What is interesting about the old school sauces is that they are essentially a standard from which all other sauce makers can be compared. They have a basic recipe that has stood the test of time, they are well known and they make some serious money. By September 2008, (I don’t know the final figures) Tabasco was online to have final sales numbers in excess of $200 million. That’s a far cry from what I sold last year.

What is an interesting stumbling block for the new producer of interesting new hot sauce, is the wholesale market. If the producer can’t produce a product for less than $30 per case of 12, if they don’t own at least one Golden Chile and/or one Scovie award, nobody is going to touch it. Oddly enough, not even the hot sauce retailers, whose customers are clamouring for great tasting hot sauces will touch it.

Then of course, you add to that a touch of economic disaster and it’s no small wonder to me that small companies have gone out of business; I think that’s to be expected. I think too, that a few more names just might go down into the annals of history, victims of the great economic collapse of 2008. Mark my words, though, they won’t be Tabasco or Frank’s.

A little industry insider info: A little birdie told me that a major co-packer in the US went out of business and that has contributed to the disappearance of a number of brands.

Contrary to what anyone might think, getting into this business is easy. Making a little money at it is easy. Staying in business for longer than five years, is just as difficult for a hot sauce company as it is for any other kind of business.

My point is that some folks seem to dismiss the old school hot sauces just because they are so popular. I like the classic, simple vinegar based sauces for some purposes.

I also like the creative stuff the smaller companies are coming up with. It’s a real shame that a lot of these smaller companies appear to be shutting down these past few months.

I say that because most Canadians don’t even know that those 1000’s of funky named jars even exist. They are blessed if they are aware of Tabasco and Frank’s Red Hot. Knowing of the existence of Dave’s Insanity and the rest of it, is going to be limited to an area where an importer is actively telling people about it.

The vinegar cuts (taste-wise) the fat of fatty dishes. It is absolutely no different from using vinegar and oil together in vinaigrettes, same principal, same outcome.

I’m not deriding the complex stuff independent hot sauce makers come up with, I love that stuff. I am saying that it is misguided to dismiss the vinegar/pepper combo that the ‘classic’ hot sauces provide.

But, I’ll go head to head with both Mike and Stan, check my response to Stan’s article.

The reason you, Mike, add extract to Frank’s is the reason we all eventually graduate from Frank’s and Sriracha and yes, even Tabasco, because they aren’t hot enough.

There is only so much vinegar one can pour into their plate before the “hot sauce” ceases adding heat and adds nothing but more vinegar — Anyone here NOT experience that?

As for veggie chicken wings… You should check them out John, they’re made with tofu and they’re actually pretty good doused with Defcon 2. Here’s a recipe for you to adapt for your customers: http://vegetariancuisine.suite101.com/article.cfm/buffalo_tofu

It’s like “meat lettuce”.

A bottle of Frank’s Red hot spiked with the cleanest extract I can find is still my go to sauce and I’ve been eating all kinds of hot sauce for 30 some odd years.

There are smaller outfits putting out some awesome stuff, Defcon, Ring Of Fire, and Marie Sharp’s immediately come to mind.

I am glad that there are so many smaller outfits putting out hot sauces, I love checking them out and I’ve found some great stuff. The only ‘problem’, and it’s not really a problem, is that most are so complex that they change the flavor of what I am trying to season.

I’m not trying to start a flame war, I’m just saying that there is a reason why the ‘classics’ have been around as long as they have.

That said, tear into me. Let’s get a discussion going.