Weekly Firecast Episode #42 – Chat with Doug Crane of Dragons Blood Elixir

625562_530555976987082_1685848284_nThe Audio Weekly Firecast with Scott Roberts:

Weekly Firecast Podcast Episode #42 – Spicy Food Adventures with Travel Host Kevin McCarthy

One of the most underrated craft sauces makers in the business, Chef Doug Crane of Dragons Blood Elixir, tells the story behind the production of his gourmet pepper condiments. Ken and Scott have a lengthy discussion about hot sauce and spicy food blogs. And in the sauce review of the week, Scott tests out Johnny Secreto BBQ Sauce.

Links mentioned in the episode:

Dragons Blood Elixir Official Site
Johnny Secreto Official Site

Scott Roberts Web
Ken’s Fiery World
Hot Sauce Daily
The Hot Zone Online
I Love It Spicy
Chile Pepper Madness
Pepper Fiend
Hot Sauce Blog
Chile Foundry
Heat in the Heartland
Blog Fire Chillies France

Audible Trial Page – Download a FREE audiobook!
Scott Roberts Facebook Page
Scott Roberts Twitter Page

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The St. Louis Wing Ding 2013

united cerebral palsy upc heartland wing ding st louis 2013 ticketsIt’s back!

I want to personally invite you to join me at this year’s 3RD ANNUAL UCP HEARTLAND WING DING – ST. LOUIS, being held THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 2013 at Queeny Park in the Greensfelder Complex from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

The UCP Heartland Wing Ding is a “best chicken wing” contest and tasting event all rolled into one. Local restaurants cook and serve wings to the general public and a panel of celebrity judges participates in a blind taste test to choose winner’s in several categories. There’s a People’s Choice award voted on by the crowd, several fun raffles and local band, Willie and the Poor Boys will provide entertainment and music. The event is sponsored by Schlafly, Coca Cola, Fox 2 News, St. Louis Magazine and…

Ultimate Hot Sauce Showdown – First Round – JAC’s Tailgaters Pineapple Orange Habanero VS. Evil Seed Big Evil BBQ

Ultimate Hot Sauce ShowdownLast week’s brawl involved Golden Toad Habanero going head to head with Hellfire Blueberry Hell. As predicted, it was a fierce battle with many loyal fans on both sides. Ultimately, Blueberry Hell came out on top.

What about today’s match-up? The big bad Evil Seed Big Evil BBQ faces off against Louisiana-born JAC’s Tailgaters Pineapple Orange Habanero Finishing Sauce. Like numerous other sauces in this contest, these are VERY different products.

Ultimate Hot Sauce Showdown - First Round - JAC's Tailgaters Pineapple Orange Habanero VS. Evil Seed Big Evil BBQ

As always, the decision is YOURS, fiery foods fans! Vote NOW!

You have until the End of Day on

Tuesday, August 6, 2013
to make your choice.

You can view the bracket as it currently stands
here.


Weekly Firecast Episode #41 – Spicy Food Adventures with Travel Host Kevin McCarthy

Spicy Food Adventures with Travel Host Kevin McCarthyThe Audio Weekly Firecast with Scott Roberts:

Weekly Firecast Podcast Episode #41 – Spicy Food Adventures with Travel Host Kevin McCarthy

The Travel Planner host and radio personality Kevin McCarthy joins Scott in the studio and talks about cuisine on the Boudin Trail in Louisiana, dining in China, Indian food in London, peppery alcohol in Germany, and more! Ken Alexander reviews Southern Recipe brand Hot n’ Spicy Pork Rinds and Cheesy Jalapeno-Flavored Cheese Curls, and Scott talks about chimney starters.

Links mentioned in the episode:

The Travel Planner Podcast with Kevin and Sue McCarthy
Kevin and Sue McCarthy’s Travel YouTube Channel
Southern Recipe Brand Snack Foods
Ken’s Fiery World
Audible Trial Page – Download a FREE audiobook!
Scott Roberts Facebook Page
Scott Roberts Twitter Page

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Ultimate Hot Sauce Showdown – First Round – Golden Toad Habanero VS. Hellfire Blueberry Hell

Ultimate Hot Sauce ShowdownIn an upset of all upsets, Jungle Heat’s Madness trounced favorite Heartbreaking Dawns’ 1498 Trinidad Scorpion Sauce in last week’s round one bout. Jungle Heat was simply able to muster enough votes online to put it well over the top against HBD.

