Category Archives: Hot Sauce Review
NYC Hot Sauce Expo Announces Hall of Fame Nominees
Immediate Release
August 12, 2014
NYC Hot Sauce Expo – Presents The Hot Sauce Hall of Fame
Steve Seabury owner of High River Sauces and the organizer of the NYC Hot Sauce Expo will present to the world the official Hot Sauce Hall of Fame Foundation. The Hot Sauce Hall of Fame will induct 5 people in its inaugural year and each of the following years they will induct 3 all of which have been very instrumental in the fiery foods industry. Each year the NYC Hot Sauce Expo will present and host the induction ceremony to enshrine the legends of the industry to this greatest of honors.
The Hot Sauce Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony will be held on Saturday April 25th on the main stage after the Screaming Mi Mi Awards show. Inductees will receive a distinctive red jacket, an achievement trophy and will be featured on exhibit at the Hot Sauce Hall of Fame Library each year at NYC Hot Sauce Expo.
This year the 3rd Annual NYC Hot Sauce Expo will take place on April 25th and April 26th 2015.
The first group on the inaugural ballot are some of the biggest and brightest names in the industry.
1. Blair Lazar – Owner Blair’s Sauces and Snacks also came out with one of the if not the first extract hot sauce. Took the collector sauce/limited edition sauce to new heights. Also took extreme heat to the limit with some of the hottest sauces ever.
2. Chip Hearn – One of the original hot sauce websites, as well as one of the first, and one of the largest national zesty distributors, Peppers.com. Inventor of the Bloody Mary Smorgasbord in 1978. Originated the “risqué” hot sauce genre at the 1989 National Fiery Foods Show.
3. David Ashley – Owner Ashley Foods. Another one of the first users of extract sauces in the early 90’s. Was one of the first to collaborate with and have celebrity driven sauces.
4. Dave DeWitt – “The Pope of Peppers” – Author and maybe the original “Chilehead” Started the Fiery Foods Show 26 years ago and set the standard for The Big Hot Sauce Show.
5. Dave Hirschkop – Owner Dave’s Gourmet and creator of Dave’s Insanity one of the, if not the 1st extract hot sauce. Was one of the first to create “limited edition sauces” and was instrumental in the collector hot sauce craze.
6. Dave Lutz – Founder of Hot Shots Inc. one of the original hot sauce distributors and still operating for almost 20 years.
7. Edmund McIlhenny – Created Tabasco in the 1860’s and is the best-selling hot sauce ever.
8. Jim Campbell – Was one of the first pepper growers who supplied hot sauce companies their peppers from their early starts. Was very instrumental for the early success of some of the leading hot sauce makers like Blairs, CaJohns and Dave’s Insanity.
9. John Hard – Owner of CaJohns Hot Sauce. The God Father of the hot sauce industry. Started in 1996 and has garnered over 200 regional, national and international awards.
10. Marie Sharp – Owner Marie Sharp’s Fine Foods Ltd. – Started making sauce in the early 80’s and actually was the creator of Melinda’s Sauces. Her sauce is the quintessential Central American hot sauce with amazing flavor and great heat!
To be eligible for the nominating or voting process, a person must operate within the fiery foods industry for a minimum of 3 years. These people will be known as the Selection Committee which will consist of hot sauce companies, retailers, distributors, exporters, chile pepper growers, media and restaurateurs who specialize if spicy foods and hot sauce. The Selection Committee will be polled by email from the Hall of Fame’s Senators Board in which the board will eventually narrow the Selection Committee’s ballot to a list to 10.
After the nomination process The Selection Committee will then receive the final ballot from the Senators Board. To be elected, a finalist must receive the top 3 votes from the Selection Committee. If a person has been nominated 3 separate times by the committee and does not get inducted their name will be removed from future elections for a waiting period of 5 years.
For More Information Please Contact Steve Seabury: seabury32@optonline.net
Info on the NYC Hot Sauce Expo: http://www.NYCHotSauceExpo.com
“HOT” off the Press! Louisiana Hot Sauce Expo World Hot Sauce Awards Revealed!
