It can be a rarity indeed when we crank out a review truly quickly, so we allow a little inspiration to take hold of us when we have the chance. Such is the case with this new Honey BBQ sauce from the mad geniuses at Torchbearer Sauces. This is the first new product we’ve tried from Torchbearer in quite a while, but we have always enjoyed their products in the past…so we had no inclination that this sauce would be any different. It’s the first bottle that strays from their non-woozie eight ounce bottle that’s been a standard issue for their stuff, and comes in a huge-mongous sixteen ounce bottle.

Ingredients: tomato paste, water, honey, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, molasses, worcestershire sauce, yellow mustard, chili pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, lemon juice, oregano

Kudos to the gang for sticking to all-natural ingredients. An automatic thumbs-up from us for that!

We’ve seen this story in a couple of other media outlets, but this article on the Fast Food Maven blog sums it up better than any of the other sources. We here at the Hot Zone Online sorta doubt this new hot sauce would hurt a single molecule on the taste buds of most chileheads, but it’s great to think that Del Taco has finally seen the light about making some better hot sauce for their tacos. Read:

Del Taco debuts blazing hot Del Inferno
April 28th, 2008

Today, Southern California’s iconic taco chain, Del Taco, debuts its first new hot sauce in 15 years.

The blazing hot item is dubbed Del Inferno and is three times hotter than any hot sauces served at rival chains, Del Taco said. (Del Taco’s two other offerings are mild sauce and Del Scorcho.)

So, how does Del Taco know Inferno sizzles past its rivals?

The Mexican fast-food chain had Del Inferno tested against its competitors by Certified Laboratories. The New York-based food analysis company tested the competing sauces using the infamous Scoville scale, which measures the hotness or piquancy of a chili pepper.

Del Taco didn’t give the results, or list the names of the rival hot sauces that Del Inferno beat. But rest assured, Del Inferno is one hot mama, according to the chain’s marketing reps.

“There’s no doubt about it, Del Inferno will set your scalp ablaze,” said Mimi Somerman, chief marketing officer at Del Taco.

While we’re generally “on the clock” for the world of hot sauces and spicy food stuff, we took a break this past weekend down to Lexington, KY. You see, once upon a time, Joe was a student at the University of Kentucky. For most of his 5 years there, he was a disc jockey for the campus alternative radio station, known as WRFL-FM. This was a tremendous opportunity for right-brained creative expression for Joe for so long and it has been sorely missed since he graduated in 1994. Well, this year marks the 20th anniversary of the creation of WRFL, of which Joe became a DJ shortly thereafter. In fact, Ashley Judd was a fellow DJ at that station while Joe was there…even if he never really saw her in person.

This whole past week has been a series of events to commemorate the 20th anniversary of WRFL, and it culminated last night with a 12-hour festival entitled the FreeKY festival. It was an amazingly fun time, and it was so nice to see a lot of people that Joe hadn’t seen in several years at least. Lots of fun was had!

Anyhoo, we’ll be back at our usual stuff again tomorrow. Stay tuned!!

Friend of the Hot Zone Online, W.O. Hesperus, showed off its hot sauce-making muscle recently with great results. Check out this article from NECN.com:

Maine hot sauce maker takes top prize

(Marnie MacLean, NECN: Maine) - A hot sauce maker from Maine went home with the top prize at a Louisiana festival. NECN’s Marnie MacLean has the story.

At W.O. Hespers in Portland, Maine, Dan Stevens is the chief cook and bottle washer…literally. Dan started making hot sauces in his kitchen ten years ago…and now, his original recipe has won top honors at the Cajun Hot Sauce Festival in Louisiana.

Stevens: “That award went to Tabasco last year..and their factory is in the neighborhood. It’s nice to beat the big boys now and then.”

And beat them in their own backyard. Dan started making the sauces as an activity to do with his three kids. The hobby turned into a business and now, he has twenty sauces….but it’s the first one he ever made…called Canceaux sauce that got folks in Louisiana talking.

