: When you look at the ingredients for this salsa, they are basically the same as Vampire’s Bane, but with smoked jalapenos instead of regular jalapenos. So it delivers that blast of garlic along with the tomato tang and sweetness, but it has some smoke as well. I don’t know if that cuts the garlic taste, but the bud is not quite as strong in this mixture. For that reason, it is my favorite of the ones that I have bought from Mrs. McArthur for just eating on chips. The garlic does not overwhelm and all of the flavors balance out quite nicely. As for the heat, it is just as hot as the Vampire’s Bane. The average mortal will shrink away from this one (as will vampires), but us chiliheads should love it!
Phoenix Fire: This salsa starts out with a nice, tomatoey tang and some sweetness to finish that off. It also has a good peppery kick with plenty of richness and a nice depth of flavor. Habaneros are the main chili pepper, though I don’t detect the distinct flavor that usually comes from those pods. Still, this is actually one of the best salsas I have ever had taste-wise. But . . . buyer beware! The first couple of bites have a kick, but they don’t seem too bad. Then you start to notice that your mouth is on fire, and that hangs around for a while. If you keep eating without bringing in something to temper the heat, you are definitely headed for some pain!
This gets beyond Fiery on my scale and is headed for the Insane level. It definitely packs a lot of heat and should be considered for professionals only! As an additional warning, this is one of the few hot things that does cause me some stomach discomfort. Not too bad, and the pain is worth it, but be warned in advance. The average mortal should avoid this and even chiliheads will find it challenging.
I did some further looking around the website and apparently the Phoenix Fire is based on the same recipe as Mrs. McArthur’s Friendly Habanero and Hostile Habanero salsas. Obviously the Friendly is the most approachable with the Hostile amping things up and the Phoenix Fire taking it near the Insane level as I mention above (it has forty times the habaneros that are in the Friendly version). I recall tasting the Hostile Habanero while at her booth at the Renaissance Festival and liking it, and I plan on going back for a jar or two of that.
Mrs. McArthur also makes jams and relishes (she got her start making jalapeno jelly), and those are quite good as well. If you happen to be at Ren Fair–which goes through the end of November–definitely stop by her booth and give her sauces a try. Or you can contact her to see if she has a schedule of other festivals she will be attending. If neither of those work, you can order directly from her website. Just pay attention to the heat levels because her hottest salsas definitely bring the burn!
Nutrition Info:
Vampire’s Bane
Ingredients: Tomatoes, fresh garlic, habaneros, smoked jalapenos, onions, canola oil, cider vinegar, green chilis, salt, spices
Day Walker
Ingredients: Tomatoes, fresh garlic, habaneros, smoked jalapenos, onions, canola oil, cider vinegar, green chilis, salt spices
Phoenix Fire
Ingredients: Tomatoes, habaneros, onions, canola oil, cilantro, spices, salt