Below is a list of the winners of the inaugural World Hot Sauce Awards. The awards ceremony was held at the Lafayette, La Acadian Center, and the site of the Louisiana Hot Sauce Expo. The winners were selected by approximately 30 judges from across the country, including executive chefs, restaurant owners, elected officials, beauty queens, hot sauce industry experts, and enthusiasts! The judges tasted 582 separate samples and each category had multiple judges. Everyone had a “hot” time and sweating foreheads, red faces, and sniffly noses were prevalent in the judge’s ranks! The awards are listed by division and category. My apologies if there are misspellings along the way, but there was limited time to proofread the list in an effort to get it out to everyone in a timely manner!!! Congratulations are in order for everyone who submitted an entry and especially to the winners across very crowded fields of excellent spicy sauces, spices, confections, etc etc etc!!! So without further ado, here are the lucky winners:
Late Note: The show producers omitted some categories when announcing the winners during the Awards ceremony, so I am adding them here, with the late entry noted in parentheses by the category. Divisional Winners, with the exception of Marketing, were announced in the week or so after the show. I’ve noted them in bold below, as well.
BBQ -Mustard
1. Aunty Lilikoi Passion Fruit Aunty Lilikoi Passion Fruit Kiawe BBQ Sauce
2. Firebud Brands – Slap Sauce
3. Backwoods Premium Sauces -Mustard Based
BBQ – Asian
1. Sweet & Spicy, LLC – Alaskan Umami Sauce “Hot”
2. High Octane Sauce Company – 1500 RPM Asian BBQ Sauce
3. CaJohns Fiery Foods – Awesome sauce
BBQ – Bourbon
1. Sloppy 2nds BBQSloppy 2nds Peach Bourbon BBQ
2. CaJohns Fiery FoodsAmberFyre Manhattan Black Cherry Bourbon
3. CaJohns Fiery Foods – CaJohns Bourbon Street Spicy
BBQ –Specialty
1. Smoky Jon’s #1 BBQ – Smoky Jon’s Fiery Gourmet Supreme BBQ Sauce
2. Me-Me K’s BBQ Sauce – Me-Me K’s BBQ Sauce
3. SADIE B FOODS – SADIE B FOODS JERK BBQ SAUCE
BBQ – Mild
1. Fat Ferg’s Backyard BBQ Sauce – Fat Ferg’s Backyard BBQ Sauce, Sweet & Mild
2. Minorcan Datil Pepper Products, LLC – Minorcan Datil Pepper Barbecue Sauce
3. Cerniglia Enterprises LLC – Russ & Frank’s Mild
BBQ- Fruit
1. Butch’s Smack Your Lips BBQ – Butch’s Smack Your Lips – Happy Apple (Also Divisional Winner)
2. Southern Belles BBQ – Pineapple Twang
3. Southern Belles BBQ – Ms. Mango
BBQ- Alcohol Infused
1. Sensational Sauces – Toasted Vanilla Cognac
2. CaJohns Fiery Foods – Apple Smoked Spiced Rum Ancho
3. Me-Me K’s BBQ Sauce – Me-Me K’s BBQ Sauce
BBQ – Chipotle
1. CattleBoyz Foods LTD – CattleBoyz Chipotle Maple Bacon BBQ Sauce
2. Sloppy 2nds BBQ – Sloppy 2nds Chipotle BBQ
3. Hammer & Tongs BBQ Sauce – Smoked Chipotle
BBQ Hot
1. Buddy’s BBQ Sauce LLC – Buddy’s BBQ Sauce
2. Butch’s Smack Your Lips BBQ – Butch’s Smack Your Lips – Pyro
3. CaJohns Fiery Foods – HDH Grillin Sauce
BBQ – Medium
1. New Venue LLC – Mango Peach
2. FrogBone – Bayou Barbeque
3. Grill Side Barbeque – Grill Side Downtown Heat
BBQ – Tomato