The sauce is named for a British ship that burned Portland back in 1775. Dan tells you, it starts sweet…then you taste the garlic.

Click here to read the rest of the source article

I remembered reading another review of this hot sauce online a couple of months ago and wished that I had had some of my own to try and then…WHAMMO! Todd Ross of Bisummo sends us a request to taste their hot sauce for ourselves. It was as though he was reading our minds. Thanks for using your Jedi mind powers for the forces of good, Todd. Soon thereafter, a couple of bottles of their Ass Murdering Hot Sauce showed up on our doorstep and I wasted very little time in cracking open the bottle and pouring over and in just about everything except breakfast cereal.

There’s a lot of “ass” hot sauces out there these days. You’ve probably seen them. Ass in the Tub. Baboon Ass. Neal’s Hairy Ass. Ass Kickin. Big Daddy’s Ass Burn. Ass Blaster. Flaming Coon Ass. Ass Reaper. Smack My Ass and Call Me Sally. The list goes on and on.

Face it, folks…that’s a lot of ass. Despite the fact that this sauce also highlights the “ass” (it’s a donkey…get it?), this sauce is one of a kind. I am also glad to I can say that that is a good thing. This sauce doesn’t reinvent the wheel with its ingredients, but it has an impressive list of good stuff.

Ingredients: lime juice (lime juice from concentrate, sodium benzoate, lime oil, sodium metabisulfite), jalapeno peppers, serrano peppers, dijon mustard (water, vinegar, mustard seed, salt, white wine, fruit pectin, citric acid, tartaric acid, sugar, spice), garlic, habanero peppers, vinegar, molasses, olive oil, turmeric
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Another great event at the North Market which we’ll be attending. We couldn’t attend last year, so we are so glad to be able to attend this year:

CINCO D’OHIO FESTIVAL CELEBRATES

THE SPICE OF LIFE IN THE BUCKEYE STATE!

Columbus, Ohio- The North Market presents a unique angle to the customary festivities of Cinco de Mayo on Saturday, May 3rd with the Cinco D’Ohio Festival. The traditional Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican militia’s victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. CINCO D’OHIO exalts the exceptional array of culinary commodities available from in-state producers. During the event at the North Market on May 3rd Ohio Proud vendors and their products will be flaunted in an atmosphere with fiesta flair.

Cinco D’Ohio will be the first outdoor festival of the season at the North Market. The farmers’ market will officially open and Ohio Proud vendors will join our farmers in the plaza selling Ohio-made foodstuffs. The Market is known for its festival culinary contests and Cinco D’Ohio will have three: Salsa, Hot Sauce and the Chef Taco Taste-Off! The Amateur Salsa Contest will earn the first place winner $50 in North Market gift certificates and the runner-up $25 in gift certificates. The Amateur Hot Sauce Contest winner will be rewarded with $50 in North Market gift certificates and the runner-up $25 in gift certificates. In the expert category, local Chefs can demonstrate their taco-constructing skills in the Chef Taco Taste-Off. The victorious chef will garner a special trophy and $100 in North Market gift certificates. Robin Davis will be competing in her own Dispatch Kitchen (does she have the home-chef advantage?) along with John Dornback of Basi Italia and Matt Langstaff of Bexley’s Monk.

For the kids there will be all kinds of amusement including face painters, a fun show and piñatas to burst and scramble for prizes!

“We had great fun with the Cinco D’Ohio theme last year,” says North Market Executive Director, David Wible. “Our partnership with Ohio Proud enables us to bring in a great assortment of vendors for the event who all create their products within the state.”