The next Round One battle will feature two sauces that I personally love. Golden Toad Habanero is a breathtaking sauce that’s almost like a “habanero in a bottle” (with a hint of garlic thrown in), while Hellfire Blueberry Hell is a wonderfully stinging and zesty product with incredible fruit undertones in it.

Ultimate Hot Sauce Showdown - First Round - Golden Toad Habanero VS. Hellfire Blueberry Hell

As always, the decision is YOURS, fiery foods fans! Vote NOW!

You have until the End of Day on

Tuesday, July 30, 2013
to make your choice.

You can view the bracket as it currently stands
here.


Weekly Firecast Episode #40 – Summer Barbecuing and Grilling Chat with the Grill Girl Robyn Medlin Lindars, Plus Scott’s Rants

weekly-firecast-audio-ep-040-300x298-grill-grrrl-Robyn-Medlin-LindarsThe Audio Weekly Firecast with Scott Roberts:

Weekly Firecast Podcast Episode #40 – Summer Barbecuing and Grilling Chat with the Grill Girl Robyn Medlin Lindars, Plus Scott’s Rants

Robyn Medlin Lindars, AKA The Grill Girl, connects via Skype and chats about grilling and BBQ ideas for the summer. Scott also rants about ZestFest Midwest and the select number of low-IQ people who contact him. Ken Alexander get into a lengthy duscussion about being a chilehead on social networking/social media sites, and Scott reviews four different products from Karma Sauces.

Links mentioned in the episode:

GrillGrrrl.com
Ken’s Fiery World
Audible Trial Page – Download a FREE audiobook!
Scott Roberts Facebook Page
Scott Roberts Twitter Page

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Ultimate Hot Sauce Showdown – First Round – Heartbreaking Dawns 1498 Trinidad Scorpion VS. Jungle Heat Madness Sauce

Ultimate Hot Sauce ShowdownAnd now we have a return to hot sauce combat! When we last left off back in June, Race City Sauce Works Deadwood was duking it out Bonfatto’s Apple Pepper Jack Wing Sauce, with Deadwood winning the shootout.

The next Round One battle will have heavy hitter Heartbreaking Dawns 1498 Trinidad Scorpion taking on Jungle Heat Madness Sauce. Both spicy condiment makers have previously had dogs in the fight in this Ultimate Hot Sauce Showdown, but have not yet faced each other. These are two companies with potentially strong online fan bases, so it has the possibility of being another furious nailbiter of a bout.

Ultimate Hot Sauce Showdown - First Round - Heartbreaking Dawns 1498 Trinidad Scorpion VS. Jungle Heat Madness Sauce

As always, the decision is YOURS, fiery foods fans! Vote NOW!

You have until the End of Day on

Tuesday, July 23, 2013
to make your choice.

You can view the bracket as it currently stands
here.


Trying the Inferno Sandwich Challenge from De.Lish Cheesecake Cafe

Jerret Ulmer of HeadAddicts.com and Scott Roberts trying the Inferno Sandwich Challenge from De.Lish Cheesecake CafeJerret Ulmer of HeadAddicts.com and I sauntered into the de.lish Cheesecake Bakery and Cafe in Florissant, Missouri a few weeks ago to see if we could conquer their Inferno Challenge.

The basics of the Inferno Challenge are this: eat an entire philly cheesesteak-type roast beef sandwich (the meat is cooked with ghost pepper powder, and is topped with pepper cheese, a thick, super-hot chile pepper powder-laden yellow-orange sauce, and liberally doused with large chunks of jolokia and scorpion peppers) within 30 minutes. No food or drinks or drinks are allowed within the first minute of the challenge, but after the 60-second mark water is allowed, as are the potato chips and dill pickle spear provided on the side.