1. Uncle Kenny’s BBQ - Uncle Kenny’s BBQ Original
2. Butcher BBQ – Butcher BBQ
3. Smoky Jon’s #1 BBQ – Smoky Jon’s Fiery Gourmet Supreme BBQ Sauce
BBQ – Vinegar Based
1. SuckleBusters – SuckleBusters Original
2. Meat Mitch – Naked BBQ Sauce
3. Whiteford Gourmet Foods, Inc. – Whiteford’s Olde 70
BBQ – X Hot
1. Butch’s Smack Your Lips BBQ – Butch’s Smack Your Lips – super pyro
2. Sweet & Spicy, LLC – Alaskan Umami Sauce “Extra Hot”
3. CaJohns Fiery Foods – CaJohns BBQ Sauce 10 (Jolokia)
Hot Sauce Asian
1. CaJohns Fiery Foods -Al Buddah Hot
2. Race City Sauce Works – 7 Pepper Sriracha
3. CaJohns Fiery Foods – Al Buddah Mild
Hot Sauce – Indian
1. Rick’s Test Kitchen – Ami (TM)
2. Race City Sauce Works – Pure Genius
3. Mr. Vikkis – King Naga
Hot Sauce – Caribbean
1. Pirate Jonny’s Carribean BBQ Rubs, Seasonings, & Sauces – Syrena’s Seduction
2. Cayman Islands Sauce Company – Citrus Heat
3. Ken’s Pepper WorksIsland Sunshine
Hot Sauce – Latin
1. CaJohns Fiery Foods – Caracara (Also Divisional Winner and “Best Hot Sauce in the World”)
2. CaJohns Fiery Foods – Oaxacan Chipotle
3. Culley’s Limited – Culley’s Green Chile
Hot Sauce – Chipotle
1. NW Elixirs Hot Sauce Co. – #3 Hott Smoke
2. CaJohns Fiery Foods – Happy Beaver
3. Cili Pipp – Chipotle BBQ
Hot Sauce – Pepper Blend:
1. DAVEZ FOODZ – Just Chil’n
2. CaJohns Fiery Foods – AmberFyre Livingston Parish
3. CaJohns Fiery Foods – Bourbon Infused Chipotle Habanero
Hot Sauce – Fruit
1. Hot Mama’s Belize – Manganero
2. Jungle Heat – Mango Heat
3. VooDoo Chile Sauces – Psycho Tropic
Hot Sauce – Medium
1. High Octane Sauce Company – Anubis’ Chariot
2. Red Canyon Spice – Raptor Original
3. CaJohns Fiery Foods – Bumblefoot’s Normal
Hot Sauce – Mild
1. Race City Sauce Works – Roasted Aleppo & Cayenne Shiatta
2. Davez Foodz – Sweet Spicy Girl
3. NW Elixirs Hot Sauce Co. – #2 Verde Hot
Hot Sauce Hot
1. NW Elixirs – #5 Hot Jolkia
2. Humbolt – Habanero Hot
3. Feisty Parrot – Ouch
Hot Sauce – Xhot
1. Fire Dragon Chillies – Deadly
2. PuckerButt Pepper Company – Reaper
3. Scotty O’Hotty Hot Sauce – The Ghost Sauce
Hot Sauce Ultra Hot
1. CaJohns Fiery Foods – Sling Blade Reaper Hot Sauce
2. Race City Sauce Works – 7 Pepper Sriracha
3. Hellfire Hot Sauce Inc – Fear This! (Carolina Reaper Sauce)
Hot Sauce Louisiana Style (Award Winners Announced Late – July 29, 2014)
1. Culley’s – Culley’s Habanero
2. Capsup – Paprika und Chiliprodukte – Habanero Blend
3. Gindo’s Spice of Life – “Original Fresh and Spicy” Pepper Sauce
Condiment – Jam/Jelly
1. Rasta Bros. – Jamaican Pepper Jelly
2. Bayou Born BBQ – Bayou Born – Fiesta Pepper Jam
3. Frog Bone – Apple Strawberry Ghost Pepper Preserves
Snacks
1. Madison Chocolatiers West – Gateway to Hell (Also Divisional Winner)
2. Madison Chocolatiers West – Cayenne Caramels
3. Madison Chocolatiers West – Sweet Burn Butter Toffee
Snacks – Pickles
1. CHEEK Flavored Pickles – Sweet then Spicy Pickles
2. KA-Ranch – Smokey Hot Pickles
3. Texas Creek Products – Texas Creek Pickled Pepper Medley
Bloody Mary Mix
1. Whiteford Gourmet Foods, Inc. – Whiteford’s Spicy BMM
