Flaming Joe’s Caribbean Style Jerk Sauce

Hey everyone! Devil Duck, here. After an extended absence, I’m back and will be getting some very overdue reviews done. Here’s my first one in a long string to come your way.

Flaming Joe’s Caribbean Style Jerk Sauce (Original Formula, 13.675 ounces)

Ingredients: Key Lime Juice, Soybean oil, Soy Sauce, Green Onion, Worcestershire Sauce (ingredients et al), Ginger, Habanero Pepper, Garlic, Cilantro, Chili Powder, Spices, Xanthan Gum, Guar Gum, Sodium Alginate.

As you can see, this stuff is thick and has a lot of texture. The infamous “Spoon Test” gave my mouth a lot to process right off the bat. “Wow! Now this is a good Jerk Sauce!!” was the first thing that went through my head. At the same time, I thought that there was something missing, but I couldn’t pinpoint it. More on that later. The slightly grainy textures played all over my tongue, and there is some decent Habanero heat right up front, but not anything too overbearing. All of the other spices and ingredients are perfectly balanced, except for the Key Lime juice. Even though it’s the first ingredient, it really doesn’t stand out except for a little acidic sting.
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My travels took me to Key West in early August and I had the pleasure of visiting a great Hot Sauce Store called Peppers of Key West. I wish there were more stores like this everywhere. Literally, thousands of sauces lined the walls as well as countertops and you could try them all. Pete Legrady, one of the owners let me try several of is signature sauces, one of which is “Key West Conch Cruiser Asian Marinade”.

This is not a hot sauce but rather a great marinade. I’ll tell you right off the bat, I like this product.

Ingredients: Vinegar, Low sodium Soy (water, wheat, soy beans, salt,lactic acid, sodium benzoate) Light Brown Sugar, Garlic, Sesame Oil, Paprika, Ginger, Cayenne

The label states “Great with fish, steak, chicken, lobster, shrimp, veggies, just about anything” I couldn’t agree more.

The label is very Caribbean and reeks of laid back Key West. Not sure why the name came to be and the label gives no hint of what to expect inside the bottle, except for the “Asian” in the name. The label fits the island theme and I had a fair idea what to expect from the name. All in All, plain but original.

Color and consistency: The color is a rich coffee color on the spoon and a rich brown color when marinated on the chicken. The sauce is thick with bits of fresh garlic suspended. The viscosity is just right and it stuck to my chicken tenders just like it stuck to the spoon.

Aroma: First impression is a great garlic smell with ginger and sesame tagging along to make a bold “Asian” aroma. My mouth started to water after pouring this sauce on chicken to marinate. My second impression of smell reminded me of a robust teriyaki sauce.

Heat: Since this is not a hot sauce, I did not expect to get any heat, even though the ingredient list includes cayenne. Much to my surprise, after trying a spoon full, was immediate heat on the front of my mouth. Not hot, but just a mild burn that stayed with me for a couple minutes. I will tell you that there was no sign of heat after sampling the finished chicken.

Flavor: This is of course where the rubber meets the road in any sauce and this product rocks. The flavors are intense, almost amplified. The garlic, ginger and sesame blend together to make a bold, rich, sweet tang and then you catch a hint of soy. I almost get a hint of coffee and peanuts in this sauce even though they are not present. I actually could just eat this sauce straight out of the bottle and still use it as a dipping sauce. I should have marinated the chicken longer and should have basted the chicken with it while grilling. We ended up pouring more sauce all over the chicken when it was plated. Great, great stuff!

Overall: Key West Conch Cruiser Asian Marinade should be a staple in everyone’s fridge. It is far superior to any other Teriyaki type marinades that are commercially available.

If you ever get to southern Florida, I highly recommend visiting Peppers of Key West and picking up this sauce. They are located at 602 Greene Street, Key West, FL, 33040. You can also order on the web at www.peppersofkeywest.com or by calling 800-KW-SAUCE.

It’s easy enough to feel a little provincial about all the hot sauce reviews we do here in North America, but the fact is that hot sauce lovers are critiquing sauces all over the world. Wanna see something entertaining? Check out Neil from the Hippy Seed Co. and his video reviews of various hot sauces:

The Spoon of Dooom

Aussie Aussie Aussie!! Oy Oy Oy!!

Press release from the fine folks at Intensity Academy:

Bay Area Company wins BIG at two recent national awards competitions!

Intensity Academy has been awarded the Golden Chile Award for Teriyaki in the 2009 Fiery Food Challenge for Chai Thai Teriyaki! Best New Gourmet Product in the Industry was also awarded to this new company along with a slew of awards at the America’s Best Food Show 2008.