Were Jerret and I able to handily defeat the Inferno Sandwich Challenge from De.Lish Cheesecake Cafe and win a free t-shirt and a photo spot on their Wall of Fame, or did this incendiary behemoth best us? Watch the video below to find out…

We’re Moving…and Will Be Back Soon!

We're Moving...and Will Be Back Soon!Greetings blog readers! This post is serving as a gentle reminder that my boys and I will be moving into a new house this weekend. Added to the chaos surrounding this is that we will not have home internet access until it is installed sometime next week. Because of this, as you can probably guess, there will not be any new blog posts for several days, no new Ultilmate Hot Sauce Showdown matches, and no new Weekly Firecast episodes arriving in your RSS feeds out this weekend. Probably most disappointing of all, we will be unable to make the trek to Columbus, Ohio to attend ZestFest Midwest (so I wish all of my compadres in the chilehead world a hugely successful and fun weekend there in the Buckeye State!). Life keeps rolling along, and we look forward towards the future and to bigger and brighter things!

NYC Hot Sauce Expo Featured On The Cooking Network Season Premiere

NYC Hot Sauce Expo Featured On The Cooking Network Season PremiereFood Network Star Kelsey Nixon and host of Kelsey’s Essentials asked High River Sauces owner Steve Seabury to take her on a spicy adventure at the first annual NYC Hot Sauce Expo, one of the most buzz worthy food festivals in the country. Seabury charters an in-depth journey around the Hot Sauce Expo and provides insightful information to Kelsey about the different unique hot sauces styles, various peppers types used and how these sauces are used to enhance your savory and sweet food recipes.

The NYC Hot Sauce Expo highlights the best and most talented artisanal hot sauce companies from around the country and hosts the prestigious Screaming Mi Mi Awards. During the segment Kelsey stops by to discuss with a handful of vendors including Peppers DistributionPuckerbutt Pepper CompanyDefcon, Heartbreaking Dawns and others about the history of hot sauces, the characteristics and medicinal measures of the chile pepper and how the popularity within the mainstream has tremendously increased sales in North America the past couple of years.

After the Expo, Kelsey visits JoJo Collins who truly turns up the heat on her homemade Sriracha. Kelsey then gets started on her own hot sauce menu: Fresno Pepper Hot SauceSpicy Kale Caesar Salad and Spicy Roasted Chicken with a Hot Sauce Compound Butter.

Kelsey’s Essentials Season Premiere episode titled “Fiery Foods” will air on the Cooking Channel, Wednesday, July 3rd. 8:00PM ET | 5:00PM PT

NYC Hot Sauce Expo – April 20th & 21st – Brooklyn, NY

For More Info Please Visit:
Cooking Networkwww.CookingChanneltv.com
Kelsey’s Essentialswww.CookingChanneltv.com/shows/kelseys-essentials.html
NYC Hot Sauce Expowww.NYCHotSauceExpo.com
High River Sauceswww.HighRiverSauces.com

Weekly Firecast Episode #39 – ZestFest Midwest Preview with Greg Bagarozy and CaJohn Hard, Plus How to Smoke Chile Peppers

ZestFest Midwest Preview with Greg Bagarozy and CaJohn Hard, Plus How to Smoke Chile PeppersThe Audio Weekly Firecast with Scott Roberts:

Weekly Firecast Podcast Episode #39 – ZestFest Midwest Preview with Greg Bagarozy and CaJohn Hard

Both Spicy Food Productions LLC President Greg Bagarozy and Ohio-based sauce maker CaJohn Hard return to join Scott and talk about the new ZestFest spinoff show, ZestFest Midwest in Columbus, Ohio. Ken Alexander talks about how to add flavor and lose weight by adding spice to your diet, and Scott tells you how to cold-smoke chile peppers.