2. Aunt Whiskey Enterprises – Aunt Whiskey’s Smokin-Hot Bloody Mary Mix
3. Backyard Mary – Backyard Mary Bloody Mary Mix
Wing – Medium
1. Sean’s booYah! – Bali
2. Sean’s booYah! – Maple Habo Wabo
3. Sparky’s Wing & Dippin Sauce – Sparky’s Wing & Dippin Sauce
Wing – Specialty
1. Rasta Bros. – Carribean Heat Dipping Sauce & Glaze
2. Sean’s booYah! – Maple Habo Wabo
3. SADIE B FOODS – SADIE B FOODS JAMAICAN MANGO JERK SAUCE
Wings – Hot
1. Sean’s booYah! – Creeper
2. Sean’s booYah! – Sorta Hot
3. Sean’s booYah! – Stinky Bee
Wing – Mild
1. Sean’s booYah! – Bali (Also Divisional Winner)
2. Sean’s booYah! – Buffayaki
3. Gourmet Conveniences, Ltd. – Sweet Sunshine “Warm”
Salsa– Fruit
1. CaJohns Fiery Foods – Mangonero
2. Sweet Slap’n Salsa Co. – Sweet Slap’n Salsa Strawberry
3. CaJohns Fiery Foods – Jalapino
Salsa – Verde/Tomatillo
1. Deception Salsa – Jealous
2. SilverLeaf International – Ghost Pepper Salsa Verde
3. Stagecoach Salsa Company – Green Extreme
Salsa – Chipotle
1. CaJohns Fiery Foods -Raspberry chipotle
2. Gunther’s Gourmet Groceries – Spicy Chipotle Pepper & Smoked Corn Salsa
3. TRAIL RIDER SALSA COMPANY – Chipotle Heat
Salsa – Bean and Corn
1. Sweet Slap’n Salsa Co. – Sweet Slap’n Salsa Black Bean & Corn
2. CaJohns Fiery Foods – BBC Ghost Chile
3. Gunther’s Gourmet Groceries – Black & White Bean Salsa
Salsa – Extra Hot (Winners Announced Late – July 29th)
1. Silverleaf International – Scorpion Salsa
2. Cajohn’s Fiery Foods – Reaper
3. Stick Figure Salsa – Ghost Chile Salsa Verde
Salsa – Hot
1. Mr. Saucy – Flirting Flame
2. Uncle Bunk’s – Rustic Pepper Sauce – hot
3. CaJohns Fiery Foods – Italian Hot
Salsa – Medium
1. CaJohns Fiery Foods – BBC Medium
2. Gunther’s Gourmet Groceries – Jalapeno Salsa Fresca
3. Rooster’s SalsaRooster’s Salsa- Medium Blend
Salsa – Mild
1. Gunther’s Gourmet Groceries – Salsa Fresca (Divisional Winner)
2. Mr. Saucy – Laid Back Jack
3. TRAIL RIDER SALSA COMPANY – Yankee Mild
Condiment Relish
1. Uncle Bunk’s Mustard Relish – Hot (Also Divisional Winner)
2. Minorcan Datil Pepper Products, LLC – Minorcan Datil Pepper Relish
3. Posh Pickles and Preserves – Sa’ Va’ Tu’o’ng ‘o’t
Condiments – Salad Dressing
1. Stagecoach Salsa Company – Sheriff Mike’s Spicy Salsa Ranch
2. Uncle Roy’s Comestible Creations – ”One & Only” Dressing
3. Poca’s Hottest – Shak Nasti Cajun Honey Mustard
Condiments – Specialty/Unique
1. Uncle Roy’s Comestible Creations – Super Horseradish Sauce
2. Frog Bone – Bayou Cocktail
3. Gourmet Conveniences, Ltd. – Sweet Sunshine “Roasted Shallot & Garlic”
Condiments – Mustard
1. Uncle Roy’s Comestible Creations – Rabbie’s Burnie Mustard
2. Backwoods Mustard Company – Sweet Jalapeno
3. Texas Creek Products – MVG Chipotle Mustard
Marketing Other
1. Frankie V’s – Wasabi Green Thai CHili
2. Zombie – Cajun
3. Trail Rider Salsa CO. – Yankee Mild Salsa
Marketing Hot Sauce
1. Lucky Dog – Dia Del Perro (Also Divisional Winner)
2. Cullys’s – Fire Water
3. Pirate Jonnys – Syrena’s Seduction
Marketing – BBQ Sauce
1. Smokey Moon BBQ Sauce
2. Jenk’s Specialty Foods Sugar Britches
3. Me-Me K’s BBQ Sauce
Holy Mole’! CaJohn’s Got Me Enchanted!