Cinco D’Ohio Festival Schedule:

8 a.m. North Market opens, Ohio Proud vendors open on farmers’ market plaza
9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Cooking demonstrations in the Dispatch Kitchen (dubbed CaJohns Kitchen for the day) by John Hard of CaJohns Flavor & Fire
9:00 Culinary demonstration
9:45 Lori Panda of Ohio Proud and Martha Franzel, chile pepper grower
10:30 Salsa contest
11:15 Chef Taco Taste-off
12:00 Hot Sauce contest
12:45 Culinary demonstration
1:15 Culinary demonstration
2:30 Culinary demonstration
10 a.m. – 1 p.m., music by Willie Phoenix
11 a.m. – 1 p.m., Columbus Dog Connection showcases adoptable dogs
1 p.m., kids can take a swing at the piñata full of goodies!
1 – 4 p.m., Mark Wood fun show, cowboy and magic tricks
11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Fantasy Faces face painting for the kids
1 – 4 p.m., live music by Jorge Polo and the Gadabouts

Cinco D’Ohio vendors will include: Anderson Orchard, Buckeye Mustard, Champaign Springs, Chief Cooker Coffee Roasters, Combs Fresh Herbs, Cynthia’s Wing Tongs, Dolce Pizzelles, Gypsy Bees, Heartland Herbs, Little Dipper Company, Louisiana Grill, Make it Like a Chef, Misty Mountain Estate, Montezuma Brand, Ohio Proud, Rhoads Farm, Sauce Cartel, Schmitz Gardens, Shearer’s Potato Chips, Somerset Herbs, Sparky & Spike’s, Steven’s Bakery & Orchard, Summer Thyme Farm, Sweet Louise Sauces, Toby Run Growers, Toad Hill Organic Farm, Urban Chefs, and Wishwell Farms Produce.

The North Market Cinco D’Ohio Festival on Saturday, May 3 is a free event. Festival activities will take place from 9a.m.-5p.m. Market hours are 8a.m. – 5 p.m. To participate in any of the contests and for more information, please call (614) 463-9664 or visit www.northmarket.com.

In operation since 1876, the North Market is Columbus’ only true public market. More than 30 merchants offer a wide variety of fresh produce, meat, poultry, seafood, flowers and other specialty food items. The Market also provides an international selection of freshly prepared foods, distinctive gifts and personable service from owner/operators. The North Market is open daily and located steps away from the Columbus Convention Center and Nationwide Arena.

Could this BBQ be the next good spicy BBQ sauce to make a big splash in the market? A Carolina hit that’s having a bit of success, check out this article from the Rocky Mountain Telegram:

Sauce comes out on top
By Staff Reports
Rocky Mount Telegram

Monday, April 21, 2008

George’s Original BBQ Sauce came out on top in the May 2008 issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine, a popular cooking and lifestyle magazine by syndicated TV host Rachael Ray.

Chosen “Best in the Carolinas”, the magazine stated that “This Eastern North Carolina sauce packs a vinegary punch at first, but George’s Original eases the kick with apples and sugar for ‘a perfect balance of sweet, sour and spicy.’”

Beth Chappell, owner of George’s Barbeque Sauces, said she received a request from the magazine for samples of George’s Sauces in the fall of 2007. In November they found out that their Original sauce was in the final stages of a tasting competition. And surely enough, in late March, they found out the results. “Our sauce came out on top! And needless to say we are thrilled that Rachael Ray’s magazine found our sauce to be what all of our customers already knew … … ..that George’s is the best!”

George’s Barbeque Sauces, known for its three zesty and tangy barbeque sauces that suit every taste, has been producing the perfect accompaniment for all meats, seafood and poultry, under the ownership of Beth Chappell. George’s Original Sauce that has a spicy vinegar base, the Hot Sauce that is also vinegar based but with a hot pepper kick, and their Special Sauce, a zingy tomato based sauce, make up the three barbecue sauces so popular with cooks and grill masters in the southeast.