 Links mentioned in the episode:

• ZestFest Midwest
• CaJohn’s Fiery Foods
• Ken’s Fiery World
• Scott Roberts Facebook Page
• Scott Roberts Twitter Page

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Weekly Firecast Episode #38 – Hot Sauce Festival Chat with Dana Romero

Hot Sauce Festival Chat with Dana RomeroThe Audio Weekly Firecast with Scott Roberts:

Weekly Firecast Podcast Episode #38 – Hot Sauce Festival Chat with Dana Romero

The Chairman of the most recent Cajun Hot Sauce Festival, Dana Romero, stops by the Firecast for a fiery interview. Dana discusses his ambitious plans for the upcoming International Hot Sauce Festival, which is slated to be held in a different city every subsequent year, plus his concept for a World Hot Sauce Awards. Regular guest Ken Alexander chats with Scott about the proliferation of spicy foods in the mainstream diet, Scott reviews Red CAT-astrophe Hot Sauce made with red wine, and tells you how to achieve bite-through skin in your barbecued chicken.

 Links mentioned in the episode:

• International Hot Sauce Festival Facebook Page
• Louisiana Hot Sauce Festival
• Cajun Hot Sauce Festival
• Red CAT-astrophe Hot Sauce
• Ken’s Fiery World
• Scott Roberts Facebook Page
• Scott Roberts Twitter Page

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McDonald’s Bacon Habanero Ranch Quarter Pounder Burger Review

McDonald's Bacon Habanero Ranch Quarter Pounder Burger ReviewYep! The world’s largest (in terms of sales) fast food chain now has something on their menu with theword “habanero” on it. McDonald’s Bacon Habanero Ranch Quarter Pounder is certainly not the first time a major QSR chain has introduced a habanero product. In fact, it was four years ago that I had reviewed a habanero chicken sandwich from pizza outlet Domino’s, and other have had the capsicum chinense chile pepper in uses such as wings sauces, among others.

But with the Golden Arches debuting this type of level of spice in a sandwich, it certainly marks a milestone in the proliferation of fiery foods in the mainstream, albeit a relatively lame one…

Yes, I’ll cut to the chase. Mickey D’s Bacon Habanero Ranch Quarter Pounder is…

Ultimate Hot Sauce Showdown – First Round – Captain Thom’s Thai Monkey VS. Jungle Heat Caribbean Sauce

Ultimate Hot Sauce Showdown It was a relatively easy victory for Heartbreaking Dawns in last week’s duel between their 1542 Chocolate Habanero Sauce and challenger Puckerbutt Pepper Co with their extreme heat Voodoo Prince Death Mamba .

Today’s battle is ensuing between chilehead favorite  Captain Thom’s Thai Monkey Sauce, an Asian blend of teriyaki, soy sauce, peanut, wasabi and hot sauce, and their opponent this round, Jungle Heat’s  full-bodied frenzy of tart, sweet, fruity and oniony toned Caribbean Heat.

Ultimate Hot Sauce Showdown - First Round - Captain Thom's Thai Monkey VS. Jungle Heat Caribbean Sauce 

Like many of the UHSS match-ups, these two are very different in flavor, so it’s up to YOU, the hot sauces fans, to determine the winner of this brawl.

You have until the End of Day on Wednesday, June 12, 2013 to make your choice.

You can view the bracket as it currently stands here.


Weekly Firecast Episode #37 – Scott Zalkind of Lucky Dog Hot Sauces Interview

Scott Zalkind of Lucky Dog Hot SaucesThe Audio Weekly Firecast with Scott Roberts:

Weekly Firecast Podcast Episode #37 – Scott Zalkind of Lucky Dog Hot Sauces Interview

One of the hottest new pepper sauce concoctors to hit these parts in a while, Scott Zalkind of Lucky Dog Hot Sauces, drops by and chats with Scott Roberts. Blogger and reviewer Ken Alexander returns from a trip up to the Pacific northwest, the Yukon and Alaska, Scott reviews Fireque Original Kentucky BBQ Sauce, and gives a quick foodie tip about charcoal.

Links mentioned in the episode:

Lucky Dog Hot Sauces
Fireque BBQ Website
Ken’s Fiery World
Scott Roberts Facebook Page
Scott Roberts Twitter Page

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