248 replies to this topic

[awbrig]

I love hot sauces...Im always curious as to what are the great ones since there are so many to choose from...

Right now I have...

Cholula's (w a wooden top)
Tabasaco Habanero
Tabasco Chipotle
Heaven on SevenHeavenly Blend
Emeril's Red Pepper Sauce
Frank's Red Hot

I like it hot but not way way way too hot you cant taste anything...what are your suggestions! Ive always wanted to try Dave's line and that call me sally stuff...what do you guys recommend that I run out and get NOW

[cabrales]

I use Huy Fong, which I first noticed at certain Vietnamese pho places on the West Coast. It comes in a non-squeeze container as well, and is generally available in Chinatown.

http://hotsaucecatalog.com/hs1223.html

[Jason Perlow]

I use Huy Fong, which I first noticed at certain Vietnamese pho places on the West Coast. It comes in a non-squeeze container as well, and is generally available in Chinatown.

http://hotsaucecatalog.com/hs1223.html

Huy Fong has a sampler pack you can order for I think 7.50. Its a great deal:

http://www.huyfong.c...ames/sample.htm

[Shermar]

Jamaican Pik-A-Pepper

[chopjwu12]

i like siracha(sp) i have to check the spelling. It is asian i believe and it is red and has a rooster on teh plastic squeeze bottle. Its kind of spicy but not to bad but i think it has preety good flavor.

[foodgeek]

I also use the (Huy Fong) Sriracha. It seems popular w/egulleters. :) I've noticed that sushi joints use it as well, in the spicy tuny/salmon.

I have a bottle of Frank's, but haven't used it in a while.

I also have chipotle powder and dried anchos hiding in the cubbard somewhere (although I knwo that wasn't the question.)

[tommy]

sriracha indeed makes the world go 'round, and brings the world together as well. i haven't noticed it in the spicy rolls at sushi places, although that's what i use when making spicy rolls at home (mixed with mayo).

franks still rules for wings. it's as simple as that.

pik-a-pepper, as shermar mentions, is a good product. they have a really good steak sauce as well. it's a shame the bottles are only about 2 ounces though. i go through the stuff like water.

i also use sambal, which is a bit garlic-y and has pieces of dried read pepper in it. a bit more of a kick than sriracha.

jayask: 3 demerits for answering the wrong question. come back tomorrow.

[nervousnelli]

I don't know who makes it but look for "Bad Girls in Heat" hot sauce. It's pretty mild just lending a little kick to fish, meat and vegetables. Even hot sauce wimps like this one.

[bushey]

The ones I keep going back to are Cholula and Frank's. I use them on pretty much anything and everything. We also always have a bottle of hot oil (my name for any brand of spicy sesame oil) on hand for stir fries and dishes that don't call for a tomato-based flavor.

Mr. bushey likes the scotch bonnet pepper sauces and mustard based hot sauces, but I'm blanking on the names right now.

Every once in a while I browse through the housewares department at TJ Maxx or Marshall's and pick up a bottle or two I've never tried before, just for fun. The condiment company Jasmine & Bread used to have a Caribbean hot sauce that was unbelievable, but I don't know if they make it anymore.

[cabrales]

i like siracha(sp) i have to check the spelling. It is asian i believe and it is red and has a rooster on teh plastic squeeze bottle. Its kind of spicy but not to bad but i think it has preety good flavor.

chop -- That's Huy Fong. You might want to review the linked webpage from my earlier post.

[=Mark]

[Ron Johnson]

Although I do not find it spicy, I like Louisiana Hot Sauce as a general all-purpose sauce. It has a great flavor for food.
I also like Sriracha and always have it on hand.
My favorite Mexican restaurant has two sauces that I love but cannot recall the name. They are both habanero, but one is red and the other bright green. They come in identical small bottles with the name in red letters. If anyone knows the name of these, I would appreciate it.

[=Mark]

It was actually the "Sauce Tasting Bar" at a "Hotluck" sponsored by the ChileHeads in Red Lion, Pa last year.

My current favorite Hotsauce is Hoboken Eddies Mean Green. Roasted jalabenos and spices with a touch of lime. Mmmmmm.

Also like siracha, but when it comes to a cayenne style sauce like Tabasco or Crystal, I have to defer to Tapatio. More heat and more flavor than the others, and at 79 cents a bottle is a bargain also...

