Review – White Castle Sriracha Chicken Sliders

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The sriracha craze is building to dizzying new heights, and here we are already with another major QSR chain pushing in the case of White Castle (Subway had introduced theirs last year). The 93-year-old-company has (with the usual disclaimer of “for a limited time only”) introduced two different chicken sandwiches with the zing of sriracha sauce: the Ultimate Sriracha Chicken Slider and the Sriracha Chicken Slider.

Both are of the slider variety and feature fried chicken patties with breading that is seasoned with the flavor of sriracha. Sriracha, for the few of you who don’t know, is the type of Asian-style sauce with strong garlic and salt tones, a hint of sweetness on a red chile pepper base. It’s most famous version is Huy Fond Foods’ Sriracha Sauce…

Firecast Podcast Episode #56 – Jeremy Walsh of Bigfat’s Hot Sauce

firecast-podcast-ep-56-jeremy-walsh-of-bigfats-hot-sauceThe Firecast with Scott Roberts: Firecast Podcast Episode #56 – Jeremy Walsh of Bigfat’s Hot Sauce

Chicago sauce maestro Jeremy Walsh joins Scott on the Skype line to talk about his uniquely-flavored Bigfat’s Hot Sauce products, which is centerpieced with his 1o8 to 8o8 lineup. In his Fiery World segment, Ken Alexander chats with Scott about back-to-basics outdoor, live-fire cooking and what exactly the difference is between the terms “Barbecue” and “Grilling”. Scott also reviews Smok Brand Hot Pepper Sauce.

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Review – Musashi Midori Green Sriracha and Japanese Spicy Mayo Sauces

Musashi Midori Green Sriracha and Spicy Mayo Sauces Review“Sriracha” is certainly the big buzzword in the chilehead industry (and perhaps the whole condiment industry as well) this year. The Asian-style sauce has taken foodies by storm, and I predict that it’s going to get even more ubiquitous next year.

One sure sign of any trend’s popularity is the off-shoots from what is considered to be the “mainstream” genre.  Case in point…green sriracha. This one comes from the Musashi Foods, and is billed to be “a unique Japanese interpretation of the classic sauce”.  Hmmm…what does that mean exactly? Well, for starters, it uses green serrano chiles instead of the classic red chiles in more traditional srirachas. Also, it aims to be a bit more complex with brown sugar, red cabbage juice and turmeric. 

Also up for review is Musashi Japanese Spicy Mayo, an orange blend of fiery, far Eastern-style ingredients and a regular mayonnaise spread. But first, the Musashi Midori Green Sriracha…

LA Museum Honors Sriracha and Tapatio with Hot Sauce Art

hot-sauce-art-david-tran-sriracha-sauceGoing on now through July 12, 2014, there is an art exhibition at the Chinese American Museum in Los Angeles, California titled LA Heat: Taste Changing Condiments.

It was created to pay tribute to the backstories and contributions of two sauces in particular: Huy Fong Foods Sriracha and Tapatio hot sauces.

According to the museum’s website:

Sriracha and Tapatio hot sauces are two examples of the recent homegrown all-American condiments that have dramatically impacted American cuisine.  The rise in popularity of these condiments signifies an increase in Asian and Latino populations living in the US and especially in Los Angeles after the passing of the Immigration and Nationality Act in 1965…  

Lucky Dog Sauces Kickstarter!

lucky-dog-hot-sauce-kickstarterSeveral weeks a go I gave a rant about not funding or promoting any Kickstarter campaigns in the future, particularly ones for companies with products I was unfamiliar with and whose owners I did not really know.

Now I’ve come across a rare exception to the above rule in the guise of Lucky Dog Hot Sauces. Not only do I know the owner, Scott Zalkind, to be a great and reputable guy (you can listen to my interview with him here), but both myself and my son Kevin have reviewed and love his all-purpose, pepper-based condiments, and found that his output keeps getting better and better.

Guide to Most Popular Hot Sauces Infographic

Love ’em or hate ’em, you’ve gotta respect them. The most popular brands like Frank’s RedHot, Tabasco, Cholula, Crystal, Huy Fong Sriracha, Texas Pete, and Huy Fong Sambal Oelek have risen to prominence and have dominated the hot sauce world i n recent years. Here is a handy infographic on the Guide to Most Popular Hot Sauces Infographic. Enjoy. 🙂

Guide to Most Popular Hot Sauces Infographic

Click to view larger image:

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Huy Fong Foods Sriracha Factory To Remain Open in Irwindale, CA

Huy Fong Foods posted banners defending their Sriracha chili sauce at their Irwindale, Calif., factory. Photo courtesy of Watchara Phomincinda/San Gabriel Valley Tribune.Huy Fong Foods posted banners defending their Sriracha chili sauce at their Irwindale, Calif., factory. Photo courtesy of Watchara Phomincinda/San Gabriel Valley Tribune.

Coming back from a busy weekend, I almost forgot to post this news that the Huy Fong Foods factory that makes the most popular version of Sriracha is going to stay put. Here’s the report from the AP News wire:

California City Votes to End Hot Sauce Dispute

The fiery fight is apparently over between the makers of a popular hot sauce and a small Southern California city that said its factory’s smells were unbearable.

