After yet another exciting year of blogging, it’s time as we begin a new year to reflect upon the accomplishments of the year now passed. Here is what we did during 2008:

- Lots and lots of reviews, as usual. We reviewed:

38 hot sauces
8 spicy snacks
6 spicy BBQ sauces
14 salsas
8 condiments
4 misc sauces
3 spicy drink mixes
2 jellies & jams
2 wing sauces
2 jerk sauces
2 spicy sweets & candies
1 spice mix

- Featured a collaboration of reviews with our sister blog, Taste the Fear, during the month of July for the All American Hot Sauce Co.

- Our annual Autism charity event, Raising the HEAT for Autism, concluded with us raising over $3600 to benefit Autism awareness and advocacy through Autism Speaks. We hope to embark upon a new project sometime in 2009.

- Posted 9 new recipes of hot and spicy dishes definitely worth trying

- Posted reviews on 8 new Homemade hot sauce or other spicy products, generously donated for review by their creators. This idea keeps plugging along with excellent results.

- Added 2 new Featured Product articles to our list, one from the Sauce Cartel and the other from KP’s Specialty Products. This number is way down from the previous year, so we hope to do more in 2009.

- Add, and lost, new writers from our list. We truly appreciate the contributions of those who have given of their time and effort to contribute their take on our shared passions

- We, or some of our writers, attended all the major industry shows…including the 2nd incarnation of the Jungle Jim’s Weekend of Fire show here in Ohio.

2009 will be a big year for us here at the HZOB. Stay tuned for more and thanks for your continued interest in this ever-expanding area of the blogging world!!

This one comes from our buddy, Chuck Evans of Montezuma Brand. He gave me a bottle of his Spicy Red Everyday Pepper Sauce for review when I talked with him at the Weekend of Fire. Chuck mentioned that he wanted to create a sauce that you can use everyday like Tabasco. Nothing extravagant, just plain good. The time has come for it’s review.

Montezuma Spicy Red Everyday Pepper Sauce Ingredients: Ripened Jalapeno, Serrano, or Cayenne Red Chiles, vinegar, garlic, spices, & salt.

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Great article about the globalization of chile peppers and spicy food, courtesy of a cool article from Indianexpress.com:

Global warming
Posted: Dec 27, 2008 at 0052 hrs IST

Tasteless, colourless, odourless and painful, pure capsaicin is a curious substance. It does no lasting damage, but the body’s natural response to even a modest dose (such as that found in a chili pepper) is self-defence: sweat pours, the pulse quickens, the tongue flinches, tears may roll. But then something else kicks in: pain relief. The bloodstream floods with endorphins-the closest thing to morphine that the body produces. The result is a high. And the more capsaicin you ingest, the bigger and better it gets.

Which is why the diet in the rich world is heating up. Hot chilies, once the preserve of aficionados with exotic tastes for cuisine from places such as India, Thailand or Mexico, are now a staple ingredient in everything from ready meals to cocktails.

One reason is that globalisation has raised the rich world’s tolerance to capsaicin. What may seem unbearably hot to those reared on the bland diets of Europe or the Anglosphere half a century ago is just a pleasantly spicy dish to their children and grandchildren, whose student years were spent scoffing cheap curries or nacho chips with salsa. Recipes in the past used to call for a cautious pinch of cayenne pepper. For today’s guzzlers, even standard-strength Tabasco sauce, the world’s best-selling chili-based condiment, may be too mild. The Louisiana-based firm now produces an extra-hot version, based on habanero peppers, the fieriest of the commonly-consumed chilies.

Click here to read the rest of the source article

4 cups grilled boneless skinless chicken breast diced into 1/4 ” cubes

1/2 C Defcon Defense Condition 2 All Purpose wing sauce 

1/2 C mayonaise

1/4 C finely diced shallots

1/4 C finely diced onion

blue cheese crumbles

dark rye bread

lettuce

Season and grill chicken breast approx 4lbs (raw weight) boneless skinless chicken breasts.  You could also use left over turkey from your holiday celebrations.   Chop into 1/4″ cubes.  In a large bowl combine chicken, Defcon sauce (you could substitute Condition 1 or 3, or even MKII if you are feeling a little less than sane, but I prefer the condition 2 as everyone can eat it), mayo, shalots and onions.  Cover and let mellow in the fridge for an hour or so.  Spoon mixture onto bread add blue cheese crumbles, and lettuce.  Assemble sandwich, slice it if you like and enjoy!

