Category Archives: Hot Sauce Review
Bloggers Roundtable Plus Ken’s Fiery World Segment on the Bic FlameDisk®.
In this episode of Scott Roberts Web “Weekly Firecast”, check out my latest segment where I discuss my recent review of the Bic FlameDisk®. And also check out the Bloggers Roundtable Discussion! We had a lot of fun, even if FireHead Thomas pokes fun at me for name dropping!!!! Links are all below! Enjoy and remember, Ladies and Gentlemen, that “It’s a Fiery World!”
The Audio Weekly Firecast with Scott Roberts:
Weekly Firecast Podcast Episode #46 – Bloggers Roundtable Discussion
The grand tradition continues in our biggest fiery foods blogger round table chat yet! Joining Scott were Joe and Linda Levinson of The Hot Zone Online; Michael Hultquist of Chili Pepper Madness; freelance reviewer “Firehead” Thomas Gately, Ken Alexander of It’s a Fiery World; and Brian and Marilyn Meagher of Hot Sauce Daily. We discuss such topics as what we think is the most under-utilized pepper in sauces and cooking, the crossover between BBQ and hot sauces, and introducing an official annual chilehead holiday.
In his regular segment, Ken reviews the Bic FlameDisk®.
Links mentioned in the episode:
• Hot Sauce Daily
• I Love It Spicy
• Ken Alexander’s It’s a Fiery World Blog
• Chili Pepper Madness Blog
• The Hot Zone Online
• Scott Roberts’ Blog
• Ken’s Review of the Bic FlameDisk®
• Grilling With Bic Website
• Audible Trial Page – Download a FREE audiobook!
• Scott Roberts Facebook Page
• Scott Roberts Twitter Page
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Silly Chile Hot Sauce Shop in Eureka Springs, Arkansas – Great Selection, But……..
While visiting Northwest Arkansas this weekend for my niece’s wedding (congrats Sarah and Josh-we had a blast!!!), I was so looking forward to visiting the Silly Chile Hot Sauce Shop in Eureka Springs. My wife brought me a jar of their candied jalapeno’s on a visit there a few years back, and talked about how great a shop it was, and how nice the man running it was. So we walked in, me full of spicy anticipation at trying new treats, checking out the selection, and maybe scoring some fun new hot, fiery delight! And they did have a great selection! Just check out some of my finds! A little Silverleaf action, some Heartbreaking Dawn’s, Cajohn’s, and lots of Dave’s and Blair’s! And some brands and products I had never seen! I was jazzed! Hyped! Ready to add to a collection already overflowing from my recent jaunts to the Houston and New Orleans shows! Just check out some of the products below!
But alas, I was SO TURNED OFF by the attitude of the ladies running the shop I left in disgust! I was ready to talk sauce! Spice! Heat! Maybe learn something new! But they were so snotty and rude they robbed my hot sauce lovin’ joy! They made me quit taking pictures! “No pictures in the store!!!” I was told like being scolded by my first grade teacher! And when I saw the sample bottle of CaJohn’s Happy Beaver and asked the lady if she sold much of it, she condescendingly replied, “well, it DOES have Ghost Pepper in it so it’s very hot…so we sell a little.” And I started to ask, “how do you like the Silverleaf products? Isn’t the garlic the bomb? Aren’t the Mediterranean Sprinkles a great seasoning? And did you know they’re coming out with a ghost pepper stone ground mustard?” She just looked at me like I was from Mars! So I dared not even go into my love of HBD’s Bad Brains and how they had to have it in the store. My joy was gone….spirit robbed!
Why do I tell you this saga? Ahhhh…….Caveat Emptor! Let the Buyer Beware! The Silly Chile hot sauce shop has good products, but they are charging hugely inflated over the top tourist prices, and the ladies who were running the shop patronizing, condescending, and rude! But that’s not the main reason……
The Chilehead community is a family, folks! It’s the thing that draws me in…the helpful nature of the small batch sauce makers, the way everyone is warm, friendly, and inviting- the enthusiasm of hot sauce shop owners (think James and Amy’s new Houston shop iBurn-where everyone knows your name…..oh wait, that’s Cheer’s, but iBurn will learn your name!), and I could go on and on! So I’m torn with the Yin and Yang of promoting a store selling good products made by good people, and telling people to not support a store run by people who are absolutely counter to who we are as true Chileheads!!!