Tampa, Florida September 21st

On September 5, 2008, the most prestigious awards in the spicy food industry were distributed at a gala banquet in Fort Worth, Texas, and Michele Northrup of Intensity Academy came out on top! Three products of hers took home awards. Chai Thai Teriyaki won the esteemed Golden Chile while Chai Chipotle Cocktail Sauce and Chai Chipotle Chup both won 3rd place in their categories.

The Fiery Food Challenge, a competition sponsored by Chile Pepper magazine, pits products against one another in more than 80 categories. Professional judges evaluate hundreds of sauces and other spicy treats awarding first, second and third prizes in each category. Awards are proudly displayed at ZestFest, a spicy food event held the same week as the Fiery Food Challenge, at the Will Rogers Center in Fort Worth. For more information on the Fiery Food Challenge and ZestFest, visit www.chilepepper.com or contact Editor in Chief Gretchen VanEsselstyn at editor@chilepepper.com or 212-262-2247×325

On August 15-17, 2008 at the Hilton Anaheim Hotel. Intensity Academy won the prestigious “Best New Gourmet Product in the Industry” and 1st Place All Natural Condiment for Chai Chipotle Chup’ an Organic Chai Tea Infused Spicy Ketchup. Several other products in Michele’s line won at this show as well. The full list of her winners from this show is:

Best New Gourmet Product 1st Place Chai Chipotle Chup’

All Natural Condiment 1st Place Chai Chipotle Chup’

Hot Sauce General 1st Place Chai Chipotle Hot Sauce

Hot Sauce-Mild 2nd Place Carrot Karma won,

Hot Sauce chile specific 2nd Hot 3 (hot cubed)

The goal of America’s Best™ Professional Food Competition is to identify superior gourmet products and provide award winners invaluable recognition within the competitive food business. America’s Best™ Professional Food Competition trophies are the benchmark by which other awards may be measured. http://www.abfevents.com/mission.php . For Show Details and Information email: Mary@abfevents.com or call 949-366-8379.

Intensity Academy has been in business just over a year and has taken on the gourmet food industry by storm. Winning a record 14 NATIONAL AWARDS! These sauces have sparked the interest and created a “drool factor” to the masses across the nation! They are the first company to use Organic Teas as infusions in their sauces!

Michele Northrup, founder and local culinary artisan, said “I feel like I am on a roller coaster ride, I’m just holding on and seeing where the ride will take me next!” Recently featured in Southern Living magazine, Intensity Academy is a local feel good success story.

Go to our website: www.intensityacademy.com for more information on our award-winning products. You may also contact us at: MicheleNorthrup@nextel.blackberry.net or IntensityAcademy@verizon.net or call at 813-299-3600 for more information.

Never at a shortage of words, or of pain for those willing to dare a few molecules of the Zero sauce…the DEFCON Creator himself (a.k.a. John Dilley) has graced us with his sage observations of the goings on from this past show. Read it aloud for even more enjoyment! Here it is:

Incoming transmission…….

It was 4am, Thursday, September 4th. Dawn had not yet broken the horizon in the dark lands called New Jersey. The Defcon Crew geared up for their next excursion into the unknown. It would be the first time Defcon made camp in Dallas for the battle of Zest Fest. Who knew what to expect, but what was known was there would be good times had by all. The Defcon Creator had done reconnaissance for the last two years, so he knew what to expect, well, sort of. Be that as it may, the Defcon Crew headed to the airport under cover of darkness and Gustav, and boarded their clandestine aircraft.

They landed shortly after to a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the temperature not too hot. They thought to themselves, “Could this be an omen of things to come?”. They picked up their Urban Assault Vehicle, cleverly disguised as an Impala, from Hertz, broke out their maps, and headed to the Will Rogers Institute. With virtually no wrong turns, virtually, the Defcon Crew arrived at the site where battle would commence within 24 hours. They made their way to find a few of the Old Guard, setting up their battlements as well. Field Marshal Jim Campbell and Cajohn were quickly met, and many niceties were exchanged. Battle tactics were briefly discussed, and plans to meet up after the setting up to partake in good food and many beers were made.

Cajohn, Sue and the Defcon Crew stood patiently in wait, as their battlement material had not yet arrived. We strolled around the future field of battle, and met with other generals, like Tom, Michelle and Dennis from Intensity Academy. They were quick to set up their 10X10 fortification, and clever one-liners were tossed back and forth, bringing an aire of levity to the area. Others were soon to arrive, like Greg and Sarah from Bodines, Big Dawg and Candy, Sam and Tina from Zane and Zack’s, Tony Legner, and of course, the Danny Cash Crew. Good conversation abounded, but it was then, with the sounds of a mighty forklift, the Defcon battlements arrived.

