Rustlin' Rob’s, located in Fredericksburg Texas, is Mecca for lovers of spicy foods, and they offer a wide variety of sauces, salsas, spices, rubs, and more (watch for an upcoming post about the store). They have more than just one sauce that I purchase every time I am in town, but out of all of them the Jolokia Hot Sauce counts as my favorite and try to always have a bottle in the cabinet. This sauce is a blend of all-natural ingredients that...
I stumbled upon this Italian hot sauce about a year and a half ago while wandering through Trader Joe’s. Since then, I have been hooked on it and have to have a jar ready to go at all times, making this the second of two go-to hot sauces I get from TJ’s (more on the other one in an upcoming post). The sauce is made from Calabrian chili peppers “sourced from a trusted pepper cultivator in Calabria, Italy” according to the website. Those...
Okay, if you are ready to put on your big boy pants and up your hot sauce game to the major leagues, this is the one I recommend. Dave's Insanity Sauce is among the original of the insane sauces (thus the name) and is still one of the best. It contains a blend of chilis, tomato paste, and spices, but the key ingredient here is the capsaicin extract. That’s what packs the punch and makes this one of the hottest sauces widely available. It has...
This tasty sauce has been around for a while (it started in 1971) and is quite well-known, for good reason. It packs some heat, but it won’t send the average mortal screaming from the room, and it also brings plenty of flavor. You will often see it in Mexican restaurants, but it works with many different dishes as well. Heat-wise, Tapatio comes in around 3,000 Scoville Units which is enough to give a bit of a kick without scorching the senses....
I am combining these two together because they are basically the same sauce, just different consistencies and maybe slightly different heat levels. Sriracha Sauce from Huy Fong Foods has become almost as ubiquitous and Tabasco these days, and you are seeing it added to everything in restaurants and in recipes. The sauce originated in Thailand and is allegedly named after the Si Racha, but the Huy Fong version is made right here in the U S of A...
If you are like me, you have a jar (or more) of salsa in the closet at all times. And even though I regularly make my own salsa, I’ve got some of the bottled stuff around just as a backup (in Texas, you can be fined if you do not have salsa and/or hot sauce in the house. I also have concealed carry license for hot sauce). And when I do have a bottle of picante occupying a place on the can closet shelf, more often than not it’s the one made...
Cholula is another one of those ubiquitous hot sauces that is widely found at eating establishments and certainly in many kitchen pantries. But it's common a good reason, it's a darn good condiment and has a lot of different uses. It is one of the milder sauces out there among those that are widely available, but it still has enough of a kick and good enough heat to satisfy lovers of fiery foods. The flavor profile of Cholula brings a tanginess...