Enchantment is a mole inspired sauce and a new addition to CaJohn’s stable of sauces
At this spring’s New York City Hot Sauce Expo, John Hard (aka CaJohn) came up to me and said, Ken, I have a new sauce I want you to try. I think you’re gonna like it! Well, I don’t know if there’s been a creation from CaJohn’s Flavor & Fire that I didn’t like, so it was a safe bet. But I didn’t expect to be enchanted!!!!
Okay, so I’m making a little play on words here. If you’ve looked at the picture, you know I’m referring to Enchantment, a mole’ style sauce and one of CaJohn’s most recent culinary creations! I’ve had this sauce since the week after the show (thanks to Sue Hard, who graciously boxed up and shipped my hot sauce booty for me, since it’s kind of hard to take 40 bottles of sauce and products through as a carry on!) and it has become one of my go to sauces for anything Mexican or Latin, or anything I want to highlight with the flavor or Old Mexico!
If you know CaJohn and Sue, you know they love New Mexico, and they pay homage to their affection in the label write up of the sauce. They reference their enchantment with the state (get it? Nice word play, CaJohn!) and wanted a sauce that created a fusion of North American Indian, Spanish Mission, Mayan, and Chuck Wagon styles in the tradition of the old Mexico Mole Poblano sauce made famous in the mountain city of Puebla, Mexico (there’s some controversy about the origin of mole sauce, but I’ve been to Puebla, and those folks are pretty darn convincing!). A traditional mole sauce has a pile of stuff in it, from various roasted nuts, to dried bread and fruit, and a finishing of dark chocolate, and cooks for hours and hours. This sauce celebrates that richness, but uses a different flavor and ingredient profile.
Enchantment uses several different peppers: New Mexican chile, Ancho, Guajillo, Chile de Arbol, and Pequin. Add in distilled and cider vinegar, garlic, agave nectar, cumin, salt and oregano, and you have a dark, rich, complex sauce that masterfully layers its flavors and it’s oh so subtle heat. This is not a hot sauce to me. It is a finishing sauce for meat, or a base to slow cook and simmer pork, chicken, or beef. And it took my Spanish omelet to a whole new level! If I have any suggestions for CaJohn based on my using it these past few months, is that my batch is really thick and doesn’t always want to easily pour out of its flask style bottle. But that is a small issue, and after all, a mole is supposed to be thick. Another thing I learned while playing with it is that it doesn’t always play well with others, and mixing it with other powders, spices, rubs, etc. could alter the flavor profile enough to mess things up. So for those that like to use multiple sauces, powders, rubs, etc. in your dishes, don’t be surprised if you’re not thrilled with your results. In other words, make your life easy and don’t use anything else- it’s not necessary.
Enchantment adds a new dimension to a Spanish Omelet!
Now I’m sure there are those of you that are much more skilled in the kitchen than yours truly, and can use it with other spices and products, but I appreciated the stupid proofness that Enchantment gave me. And like I said, while it’s not a true mole sauce (CaJohn will be the first to tell you that it’s a mole “inspired” sauce), the deep, earthy tones of the Arbol chile, combined with the mildly acidic guajillo and New Mexican, the sweetness of the ancho (I think they’re sweet, anyway!), and the playful heat of the pequin combine in masterful fashion to provide my taste buds and smell buds (do we even have smell buds? Remind me to look that up!) with a trip to old Mexico!
