Living in the Bay Area we have a very large Hispanic community. Added to this my daughter in law is from Guatemala. I don't like hot sauce per say, but I really enjoy a tasty verde sauce.
I make buffalo wings at home on a more regular basis than I should... The only sauce I'll use are Defcon sauces: www.defconsauces.com Big fan of the Defcon 2 for wings
Like many others here, I like flavor in a hot sauce, not just heat. And I don't like super hot sauces, just don't enjoy pain on my tongue. I really enjoy going to the Pepper Palace in Gatlinburg, TN when we're on vacation in the mountains. They have their own line of sauces, and I usually pick up a bottle or two. They have a heat rating system that they apply to all sauces, not just their own brand, that is one to ten, with ten being the hottest. I like something around five. There is a counter with several sauces you can sample with pretzel sticks, along with one called "The World's Hottest Hot Sauce," rated 10+++. My son made the mistake of trying it, he had to drink a pint if milk to kill the heat (water and especially soft drinks don't help). Other than the Pepper Palace sauces, I like Cholula original and green pepper, Sriracha, and Frank's, and really any sauce with flavor not just heat. I do not care for Tabasco brand at all. Too vinegary, and heat without flavor IMHO, YMMV. I make my own pepper sauce for beans and greens, and all I do is pour apple cider vinegar right at boiling point over a jar packed with cayenne peppers, add a little salt, sugar, and garlic powder, tighten the lid down, let it cool to room temperature, then age in a refrigerator for several months. A little vinegary, but if you let it age long enough the predominate flavor is the peppers. The sugar doesn't make it sweet, but helps balance the vinegar.
4 oz. of McIlhenny Original Red Pepper sauce 2 oz. of Karo white corn syrup Worchestershire to taste. Works well on everything from corn feed beef to corn flakes!
Tabasco Chipotle or mild green Jalapeno or Tapatio for simple sauces, Religious Experience or Pueblo Green Chili for salsas and a liberal helping of the Pueblo green chilis on almost anything.
I'm a fan of Cholula. Another one that may be regional is Aardvark Habanero. Hot, and a really good flavor.
My fave is Brother Bru Bru's African Hot Pepper sauce. I got a bottle at the local Whole Paycheck once and was hooked. Oh man, that stuff is good! I used to grow tepin peppers when I had room for a garden. The plants don't look like other pepper plants, and the peppers are the size of a pea. They later turn red as they ripen, and are quite hot.
I make a killer and very hot salsa with these from my garden The last photo is our bath tub full of peppers. Our garden went crazy this year
Most Hot Sauces out there are not hot. This one is HOT! Excellent on your Carne Asada along with some fresh Lime.
Ive been fermenting habenaros and making my own hot sauce. Its been a fun experimenting with different ingredients (carrots, squash, apples) so far.
Ive been fermenting habenaros and making my own hot sauce. Its been a fun experimenting with different ingredients (carrots, squash, apples) so far.
I had a buddy introduce me to a hot sauce a friend of his makes. He refuses to automate and still does it all by hand.....how could I refuse that? Old Grumpy Mark's I tried the medium, Pearl Harbor and Dracula's Curse. All were damn fine.
I tried a really tasty bacon flavored hot sauce that had quite a kick to it. I wish I could remember the name of it. Tried it at a farmer's market. The guy selling it said it was a notch below ghost pepper hot sauce. I might be brave enough to try the ghost pepper one the next time I see him...