The Irwindale City Council voted Wednesday night to drop a public nuisance declaration and lawsuit against Huy Fong Foods, makers of…

Firecast Podcast Episode #55 – Kevin Billings of High Octane Sauce Co, Plus Scott’s Top 10 Favorite Hot Sauces

firecast-podcast-055-kevin-billings-high-octane-sauce-co-top-10-favorite-hot-saucesThe Firecast with Scott Roberts: Firecast Podcast Episode #55 – Kevin Billings of High Octane Sauce Co, Plus Scott’s Top 10 Favorite Hot Sauces

Houston, Texas sauce maker Kevin Billings of High Octane Sauce Co. drops by the Skype chatline and talks with Scott about his approach to making his signature hot sauces, BBQ sauces and salsas. In his Ken’s Fiery World segment, Ken Alexander converses with Scott about building a heat tolerance, and Scott lists his Top 10 favorite pepper-based hot sauces of all time.  Plus, Scott reviews Rocky Mountain Sriracha.

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Chile Pepper Facts

rp_numex-big-jim-chile-pepperChile Pepper Facts

Compiled by Eric Vinje of Cosmic Chile and Scott Roberts

• Two of the founding fathers of our country, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, are both known to have grown chiles.

• Capsaicin is a colorless, pungent, crystalline compound, C18,H27,NO3.

• The shorter the molecular chain, the hotter the pepper.

• “Chili” and “chile” are different spellings of the pungent fruit of the capsicum, also called chilli (in the UK, Australia and New Zealand), chile pepper or chili pepper. But in the U.S., the spelling “chili” is a shortening of chili con carne, a ground beef stew that incorporates chile powder or chile peppers. And Chile, capitalized, is a country in South America.

• The heat from a chile pepper is concentrated in the interior veins or ribs near the seed heart, not in the seeds as is commonly believed…

Steve’s Hot Dogs on The Hill Pushes Expansion Effort

steves-molotov-hot-dogFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

steves-hot-dogs-logoSTEVE’S HOT DOGS ON THE HILL RETURNS TO GRASS ROOTS FOR EXPANSION EFFORT
Local musician owner Steve Ewing plans to crowd fund $15,000 to Expand to Tower Grove East

St. Louis, Mo., May 9, 2014 — Steve’s Hot Dogs on the Hill announces plans to expand to a second location in Tower Grove East in the City of St. Louis. Steve Ewing, restaurant owner and front man of the popular St. Louis-based band The Urge, plans to raise funds through the crowd funding website Indiegogo to help fund the expansion. Expansion of the restaurant is happening in tandem with the reopening of the famed Tick Tock Tavern at 3459 Magnolia. The campaign to fund Steve’s Hot Dogs’ expansion will launch June 2 and run through July 5.

Crowd funding is giving Steve, a St. Louis native, the opportunity to directly contact his grassroots following that has fueled his creative endeavors for more than two decades. Fans, customers and supporters of the Tower Grove neighborhood will be asked to support Steve’s Hot Dogs by making financial contributions to help cover the final expansion costs such as paint, flooring, appliances and a new kitchen. Giving levels will begin at $10 and continue up to $5,000. Each giving level will be associated with a specific perk such as free hot dogs and merchandise to a house concert given by Steve Ewing…

Interactive Periodic Table of the World’s Hottest Chile Peppers

interactive-scoville-scale-chartUK kitchen appliance store Appliance City has put together a pretty cool interactive Periodic Table of the world’s hottest chile peppers based on their ranking in the Scoville Heat Scale.

The periodic table has been sanctioned by my friend Jon Whaley of the Scoville Food Institute, who has been using this clever science-themed method for categorizing peppers for years.

Now, not only has this chart been made interactive, but also…

Tabasco Releases Its Own Sriracha Sauce

tabasco-sriracha-sauceI had mentioned last year that McIlhenny Co., makers of Tabasco Brand Pepper Sauce, were developing their own version of what is undoubtedly the big hot sauce trend of 2014: Sriracha Sauce.

Coming in the midst of the controversy brewing that Huy Fong Foods, the makers of the current numero uno brand of Sriracha (their version is nicknamed “Rooster Sauce”, which I reviewed a few years back) is facing due to complaints of hometown Irwindale, California of its factory producing too much of a pungent odor, McIlhenny is now poised to strike into this booming sub-genre with its TABASCO® Brand Sriracha Thai Chili Sauce.

According to the product page on official TABASCO website…

Review – Lucky Dog Hot Sauces – Pink, Purple and Black Labels

lucky-dog-hot-sauce-black-purple-pink-labelScott Zalkind (whom I interviewed for the Firecast Podcast last year) has proven himself to be one of the brightest talents to enter the hot sauce pool in the 2010s with his superb Lucky Dog Hot Sauces. Two years ago I covered his first three sauces in a review and gave them all above-average marks, and my son Kevin praised them even more almost literally one year ago to the day. Bottom line is, us Roberts boys like us some Lucky Dog Hot Sauces!

As a recap, the first three sauces Zalkind has released are colored as such: Green (Mild), Red (Medium) and Orange (Hot). Plus for clarification’s sake (more on the newer three in just a second), these aforementioned trio are all fire-roasted pepper sauces.

IBM “Watson” Computer Program Creates Its Own BBQ Sauce Recipe

ibm-watson-cognative-cooking-creates-bbq-sauce-recipe

In Austin, Texas, the IBM Watson Food Truck served up exotic dishes that explore computing’s culinary creativity, at the South by Southwest (SXSW) event. The recipes were created through a collaboration between IBM Watson and award-winning chefs at New York’s Institute of Culinary Education.

One such recipe was a BBQ sauce. Yes, that’s right, a recipe for a BBQ topper that was created solely by a computer program…