So Enchantment earns itself a full 4 Fiery Worlds from this author. I enjoyed the cool way it uses so many different peppers so smartly, the simple list of other ingredients that celebrates the flavors without muddying it all up, and the fullness and richness that makes the sauce “mole-like”. Add in a first hand appreciation for John and Sue’s love for New Mexico and I wish I was on a mesa in New Mexico watching a beautiful sunset, chowing down on some slow cooked pork wrapped in a homemade tortilla, smothered in Enchantment! Ahhh….some enchanted evening that would be! And why, Ladies and Gentlemen? Because…….It’s a Fiery World! (Note: At press time, I didn’t see Enchantment listed on Cajohn’s website, so you may need to inquire as to availability)
Yours truly and the “Godfather” at the NYC Hot Sauce Expo
Ricky’s Gone Plain Nuts! Or Has He?! Hahahaha!!!
From Spicy Chipotle Chile to Sweet Chai, these are not your run of the mill snack nuts!
I got an email a while back from the fine folks at Ricky’s Lucky Nuts in Durango, Colorado, telling me how great their new line of snack nuts were and would I try them and give some feedback. Well, I’ve been accused before of being just a little nuts, so of course I said yes! After all, when you offer a Chilehead snacks with cool names like Thai Red Curry and Spicy Chile Chipotle (they even spelled Chile right!!!), there’s no way you can refuse! Right?! Right! I can tell you right here and now, folks – Ricky ain’t nuts and he ain’t plain, neither!!
I received 5 individual serving bags, and not your run of the mill honey roasted, jalapeno, plain roasted, etc etc etc! I got cool flavors! Hip flavors! Flavors that would make the “new” Colorado snack world proud (I’m guessing their snack food industry is working overtime these days!) I’m talkin’ munchie worthy!! In addition to the Spicy Chile Chipotle and the Thai Red Curry, I also got Black Pepper and Sea Salt, Sweet Chai, and Real Coffee. Real Coffee?! Really?! Who does a coffee peanut?! Well, evidently, Ricky does, and he does ‘em up proud, too!!
The Real Coffee were my favorites, as they had an espresso type earthiness to them, and just enough sweet to take the bitter edge off and merge the coffee with the nut in beautiful fashion. The bag smelled good, and I didn’t get a dusty coating all over my fingers! Is there a cutesy slogan for flavor that stays where it plays – oh wait – that’s kinda catchy! Hmmmm…….. Back to the nuts – the coating seems like it’s baked on so it doesn’t come off, and that was true with all the flavors. Score one for Ricky, unless you’re the kind of person who likes that whole “let me lick my orange cheese curl stained fingers” vibe!!! And I’m sure there are several in Colorado- especially these days!!!! So how about the other flavors?
Well, the Thai Red Curry I ate by itself and put in a stir fry along with my fav asian style hot sauce, and it was just rich enough in flavor to highlight the dish, accent the other flavors, and make me feel like I was hanging out in Bangkok! I also did the same with the Sweet Chai ! As you can see in the pic, my shrimp stir fry was awesome with that smooth but slightly off Chai note. It made an interesting flavor addition to my standard asian influences. Unlike the Red Curry used in another stir fry, where I kept my flavor additions to a minimum, I didn’t hold back while using the Chai, and it really stepped up and balanced the dish exquisitely! And it made for a tasty stand alone snack- subtle Chai tones surrounded by the nuttiness of an obviously high quality, lovingly roasted peanut. Well played, Ricky!
From a fun and simple label to gourmet level snacking inside, these babies have it all!
The Spicy Chile Chipotle was only slightly spicy, but then again, I have a pretty big tolerance. But I liked the subtleness as I woofed down the whole bag! And the whole bag did leave a nice spicy zing in the back of my throat! The Black Pepper and Sea Salt were a good snack, and also mixed in a fresh spinach, tomato, olive, and mozzarella salad. Gave a nice texture, complimented the flavors without interrupting my love affair with balsamic vinegar and EVOO, and made the salad more fun! Cause I’m sorry, but salads are booooring!!! I’ve never had black pepper in a snack nut before, and it is such a natural fit! And the sea salt was very very smooth.
All in all, I give Ricky’s Lucky Nuts 4 Fiery Worlds! Their label is fun and has good “viewability” in a store shelf or on an end cap rack by the register! Go to their website, order you some, sit back and enjoy!!! Whether used to highlight a dish, or to snarf for a snack during those munchie attacks, you won’t be sorry! And that’s because, Ladies and Gentlemen, It’s a Fiery World!!!
It's a Fiery World 