[=Mark]

My favorite Mexican restaurant has two sauces that I love but cannot recall the name.  They are both habanero, but one is red and the other bright green.  They come in identical small bottles with the name in red letters.  If anyone knows the name of these, I would appreciate it.

El Yucateco. I'm looking at a bottle of the green as we speak...

[Jason Perlow]

Although I do not find it spicy, I like Louisiana Hot Sauce as a general all-purpose sauce.  It has a great flavor for food.  
I also like Sriracha and always have it on hand.
My favorite Mexican restaurant has two sauces that I love but cannot recall the name.  They are both habanero, but one is red and the other bright green.  They come in identical small bottles with the name in red letters.  If anyone knows the name of these, I would appreciate it.

El Yucateco? Made with habaneros? Hot stuff.

http://www.elyucatec...glish/flash.htm

Tapatio is also common in Mexican restaurants.

[sladeums]

I prefer anything from Blair's to what Dave's Gourmet puts out...they have a nice progressive range of heat levels through their 'Death Sauce' line and a new line of products called 'Heat' that offer less bite and a lot more interesting flavors...they also make the best high end super-Scoville stuff that you may or may not be able to handle.
Link at:
Extreme Foods - Blair's Death Sauce
There are also several people who sell Blair's on eBay and I can frequently find decent prices on larger sampler packs there.

If you like Cholula and some of the other Mex-style sauces like Bufalo, try the Frontera products from Bayless. A quick look at his website only list 2 hot sauces now, so I'm guessing they pared there line down as there used to be several more. Possibly you can find some leftovers on clearance somewhere, I know I have.

The mail order hot sauce outfit Mo Hotta Mo Betta also has a decent line of sauces for a variety of tastes, and offer a decent catalog of other sauces - reliable. decent customer service. Check their site at:
Click for Mo Hotta Mo Betta

Other companies w/ reliable lines: Cafe Tequila, Oak Hill Farms and the three 'Pain is Good' hot sauces.

On a final note, another line I've not sampled but that looks interesting is the Toad Sweat line of desert hot sauces. They have 3 flavor in ascending heat level: Lemon Vanilla, Chocolate Orange, Cranberry and Key Lime. All pick up their heat from habeneros...check their site at:
Click for Toad Sweat Desert Sauces

My favorite Mexican restaurant has two sauces that I love but cannot recall the name. They are both habanero, but one is red and the other bright green. They come in identical small bottles with the name in red letters. If anyone knows the name of these, I would appreciate it.

And as everyone else said, El Yucateco...they look like this:
Click for El Yucateco

[Kikujiro]

Yet another Huy Fong Sriracha user here, but also something of a fan of the Belizian Marie Sharp's, which I use as a condiment with just about anything.

Looking in the cupboard just now I discovered I also have an as-yet unopened bottle of a South African hot sauce I was given, pleasingly called Dog's Bum Sauce.

[rich]

sriracha indeed makes the world go 'round, and brings the world together as well.

Tommy - good line and I agree.

The Tabasco Chipotle is one of the best new hot sauce products I've tasted recently. Between the smoke and the spice, this sauce complements a variety of dishes. Especially like some on poached or shirred eggs.

I think my pantry has 46 different types - but I'm not counting.

[Jason Perlow]

I found a great new Trinidad/Tobago hot pepper sauce in St. Maarten called Matouk's that I brought back with me. It comes in various heat levels, and is mighty tasty. They use it with ribs on the island as a condiment.

[Jason Perlow]

sriracha indeed makes the world go 'round, and brings the world together as well.

Tommy - good line and I agree.

The Tabasco Chipotle is one of the best new hot sauce products I've tasted recently. Between the smoke and the spice, this sauce complements a variety of dishes. Especially like some on poached or shirred eggs.

I think my pantry has 46 different types - but I'm not counting.

The Tabasco Chipotle is excellent, but isnt it still an internet-only product now? I have 2 bottles at home, its great stuff.

[Suzanne F]

Toad Sweat is the bomb!!! I tasted it at the Fancy Food Show this summer. The Lemon-Vanilla is pretty tame, but the Key Lime-Habanero? AH-HOOOOOOOOOOOOO-AH!

And Matouk's is available in supermarkets near me -- the Pathmark under the Manhattan Bridge has that and other Caribbean sauces.

[rich]

The Tabasco Chipotle is excellent, but isnt it still an internet-only product now? I have 2 bottles at home, its great stuff.