Okay, I feel better now. Thanks for allowing the rant, and always remember that , yes Virginia, it’s a Fiery World!!!!!
Chile Pepper Extravaganza Schedule Released!!
After you finish your spicy revelry in Houston this weekend, folks, get yourself down to New Orleans for the Chile Pepper Extravaganza! I just got the schedule from the festival organizers and it’s going to be a great show! Click the link directly below to hear the radio spot playing all over New Orleans! And click the second link further down for the complete show schedule!
Click the link below to see show times, schedule, cooking demos, and more!!! Lots of great fun and demos along with some of your favorite spicy vendors! Come see Tracy Carter from Jacs Tailgaters, Johnny McLaughlin of Heartbreaking Dawns, Steve Seabury of High River Sauces and the New York City Hot Sauce Festival, “Cin” Cindy of Cin Cindy Chili fame, CaJohn Hard from CaJohn’s, Michelle Northrup of the Intensity Academy, blogger and renowned Hot Sauce Collector Vic Clinco, just to name a few, along with lots of other local chefs and celebrities sharing their knowledge and passion for food, flavor, heat, and spice! I hope to see you at the Ernest Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, LA September 27-29! Laizzes Les Bon Temp Roulet!
2013 Chile Pepper Extravaganza Schedule
Flicking Your Bic Was Never This Much Fun!!
When I was approached by the Bic Corporation to review their portable grilling gizmo, the FlameDisk®, I tried to visualize a whole bunch of plastic lighters taped to a plate flying through the air at a rock concert! Okay, so I date myself, but I burnt many a finger holding my lighter up proudly at rock concerts, thank you very much! But I digress. This cool and groovy barbecue enhancing, nifty, swifty, pyro based product can take the dirty mess and hassle out of your next tailgate grilling experience. So sit back and enjoy this unique visit with the Bic ™ FlameDisk®!
The FlameDisk lights with the “Flick of your Bic”!
As you can see from the picture, the FlameDisk® is just that – a flat disk with holes that you place in the bottom of your grill and light in place of charcoal! The holes allow the flames of this Bic™ to flick your pre-game load of burgers, dogs, chicken, steak, or whatever it is you decide to grill up on game day, picnic day, or heck, just any old day! I found the instructions simple and the FlameDisk® even simpler than that- downright intuitive!
The instructions say to allow a four minute warm-up to achieve 40 minutes of cooking time, and then a 10 minute cool down after the flame goes out (which you can force by covering the Disk), and I found that to be pretty much true. This baby lives up to the reputation of its much smaller, but iconic older uncle, the Bic™ lighter! It is simple, effective, and disposable. Not having to deal with the mess associated with using charcoal briquettes, and right off the bat, the FlameDisk® gets 5 Fiery Worlds for convenience in lieu of charcoal.
The Bic FlameDisk Made Quick Work of Burgers and Chicken
It grilled the chicken and burgers without issue, and I had a little heat left for some veggies, had I been in the mood! I quickly learned that if you don’t have it level, the “fuel” they use distributes unevenly, giving you an uneven heat and more pronounced flames on one side of the disk. My tabletop grill isn’t round, and that was an issue for me trying to keep the disk level. I managed to adjust it for the most part, but I did have to shift the food around a couple of times to keep from scorching. The Flavor is not dissimilar to what you’d get with a gas grill, but I might experiment and put some wood chips on the disk the next time to get a better wood-fire, charcoal flavor. The only other real observation is that there isn’t an effective way to extinguish flare-ups without jeopardizing your flame, but if you’re babysitting your grilled gastric gridiron delights, you can manage and adjust! So it gets 3 Fiery Worlds for flavor, but another 5 Fiery Worlds for novelty, portability, and ingenuity! I’ve already rated it a 5 Fiery Worlds in convenience.
According to their website, the FlameDisk® sells for $4.99 list price, which isn’t a bad price for the huge convenience factor, and when I did some web searching, found it on sale at many locations. At time of posting, they also offered a $2.00 off coupon! So before the next big game, don’t battle your grill! Try out Bic’s new FlameDisk® and save those heated battles for the gridiron!!! And remember, Ladies and Gentlemen, It’s A Fiery World!
It's a Fiery World 