This is a very versatile chicken salad.  It is perfect for making hors d’ouvres.   My wife doesn’t like things very spicy and doesn’t care for blue cheese.  She will eat this sans cheese crumbles, with swiss or cheddar, on crackers, atop a green salad (she just adds olive oil, I of course use blue cheese dressing), or straight up spooning it out of the bowl . 

As you can see winter is upon us.  You may notice I’ve made this a few times by the different pictures.   Sorry about the pic with the 1/4 C measure of sauce.  It takes 1/2 C of Defcon.   I couldn’t remember from last time.  When I tasted it I knew I had to double up.  Defcons 8 oz bottles hold a little more than 8 oz, so you can get two batches + a little extra per bottle.

Please enjoy this simple yet delicious recipe.  

I would be very proud if this were to be included in the Defcon recipe book! 

I hope to find more time to blog in the near future.

Sam 

Finally, there’s a pizza place that makes their pizza spicy enough for the chileheads who read this blog!! This article appeared recently in the online edition of the Los Angeles Times:

Lucifers Pizza: Some like it hot

By Jessica Gelt
December 22, 2008

Something wicked this way comes. Fortunately, the rough beast slouching toward Los Feliz doesn’t signal the end of times. It’s just Lucifers Pizza, a devilish spicy-pizza restaurant opened by a 27-year-old Kiwi named Adam Borich.

Located on Hillhurst’s Drakkar Noir-scented restaurant row, Lucifers cops the kind of Dark Lord-in-a-smoking-jacket vibe that many Santa Monica-based Goth clubs only dream about.

The space is small, with pitch-black walls and a long tongue of clotted-blood-colored carpet leading from the door to the counter. A wrought-iron chandelier flecked with electric candles glitters on high, illuminating a glowing-red soda fridge, a smattering of small black tables and a sprawling maroon-cushioned window seat.

A sheet of chain mail, hanging behind the counter, offers a glimpse of a kitchen lighted by a hellish fluorescent glare. There, Beelzelbub’s servants labor, kneading dough, spreading sauce, applying toppings and measuring out chili flakes.

This last bit of work is what separates Lucifers from other, mild-mannered pizza joints. Borich, 27, has an unnatural obsession with spice.

When you order a pizza at Lucifers, you have the option of making it “zero,” “medium,” “fiery” or “blazing.” The last option consists of the restaurant’s signature “ringburner” hot sauce and whole red chili peppers.

Click here to read the rest of the source article

This was one of the pile of Sweet Sunshine sauces gifted to us by Ed Federovich at this past Jungle Jim’s Weekend of Fire show in August 2008. Before and after that show, the Sweet Sunshine sauces have won nearly every conceivable industry award for their products during the past couple of years. Passow did his usual fabulous job of reviewing this sauce during his mega-review of them last year, but we wanted to deal with them just one at a time. If these sauces really are that good, we wanted to not dilute one sauce’s review with another of the same brand. This is Ed’s description of this sauce from the Sweet Sunshine website:

I import real crushed Red Savina Habanero mash and blend it into the “Warm” sauce. The resulting mix is the only hot sauce ever to earn a “Perfect 10” on the hotsauceblog.com. Our motto of “Flavor before Fire” is proven in every drop. The “fruity quality” of the habanero peppers and the slow burn (“wicked, direct and clean”) will make you a believer.

First impression: This sauce came in a unique-shaped five-ounce woosie that has now given way to a large 8+ ouncer filled with hot sauce goodness. This bottle also features the older, way-too-busy label graphics version, but you can see the helpful heat-o-meter that is a really good assessment of heat for these sauces. The newest version of these sauces have a new label design that is simpler, much easier on the eyes, and more professional-looking.

