FIRE! FIRE! No, no…not in a building or anything, but on our palates after infusing them with some of the habanero sauces that Jim sent to us. Thanks, Jim, this is the kind of heat & fire you don’t have to call your homeowners insurance about.

Jim Campbell, head honcho of the Mild to Wild (R) Pepper Co., is a double threat in the hot & spicy food world. Not only does he make some great sauces and powders, but he also grows his own peppers in the process. We’re not talking about any old chile peppers, but Red Savina Habaneros. We grew them once ourselves, and they polluted every other pepper in the garden with their heat! Besides his sauce-making domain, Jim is also a professional firefighter. We were able to convince them to drag Jim away from sliding down the firepole to answer a few quick questions for us….

What’s more enjoyable for you, growing a great crop of chiles or making a great sauce?

Actually, they are so inter-connected as to be the same. A great crop of chiles produces a great sauce. This is a trick question like the ol’ “chicken or the egg”. If forced to choose, I’d have to say “a great crop”. The reasoning being that I can always sell the chiles if I can’t make the sauce, but can’t sell the sauce if I don’t have the chiles.

What gives you the inspiration for the sauces and spices you make?

Texans and braggarts You know, the “you got nothin too hot for me, boy” crowd. The most fun show that I do is the Houston Hot Sauce Festival- great folks down there & I have a lot of fun showing them that they’re not the only ones who know what ‘hot’ is about

Of all the awards that your products have won, which one or ones make you the most proud?

I would have to say two of them: the Houston Hot Sauce Festivals’ “People’s Choice- Hottest Sauce of the Show”, which I’ve won two years in a row with my UnBEARable (aka Stupid Hot) and “Food Distribution Magazine- 1st Place Mild” for my Smokin’ Chipotle. The awards that I’m also most proud of don’t have my name on them- several of my sauces have won awards with other folks label on them.

For someone who is unfamilar with your products, which of what you produce is your fave product that you would get them to try and why?

Believe it or not, my heat tolerance isn’t all *that* great so my favorites are down towards my milder end My Smokin’ Chipotle and Rookie Orientation are two that I use nearly daily. The Smokin’ Chipotle I like for the sweet, slightly smokey heat and the Rookie Orientation bacause I’m a garlic nut & put LOTS in it. I’m a bit bummed at the moment though. I’m out of my Cayennes which are the main ingredient in the Rookie Orientation. It will be August before this years’ crop comes in and I can make more of the Rookie.

Anything new in store from your chile pepper eco-system there in sunny Indiana? If so, what?

I’m offering a few more powders shortly. Cayenne, Red Jalapeno, and some spice mixes are all in the plans for the near future. Ideas are the cheap part of this business though Brining them from drawing board to business site is the expensive part. I usually have more new ideas than I have means to birth them. (Ouch…sounds painful to us!)

So what’s in all this stuff? An Ingredient List!

Ralph’s Righteous Habanero Sauce: Hand-selected habanero peppers, vinegar, onion, garlic, spices, herbs, salt

Red Savina Garlic Sauce: Red Savina habanero, vinegar, a lot of garlic, some citric acid, a little Vitamin C

Smokin’ Chipotle Sauce: Tomato sauce (brown sugar, vinegar, tomato paste), Chipotle peppers, spices, corn starch

Fiery Hot Habanero Sauce: Tomato sauce (brown sugar, vinegar, tomato paste), STONE GROUND Red Savina Habanero, apple smoke dried Red Savina Habanero, spices, corn starch

Joe’s $0.02

Ralph’s Righteous Habanero Sauce: This does exactly what I want a habanero sauce to do…provide both heat and flavor. A simple, straighforward ingredients list hints that WYSIWYG, and it even passes the dairy test, meaning that it gives good heat to dairy food, like eggs, that can be challenging to heat up without using a habanero sauce. A tbsp. of this sauce mixed with a sandwich-sized amount of chicken salad was delectable. Thumbs up!

Red Savina Garlic Sauce: Wow, now this is a combination that is sure to please. It’s pretty simple…some red savina habaneros and garlic, with some extra spices for taste. A hot sauce doesn’t have to be complicated to be damn good. Not too garlicky, it leaves a pleasant habanero burn after you sample it. My fave of this bunch.

Smokin’ Chipotle Sauce: The chipotle is a little subtle in both taste and heat in this one, but both build with the more you consume. This sauce is GREAT on chicken roasted over the grill. Just don’t let your spouse catch you tasting the marinade while you think he/she is not looking.

Fiery Hot Habanero Sauce: Most BBQ-type sauces have an inherent sweetness to it, part of the ol’ “sugar & ketchup’ part of the ingredients. This ones stomps on those. With two forms of habaneros, give that grilled chicken (what we did) or even some ribs the heat that they deserve, with an amazing finishing taste. Our bottle won’t survive the next cookout!

Linda’s $0.02

Ralph’s Righteous Habanero Sauce: The first time I tried this was in chicken salad and it was yummy. To get more of the flavor of the sauce, I tried it on a chip. After a little dairy to cool me down, I can say that one of the things I love about this sauce is it’s chunkiness and fresh flavor. I just love sauces that have substance, like this one. It makes a nice addition to just about anything.

Red Savina Garlic Sauce: Wow…really nice garlic flavor to compliment the heat. While I think this may be too hot as a topping to eggs, I think it is ideal as an additive to scrambled eggs. This is also an excellent sauce to kick up any Italian dish, where you love to accentuate the garlic. Guaranteed to keep vampires away in more ways than one.

Smokin’ Chipotle Sauce: Right up my alley as a chipotle product, I can tell you that this was my favorite of those we tried. I’m also a big fan of sweet barbeque sauces, so this one really struck my fancy. I’m just sad we finished it so quickly. Though the chipotle flavor is a bit reserved, the heat level is just right even for those who have a more gentle palate. I would serve this to the most discrimating guests and know that I would get a favorable response.

Fiery Hot Habanero Sauce: I just love these barbeque sauces. This particular one is for a more discriminating palate that can handle the heat. Contrary to the chipotle sauce, you really taste the habanero first and foremost, followed by the extraordinary barbeque flavor that fills your mouth. Really awesome stuff!

Don’t just take our word for it! Here are some online reviews of these sauces:

Alien Zombie
Feeling Saucy
Firegirl - Red Savina Garlic

Give these reviewers a shout and ask them to review Mild to Wild’s sauces as well:

www.saucerater.com
www.geocities.com/jgano2/hot_sauce_guide.htm
Carl’s big list of reviews

Want to review Mild To Wild’s products for yourself? Go here and leave your own opinion:

www.rateitall.com/t-1125-hot-sauces.aspx
www.thehotpepper.com/viewforum.php?f=3

Recipe Ideas

We didn’t find or create any unique recipes with these sauces that the average person wouldn’t figure out on their own. Both the Smokin’ Chipotle or Fiery Hot Habanero sauces were best used on the BBQ grill, whether it be on chicken, ribs, fish, or whatever favorite meat you enjoy. The hot sauces are best used on everything. Use liberally. Remember, food can be good even if it’s painful.

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