Food

Here’s the poll question for November: do you take a bottle or two of hot sauce with you when you go out to eat to put on the restaurants’ food?

Will November’s Chilehead T-Shirt of the Month become a modern classic? It remains to be seen, but you’ll want to be seen in the new “Fire Goes In…Fire Escape” tee.

Let everyone know where the flammage goes…in your mouth! But the fire must escape somewhere, so turn the shirt around to look at the back to find the answer! Sure to get lots of laughs.

Available in both male and female fittings.

Whether or not you’re a fan of his products, you have to admit that few people have had the impact and garnered a cult-like following quite like Blair Lazar of Blair’s Sauces and Snacks. I was recently given the opportunity to have an extended conversation with Blair, and he was candid, gushingly accommodating and extremely passionate as we spoke. We touched on several topics, including his reserves (which struck a nerve when I mentioned some were critical of the prices for which they were being sold), being on the internet, his collaboration with rock guitarist Zakk Wylde on the Berserker Sauces, and the fiery foods business.

Scott: For those who have never heard it, what was the “Reader’s Digest” version of how you created the Wings of Death challenge while working as a bartender on the Jersey Shore?

Blair: Well, that’s the inception of my Death Sauce back in ’89, you know bartending, serving drunks on the Jersey Shore. This was before what’s happened in the last 20 years, with the proliferation of spice. I think there’s something really exciting about watching somebody eat something hot, and that’s just as “simpleton” as I can say it. I think when you’re serving people liquor, and it’s 2 o’clock in the morning, what can you really do that’s legal to get them to leave? You can say, “hey, if you can eat my wings you can hang all night at the bar.” I would make four of the hottest wings you could possibly find, and tell them…

Original Juan Specialty Foods has one of the most diverse stables of eats in the fiery foods world, with several brands under OJ’s umbrella. One of these brands is the Pain is Good lineup, which is becoming of the fastest growing names in spicy sauces and snacks, and has been recently entering traditional supermarket chains which garner them substantially more exposure than other specialty food makers.

There was some controversy in the chilehead community surrounding Original Juan’s role as a co-packer a while back, but this particular review is not the time or place to drudge up that topic. Instead, I would like to focus on whether or not Pain is Good’s Chipotle Con Queso makes the grade as a dip, condiment or veggie topper.

The winners have been announced in The Hot Pepper Awards 2009 competition, which is presented by TheHotPepper.com forums. Click here for the full listing of categories and prize recipients. Congratulations to the winners!

Gunther’s Gourmet was one of the highlights of the 2009 Weekend of Fire. A large percentage of vendors at that show featured products that were all over the map; some were excellent, while food items had totally missed the mark with what they were attempting to accomplish. Thankfully for Gunther’s Gourmet they were not in that “hit-or-miss” category. Most of the 10+ salsas the company had on display for sampling were above average and were never anything less than high-quality. And although they produce a handful of admirable marinades & vinaigrettes, it was Gunther’s wide selection of salsas that impressed me.

Mike Lampros, one of the two brothers that run Gunther’s Gourmet, had recently provided a sampling to me of a quartet of salsas (three of which are award-winning): Jalapeño Salsa Fresca, Spicy Ginger Pineapple Salsa, Fiery Peri-Peri Dark Cherry Salsa, and Fiery Cranberry Habanero Salsa Here are my thoughts on these…

I’ve respected Jim Campbell for a long time. The guy’s done a great many things which make him an excellent all-around ambassador of the fiery foods industry. If you’re relatively new to the hot sauce world, you may or may not know that he has worn many hats (no pun intended) in addition to running the Mild to Wild Pepper and Herb Company. His day job is being a firefighter with the Pike Township Fire Department in Indianapolis, Indiana, which instantly earns him the title of “hero” in my book. Jim has founded the Step Up for Charity organization a not-for-profit group that raises funds for charitable organizations, and he once held the world record for stair climbing (106,000 stairs in one 24-hour period!) that he used to help promote this great cause. On his commercial fields, he grows chile peppers that supplies chiles to a large segment of the U.S. specialty hot sauce market. On his fields he also hosts the annual Woodstock-like “Open Fields” pepper event every fall, where chileheads converge for a weekend to pick chiles and to celebrate the spicy life. Overall, Jim is an intriguing individual, so I’m pleased to have been able to ask Jim a few questions, and he was more than happy to provide his often humorous, always knowledgeable insight…

The 2009 Original Terlingua International Frank X. Tolbert – Wick Fowler Championship Chili Cookoff is just a few days away. The 43rd annual event is taking place on November 5 – 7 in Terlingua, Texas where an expected 10,000+ chile fans will converge to watch entrants compete in one of the largest non-ICS chili contests on earth. To get the scoop, go to http://www.abowlofred.com.