I'm not sure.

I first had it a local Tex-Mex on Staten Island. They sold me a bottle for $5. Then I ordered six on-line from Tabasco at less than $3 each. I also ordered the garlic Tobasco - it's very good as well.

I've never seen it in local stores and they don't carry it in The Kitchen on 7th Avenue.

[sladeums]

The Tabasco Chipotle is excellent, but isnt it still an internet-only product now? I have 2 bottles at home, its great stuff.

Tabasco's site claims it's available internet, mail-order or select markets:
Atlanta, Georgia
Chicago, Illinois
Dallas, Texas
Denver, Colorado
Gainesville, Florida
Houston, Texas
Jacksonville, Florida
Las Vegas, Nevada
Los Angeles, California
Miami, Florida
New Orleans, Louisiana
Phoenix, Arizona
Portland, Oregon
St. Augustine, Florida
St. Petersburg, Florida
San Antonio, Texas
San Diego, California
Seattle, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Tampa, Florida


But promises it will be coming soon to a retailer near you.

[sladeums]

Toad Sweat is the bomb!!!  I tasted it at the Fancy Food Show this summer.  The Lemon-Vanilla is pretty tame, but the Key Lime-Habanero?  AH-HOOOOOOOOOOOOO-AH!  

It does look quite intriguing.

I'm very interested...unfortunately the closest retailer is 90 miles away, so I'll have to wait for my big Christmas time mail order spree to try it.

[Thomas Secor]

Jason, I will have to pass on your fondness for the Matouk's to my wife. We went to Anguilla a few years ago, and she thought I was insane when I brought home half a dozen bottles of the stuff. Oddly enough (or maybe not considering the demographics), it is much easier to find Matouks and similar styles in London, than in NY.

I suppose it doesnt count as a hot sauce, but its spicy (if you get the spicy version, that is), so I am gonna have to give a shout out to Stubbs barbecue sauce. Anything you might have a desire to put ketchup on, Stubbs is better.

[sladeums]

I suppose it doesnt count as a hot sauce, but its spicy (if you get the spicy version, that is), so I am gonna have to give a shout out to Stubbs barbecue sauce.  Anything you might have a desire to put ketchup on, Stubbs is better.

You should join the 'I Love Stubbs' club, see link:

click for the I Love Stubbs Club!

"...don't cost nothing - except a love for great barbeque..."

[Saffy]

Our current favourites are

Kaitaia Fire Hot sauces ( a selection )
Rattlesnake jalapeno jam and ancho chilli jam
Bufalo chipotle sauce
Tapatio
El Yucateco Habanero sauce
Dr Hots Chili chutney

:)

Organic Chile sauces here if anyone is interested Kaitaia Fire

They also have pickled garlic/walnuts and peppers and manuka smoked Jalapenos

[Jinmyo]

Organic chile sauce? You know, that would never occur to me. I mean, compared to a good chile sauce what harm can a bit of weed killer do you?

[phaelon56]

I'll add a second vote for Marie Sharp's of Belize. their red sauces are based on carrot juice and habanero's. They also have a green sauce that's based on prickly pera juice and green habanero's - th elatter is mild and tasty on nearly anything. Both include some caye lime juice - adds to the unique taste.

I'm surprised that Matouk's is tough to find in NYC - that must apply only to Manhattan as it's a staple in any West Indian community. I especially like the green one that looks almost like a thick marmalade or chutney with little chunks of yellow, red and orange mixed in. It's flavorful but absolutely blistering.

I'd guess that nearly all the sauces discussed in this thread and several thousand more are available in my hometown of Syracuse at the Hot Shoppe. They also have an online store - selection is mind boggling

Hot Shoppe

[stagis]

Sriracha is my ketchup. (Fringe benefit - there's no tomatos in it, so when you dribble it all over your shirt, it'll rinse out in a mall bathroom.) They make a couple of heats - green-cap and yellow-cap.

Inner Beauty is way cool. Pineapple base, I think, with habanero.

Frank's makes for mild wings.

Tabasco Habanero is tasty as all get-out.

I don't like datil-pepper sauces.

Um - try finding a recipe for habanero mustard. I've made it myself, and it'll knock your socks off on a dog.

Jalapenos, when ripe-red, taste entirely different and are worth looking for - much sweeter.

Homemade habanero ketchup *swoon*.