Ingredients: water, sugar, vinegar, tomatoes, red savina habanero peppers, corn syrup solids, salt, ancho peppers, mustard seed, molasses, cayenne pepper, habanero pepper, onion, spices, natural flavor, citric acid, xanthan gum

Taste: My first thought upon trying this sauce was trying to be fair to it, since it seems rather unlike many sauces that are traditionally thought of as “hot sauces.” It’s a little bit sweet, much like a high-caliber sweet & sour sauce. However, this is a sweet sorta sauce on steroids. While you can’t escape from initial molasses-rich sweetness, there follows a strong hit of red savina habanero which is delightful. Not overwhelmingly hot by any stretch, it does carry some medium heat…perhaps about 6/10 or so on our personal heat scale. The real treat to this sauce is its balance. At this heat level, the sweet and heat are damn near perfect for our tastes.

Pairing this sauce with foods was easier than expected, although our reviews were mixed for some ideas. It didn’t blend as well into foods, like our traditional mixing into chili and stews. However, it excelled poured over so many other meal options. Rice dishes, meats, sandwiches, seafood…you name it, this sauce added an wonderful element of heat and flavor to the meal.

Overall recommendation: We haven’t tried the Atomic sauce yet (which we think will be even better,) but it’s going to be nearly impossible for us to NOT have this in one of our recent favorite sauces that we can recommend. For a product that prides itself on a balance of flavor and heat, this hot sauce really gets it right. It may not be perfect, but it’s as close to a perfect marriage of tastes as you could ask for in a hot sauce. Far more utility than initially expected, you may find this goes well with…darn near everything. The only thing we didn’t like about this sauce was that it didn’t come in a one-gallon container so we did not use it up so quickly once the bottle was opened. While hot sauce purists out there might not see this as a true hot sauce, we give it a hearty thumbs up and highest recommendation to try this sauce, and we’re looking forward to trying the other varieties as well. Enjoy!

Ah yes, Intensity Academy. This review has been a long time coming…ok, it’s been 4 months, but you get the point. It’s always a refreshing change to see a company using organic products and coming out with a quality, reasonably priced, and extremely tasty product!

Chai Thai Teriyaki Ingredients: Water, sugar, natural Tamari soy sauce, honey, organic Chai tea, Thai peppers, garlic, ginger, salt, toasted sesame oil, corn starch, sesame seeds, citric acid and natural spices.

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Hey Guys, Long time no post. 

This is a favor for my buddy, Al Goldenberg AKA Buddah.  Please check out his auctions.  He is a super cool guy, chilehead extraordinaire, and reviewer for Taste the Fear. He has also been honored by CaJohn with a Buddah Collectable. If you don’t know him yet, you had better ask someone.  He is a good person to know. 

Happy Holidays! 

Sam

Dear JelliPals,

Today it is with all my chutzpah and schtickiness that I have the pleasure of announcing the most amazing preserve EVER…

Buddah’s 2008 Hanukkah Preserves! It has been two months in the making…the glass I used is from the popular Ball® Collection Elite® Platinum Jars and Lids which to me are the best in home canning. In trying to design this special collectible piece, I wanted to elicit help from some of my Jellipals in creating this very unique piece inside and out. Each bottle is very special, and atop each jar I used a blue and white wax seal and finished it off with a golden Happy Buddha statuette. In the spirit of Feng Shui each Buddha represents something special for Safe Travel, Prosperity, Love, Spiritual Journey, a Happy Home, and Long Life. There are only 6 jars with 6 different Buddhas, so each piece is as unique as a collectible can get.

Yet, I did not stop there. Inside this amazing jar is what is even more unbelievable. Through my online research, a recipe procurred from my dear friend Sandi, and the tutelage and guidance from the ever-capable CaJohn of CaJohn Fiery Foods my preserves came to fruitition. I have created a Cherry Jalapeno Preserve that I hope not only will be unique, but a delicious taste experience. Even though I was born Jewish, do not think that these preserves are kosher in anyway other than the fact that I made them. The darkest of purple jelly-like contents is almost black to the naked eye which gives the jar a great appearamce that will look fantastic on any collector’s shelf. The label was an artistic creation from the one and only Gatorman, and I am so proud to have it on my jars.

This one time collection will be sold on Ebay starting at sunset(6pm est) on December 21st on the first night of Hanukkah and will be concluded at sunset December 28th. 6 Auctions in all. I will let my Jellipals determine the value in these tough economic times as each auction will be set at 1 penny to start. Shipping will be sent via USPS with insurance at a cost of $10. Every collectible will come with an 8 oz sampler, so you can feel the love on your bagels, blintzes, and kasha varnishkes.