The following info comes form Dr. Kevin Crosby, Dr. Juan Anciso, and Dr. Ben Villalón:

The Texas pepper research is fine and doing well in Weslaco, Texas. The Texas Pepper Foundation (TPF), dissolved after 32 years, was organized in 1976 with over 300 members from 25 different states, several other countries including Mexico and Canada who recognize the importance of peppers (chile, chilli) as the number one spice ingredient in the world. Members included research and extension scientists, growers, producers, seed and chemical industry and major food processing firms. TPF members supported the genetic improvement of peppers being conducted at TAES Weslaco previously by Dr. Ben Villalón and now by Dr. Kevin Crosby and several other scientists throughout Texas. TPF sponsored periodic conferences, field days, and financial research support. This was one of the last major public assisted pepper improvement organizations in the U.S.A. Dr. Crosby has released several outstanding pepper cultivars with more to come, since Dr. Ben retired in 1996.

A Scientific Texas Pepper Conference and Field Day is Being Planned and Organized for November 12 – 13, 2009 at the Weslaco Research Center…

The 2009 Original Terlingua International Frank X. Tolbert – Wick Fowler Championship Chili Cookoff is just a few days away. The 43rd annual event is taking place on November 5 – 7 in Terlingua, Texas where an expected 10,000+ chile fans will converge to watch entrants compete in one of the largest non-ICS chili contests on earth. To get the scoop, go to http://www.abowlofred.com.

Blair has sent out the message this morning about the new Halloween 2009 Reserves. Each one is in a unique, glass-blown bottle and contains both a vial of 16 million SHU capsaicin AND bhut jolokia (AKA “ghost chili”) powder:

Dear Chilipal,

Some Seriously Spicy Fury is brewing In Death Sauce Land on this festive Mischief Night. What better time than now to announce the release of my over the top 2009 Halloween Reserve !!!! So here it is…. Each bottle is definitely a one-of-a-kind creation. Check out this spectacular, artisan, hand-blown glass pumpkin bottle filled with Jolokia Ghost Chili and Guinness World Record-breaking 16 Million…

Although some of the 2010 Scovie Award winners had already been contacted days ago, and their placings had been made public knowledge, the full, official list of winners have been unknown until now. The list has finally been announced and was posted up on the Fiery-Foods.com website just minutes ago. If you’re unfamiliar with them, the Scovie Awards are considered by many to be the most prestigious awards in the hot sauce and spicy food industry.

Charles Vergos’ Rendezvous Famous Seasoning suffers from the fact that it’s not a highly versatile product. I wouldn’t expect food lovers to be able to sprinkle this stuff on salads, veggies, sandwiches, deviled eggs, or even regular grilled burgers and steaks. It started as one thing: a dry rub for Rendezvous’ delicious barbecue smoked meats, in particular pork ribs, and by God that’s what it’s good for.

It’s highly recommended that you use this on foods that you cook over low heat and do it slowly all day, with plenty of wood smoke. You know, real barbecuing. Pork shoulders, ribs, chicken and beef briskets are outstanding with Charles Vergos’ Rendezvous Famous Seasoning coated on thick. If you’re merely “grilling” (cooking fast with high heat) without smoking the meat, it’s just missing something even if this dry rub is applied. It just ain’t the same.

I picked up a bottle of Rendezvous Famous Seasoning during my trip to Memphis earlier this year to see if I could replicate the BBQ joint’s fantastic dry rub ribs at home. The following is a review of the seasoning and my efforts to achieve rib sucking nirvana…

There’s a brand spankin’ new episode of Hot Sauce Weekly, the first podcast dedicated to hot sauce, fiery foods, and BBQ. This episode features a great interview with Joe and Robin Leicht of Flaming Joe’s. Also, I provide my weekly sauce review, this time featuring the fabulous Ott’s Wing Sauce.

So if you’re craving great hot sauce industry coverage, be sure to download and listen to the audio podcast every week by subscribing today! You may ask, “how can I do so?” Well, you click on the RSS Feed link to download it to your feed reader or podcast catcher, or subscribe via the iTunes Feed.

Love what you hear? Please tell all your chilehead friends and family about Hot Sauce Weekly! And please vote for Hot Sauce Weekly both on Podcast Alley and iTunes – it’s super simple and it will only take you 30 seconds.