Hot sauces - recent discoveries

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Ploutos

Ploutos

Puritan Board Graduate
I thought it would be nice for a change to talk about one of the really important things in life: hot sauces! :flamingscot:

Like other real men, I love my hot sauces and I love them on lots of different things. They don't have to be unique or original, and I have my favorites among the big-name brands found at any Walmart: Cholula, Crystal, Texas Pete...

What I want to do in this thread, though, is to share recent hot sauce discoveries, and to hear about some of yours! For the purposes of this thread, barbecue sauces don't count unless they've got some real fire to them.

For the last year or so, I've practically been a brand evangelist for Melinda's Scorpion Pepper Sauce - every time I've gotten it out, it's become a big hot with at least one other guy. It packs a serious punch and has fantastic flavor. Recommended on just about anything you'd put hot sauce on but it's particularly nice on chilis, stews, and roasts.

Recently my wife introduced me to Local Hive's line of honey hot sauces - original and mango-habanero flavors. These are moderately hot - you'll notice, but they won't make you sweat. The original, paired with nicely seasoned pulled pork, is probably one of the best flavor pairings I've discovered this year. Highly highly recommended and don't be stingy with it.

Hot Ones' lists its verde as a 5/10 for heat, but really it's a 3 or 4. It has a great flavor - highly recommended on eggs, amazing on tamales or anything Mexican-themed.

I have only tasted Lola's original - in fact, I was just introduced to it tonight, and it prompted the post. This hot sauce is absolutely delicious. It has some serious heat - hotter than Hot Ones or Local Hive, but not as hot as the scorpion sauce. What sets this apart is the flavor. It has a strongly peppery, vinegary, and smoky flavor. I paired it with pulled pork and it was absolutely fantastic.

All other things being equal, I would aim to be a repeat customer for all four of these brands. They've all got a good mix of heat and flavor. Now it's your turn - what amazing hot sauces have you discovered recently?
 
I make my own fermented hot sauces. I use fresno peppers as the base and then use jalapeño, habanero, ghost pepper, or Carolina reaper depending on my mood at the time. I don't sell them, though, so I can't "recommend" it. But I love hot sauce and fermenting so this topic is right up my ally.

My actual recommendation comes from a brand whose name is a bit crass, but whose sauces are amazing: https://puckerbuttpeppercompany.com...Rb33-Hp4IS62fw_rggd-Onx2HKNfEmbrE4i86kRvqnRGZ
 
Thanks for sharing these recommendations! I'll have to give them a try. As for the main hot sauces I use, I typically stick with Valentina and Cholula. I especially like Valentina.

The most recent one I've had is a homemade verde sauce. I had it with street tacos at a local Mexican restaurant and it was phenomenal. I still need to try and find one that's similar.

As for specialty hot sauces, that's a bit of an uncharted territory for me as of yet. When I got into them before, I was a bit brave and went straight to a cherry hot sauce. The flavors clashed for me.
 
My son and I have a special affinity for regular old Tabasco.

Tabasco scorpion pepper is pretty potent though as well!
 
Melinda’s Green on Mexican food.
Louisiana Brand for Louisiana style
Tapatio for snacks
Cholula for eggs
Melinda’s jalapeno ketchup for fries
Melinda’s habanero honey mustard for chicken
 
I learned to make gumbo with Crystal so that will always be a fav. I'll saute dried Thai chilies in oil and use that as the foundation for curries, Pad Thai, etc. They last a long time and I'll grow them every year or two.
 
When I was in Mexico in high school, I asked my friend what the best Mexican hot sauce was. He said, Valentina. I bought a big thing of it and I rationed that stuff like Joseph Stalin at the height of WWII. My siblings had to ask permission to use it and I'd flip out at them if they used more than a dollop. Then, a week before I was to return to Mexico, I saw a big display of Valentina in a Denver, CO Walmart. I'd turned into a hot sauce fascist for nothing.
 
Growing up I used Texas Pete... I remember when, at an IHOP in Tacoma, WA, sometime in 1997, I had Cholula for the first time and it changed my life. To this day Cholula is my favorite. But for Louisiana type dishes I definitely use tabasco... it's just perfect!

Crystal is good but tastes like someone was trying to copy Frank's Red Hot (Franks being my goto to make buffalo sauce).

I'm willing to try all sorts of hot sauces, but these are my favs. :)
 
This is more of an Asian hot sauce than a Hispanic hot sauce like many of the ones listed, but what do y’all think about Buldak? My Asian friends and students rave about it, but I’ve also heard it’s quite hot and I have the spice tolerance of a typical white dude from the northeast United States…
 
You all might give Panola a try for Louisiana style hot sauce. They've lost their plant to fire a couple of times, but I think they are still in business. They are located in north Louisiana (Lake Providence).
 
Speaking of hot sauces. Have you guys noticed if some of the major brands have gotten less spicy over the years? I'm thinking of Frank's and Sriracha in particular. I remember I used to think that Sriracha was super hot, and now it just doesn't seem to have the kick as much.
 
MyCrows said:
Speaking of hot sauces. Have you guys noticed if some of the major brands have gotten less spicy over the years? I'm thinking of Frank's and Sriracha in particular. I remember I used to think that Sriracha was super hot, and now it just doesn't seem to have the kick as much.
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I've noticed this as well. I've also noticed that people talk more quietly and with less articulation, that light bulbs are less bright, and that herbs don't have the same pungent smell that they used to.
 
Ploutos said:
I've noticed this as well. I've also noticed that people talk more quietly and with less articulation, that light bulbs are less bright, and that herbs don't have the same pungent smell that they used to.
Click to expand...
Yea, that's what I was afraid of.
 
Nandos Peri-Peri! This Portuguese-West African sauce is utterly delightful on chicken and vegetables. It'd probably be great on pork or seafood as well.
 
Theoretical said:
Nandos Peri-Peri! This Portuguese-West African sauce is utterly delightful on chicken and vegetables. It'd probably be great on pork or seafood as well.
Click to expand...
That is a good one. I like it on pork and on sandwiches or wraps. But I like the "extra-hot" one - it lasts longer!
 
Another great sauce is Sambal Oelek.

While it's not a sauce per se, they're good enough to be eaten straight with about the heat of a cayenne pepper, namely Calabrian chiles. They've got a profile that reminds me of 1/10 heat habaneros.
 
I had been looking for something with the flavor of Chipotle Tabasco with the consistency of Sriracha..... couldn't find anything so now i make my own with chipotles in adobo. It is quite nice!
 
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