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Purchased this next one from the good ol’ folks at Torchbearer Sauces. I always enjoy an excellent dessert sauce and was specifically looking for that when I went to their booth at the Weekend of Fire in August. After trying a sample, I knew this was the one I’ve been looking for.

Torchbearer Sauce Sugar Fire Ingredients: Papaya, mango, mandarin oranges, Habanero peppers, sugar, and other all-natural spices.

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Starting off my series of reviews from the products I received at this years Weekend of Fire is from Cape Fear Pepper Company. Tracy Campbell’s wife makes this delicious product and has had many people clamoring to try to pry the recipe away from her…the stuff is just that good!

Buccaneer Bites Ingredients: Peanuts, sugar, butter, chocolate (sugar, corn starch, partially hydrogenated palm kernel oil, corn syrup solids, nonfat dry milk, milk powder, cocoa, soya lecithin, artificial and natural flavors), crisp rice, spices, salt.

According to Tracy, these usually come in bars but the heat attacked it and melded them together while we were at the show. What’s contained in the jar, melted or not, still looks like tasty little treats to me! So out comes the knife to pry a chunk off. The first thing to hit is the smooth and sweet taste of chocolate and next come the peanuts. Now, I’m not a big fan of either but it is in just the right combo here. A slight sweetness that lasts all the way to the end along with a peanut taste that comes and goes.

The crisp rice makes it nice and…well…crispy. There is a tiny amount of heat, and I do mean tiny. Even after eating half the bottle (boy am I going to be hyper) I still didn’t get a burn going. Now, if I had to guess at what pepper they used (and I do, this is a review after all), I would say Habanero. I know it sounds crazy, but hear me out.

I wanted to say Cayenne at first just because it’s so generic. But after thinking long and hard on it, I decided to go with Habanero. They must have used the slightest sprinkle of dried Habanero powder to get it to be so mild. But some signs are there of that pepper. There’s a back of the throat burn and the slight build of heat. Both of these (especially the location of the burn) scream Habanero.

I want to say more about this product, but it’s so straight forward and simple, I really can’t say anything more than I have. It’s just a fantastic snack, bit too sweet and mild, but a pepper product none the less. Excellent job Mrs. Campbell!

Taste: 8.5, Heat: 0.14

So nice to see that American hot sauce is starting to have an audience over with our English brethren, but we’re pretty darn sure that the Pain is Good sauces are NOT the hottest sauces compared to others in Great Britain. We know of a few others that are hotter, but not in as high-production mode as Original Juan can do for the Pain is Good sauces. That said, it’s good that they have something to put some sweat on those stiff upper lips! Check out this article from the Darlington and Stockton Times:

Hot sauce leaves clients hungry for more

NICOLE Race has set up a new food business which is proving a hot favourite with chilli fans.

The sauce she imports from American company Pain Is Good is claimed to be hotter than anything produced in the UK.

Mrs Race, who set up her New Tastes business less than a year ago, said customers had particularly blazed a trail for the hot garlic sauce.

“It is really hot so you only need the tiniest drop,” she said. “Serious chilli fans know about Scoville ratings and this sauce is rated at 2,500 to 3,500 units.

“I have wanted to bring it to the UK for quite a while and it is definitely appealing to people who like a challenge.”

Mrs Race, 33, lives in Darlington and spent two years planning her business and scouring the world for original companies selling innovative and unusual foods.

New Tastes can be contacted on 07976-639995 and at www.newtastes.co.uk.

Click here to read the rest of the source article from the Darlington and Stockton Times

A little bit ago I visited Kevin Malon’s field of peppers at Rock’s Farm and Garden (located at 10935 Route 306, Kirkland, Ohio 44026, did you know the 90 East has an exit for Route 306? I sure as heck didn’t). I promised to have an update for when his Open Fields would be and well, here it is.

Starting this Saturday and Sunday (and continuing until some time around November) from 10AM to 5PM you can stop by and pick as much peppers as your refrigerator (or dehydrator) can hold. At $3 a pound (for most types) it’s practically a steal! Kevin (and helper Matthew Barris) will also have Bhut Jolokias for sale, but you have to ask for them…they are in very high demand this year. Be sure to ask to see his 13 year old Tepin plant, it’s an amazing sight to behold.

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There’s been a dearth of posts by us of late…but with good reason. Essentially, our entire household has been ill. Joe had resisted this until recently, but he finally succumbed to whatever’s been afflicting everyone else in the house for a few weeks. Between a 102+ degree fever and the utter malaise that goes along with it, our writing will probably be on the shelf for a couple of days until we (especially Joe) recuperates a bit.

Stay tuned!

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