I have included pics of all 6 jars. Links will be posted when the auctions go live on Sunday 6pm est/3pm pst.

Enjoy it and FEEL KOSHER!
-Buddah
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Our next reviews come to you courtesy of John & Elaine Farnsworth of the Tiger Teeth Pepper Company from Biddeford, ME. They make a couple of wonderful, homemade sauces that are deserving of your attention. John’s lovely wife is from British Guyana and these recipes are part of her heritage. The sauces are:

Fiery Habanero: fresh habanero peppers, vinegar, and salt

Caribbean Chutney: green mango, garlic, olive oil, mixed masala, mustard oil, habanero peppers, and salt

We asked John to say a little about his products and what he’s doing to try and get them more notice:
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This jar has languished at the back of our “stuff to try” shelf for way too long, so I have been looking for an excuse to open this and use it for several weeks now. The fact is, that I have my motives.

I really love good horseradish. In fact, I’ve been trying to build some tolerance to its nose hair-dissolving effects for many years. I have tried chewing on raw horseradish, eaten strong Wasabi peas, explored just about every store-bought horseradish available, and tortured my palate by downing those Wasabi mustard pellets that come with either sushi or ahi tuna appetizers.

The truth is that no matter how much I’ve ever eaten, the stuff still tears me up if I eat enough of it in one sitting. Adding habanero peppers to the taste profile merely completes the evolution of a product that can heat you up with both esters (horseradish) and alkaloids (capsaicin).

This review is also coming at a time in which the Habby Horse has been steamrolling its competition with awards, having been honored with a slough of awards over the past year. Here’s the product description from the DEFCON Sauces website:

A new version of horseradish that allows you to enjoy not only the horseradish heat but a habanero pepper taste and heat.

In it’s first year of life, the Horse has received a 3rd place finish in the Fiery-Food Challenge. With it’s horseradish front side and then the KICK of the habanero at the end, you can enjoy it all.

First impression: Same no-nonsense labels as the other products we’ve reviewed. Don’t gloss over the lack of label art…this product really is meant to be used and not just be decorative on the shelf. The aroma is…how shall I put this…attention-getting to say the least. I can’t really say it’s an alluring scent, perhaps more like a sucker-punch to your olfactory senses. Much more horseradish than habanero, this sauce is a bit darker than the original version I tasted a few months ago at the Jungle Jim’s show.

Ingredients: horseradish, water, vinegar, habanero pepper, salt, and natural spices

Taste: Seems as though I can use the words “attention-getting” quite a bit in this review. This sauce has some serious bite! I can’t give it a heat scale rating like I normally do, as it just assaults the palate pretty hard with a combination of different types of heat. Did I say heat? Yep, this sauce has got serious attitude. Straight up, I thought it needed a touch more salt…but I solved that issue with a few food choices that really complemented its taste.

First choice was tuna salad. I mixed a tablespoon or two into a pint of tuna salad destined for my salad and has a lunch fit for a chilehead king as I gasped and guffawed my way through each bite. It didn’t hurt me too much initially, but each bite had quite the cumulative effect. Next stop was a homemade horseradish sauce that I crafted with 2 teaspoons of Habby Horse, a little Dijon mustard, equal parts mayo and sour cream, and some chopped green onions. A creamy-yet-deliciously-spicy sauce used on pork, beef, or chicken dishes. Lastly, I fell victim to the call of my heritage and slathered some gefilte fish pieces with some. If you’ve not heard of gefilte fish, read a little about it and you’ll realize that it’s sorely in need of being paired with a product like this. I can also imagine this going well as mixed into some deviled egg yolks as well.

Overall impression: While not a star just scooped out of the jar and consumed, this sauce will delight horseradish lovers who just can’t hurt their palate enough with the hottest of horseradish products. Habanero is a great addition to this sauce, and there are quite a few recipes that benefit from this unique yet tasty compilation. Make some tasty dishes and clear your sinuses out all at the same time. Gefilte fish will never be the same again for me. Try some for yourself and see. Enjoy!

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