Click here to read the rest of the source article

Cool article from a recent latimes.com edition featuring Steve Sando of Rancho Gordo. Rancho Gordo is out of Napa, California and sells a variety of legumes and chile peppers that they grow there, plus a number of delectable-looking sauces, chile powders, and other stuff as well. Steve sounds like a guy we would enjoy hanging out with, so check this out:

latimes.com Daily Dish blog

My Rancho Gordo care package

Some weeks ago, during the course of writing a cooking story on beans and greens, I had the happy privilege of a few telephone conversations with Rancho Gordo founder Steve Sando. Rancho Gordo is the Napa company that markets a terrific assortment of dried heirloom beans, which Sando sources himself during treks through the Americas. (The humble bean has gone chic: Rancho Gordo was #2 in this year’s Saveur Magazine 100; the company’s biggest customer is the California headquarters of Google.) Sando — empassioned, funny, articulate — told me about his clay pot experiments; his firm belief that really good beans don’t need anything more than water and mirepoix to bring out their true flavors (i.e. no ham hocks, no stock); and that he’s been busy translating his hills of beans into a book, due out in September.

Sando was also the inspiration for the Christmas lima bean taco recipe that I’ve been making obsessively since. Finally, I got online and ordered packages of Good Mother Stallard, Goat’s Eye and Black Calypso beans; a bottle of pure Mexican vanilla extract; and Rancho Gordo’s Gay Caballero very hot sauce.

Click here to read the rest of the source article

Our original plan was to let Linda do the whole review on the Ellie’s Lip Smackin’ Sauce because of how much she liked it after trying it for the first time, but it really turned into quite an interesting taste experience for both of us. Here’s our stories:

Linda: The minute I got a whiff of this sauce, I knew it would be good. I could tell it would be savory, but the exact tastes weren’t clear until I tried it. It has a kind of soy sauce flavor to it initially, but with a more balanced blend of spices added in and an interesting texture (almost like tomato juice). Yes, it was a bit salty and that hit me right away, but I immediately saw potential for this sauce. Before I get to my big discovery on what I think is the best way to use this sauce, I must point out that if you’re going to do anything with this sauce, do NOT immediately season anything. We cooked some chicken with a spice blend first, added this at the end and it was just too much. This sauce stands very nicely on it’s own and would make a good quick marinade. What I like to do with it most of all is mix it with another one of my favorites…maple syrup (100% maple syrup mixed 1-1). It is the ULTIMATE combination. The sweetness of the syrup tones down the saltiness and the blend of flavors just marries and creates something you will never forget. It would be great as a grilling sauce, but I have to say that stir fry with it is amazing. Great on baked pork chops as well. I imagine that the combo on a ham steak would be nothing short of wonderful, since ham and maple syrup have a steamy relationship to begin with. I would definitely recommend this product.

Ingredients: red cayenne peppers, vinegar, water, wheat, soybeans, sodium benzoate as preservative, wine, high fructose corn syrup, butter, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and spices
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We seldom get our own time to escape the immediate world of parenthood to vacation…perhaps once a year at most. When we do, it’s great to get away to a place like Las Vegas so that we can pack maximum fun stuff into a short period of time. As a follow-up trip to considering a timeshare deal (you’ve probably seen it on late-night TV), we went back for some free accomodations off the Las Vegas strip. Great that it was free, but it’s not like we were staying in a deluxe resort or anything. Kinda like a Vegas version of a Ramada Inn, really. Being off the strip also ups your cost of getting around, especially if you don’t rent a car. Above you can see the daytime view out our balcony window. Pretty decent scenery we must admit, which was made even better by the fact it hadn’t gotten overly hot there in the desert yet this year.

One of the great finds we had there was at the new Planet Hollywood casino, where there are the Miracle Mile Shops (essentially a mall) attached to the casino where they have their theater, stores, and restaurants located. We spent a fair amount of time in the Miracle Mile, and here you see Linda enjoying a yard of margaritas, courtesy of La Salsa Cantina. Melon-flavored and delectable, even this tall monster didn’t last long after an afternoon of shopping and walking around.
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