This was left as a comment, but I thought it deserved a little more attention.

Thanks for the glowing review of Fire Sauce No. 9! I am taking such comments from a connoisuer like yourself as the highest of compliments.

When I introduced the products in early ’04, I was fortunate enough to secure a vending space at the historic Eastern Market on Capital Hill in Washington, DC. Every weekend, you can find there a collection of produce and specialty venders and thousands of visitors from around the country as well as around the world.

This past weekend, several people came to both purchase (based on your review) and let me know that I had been written up on HSB. I was thrilled to learn of this as I’ve been so busy lately that I hadn’t even heard of HSB. (What a terrific site!) But I just wanted to clarify a couple of things brought up in your review.

First, with regard to the questionable nature of the folklore, admitedly, I’ve received every possible question ranging from, “is that really true” to “how could you put something so obviously WRONG on your label like that??!!” I needed to fill space so I thought why not get a little chuckle out of folks while I’m at it. (I guess that’s why I’m making hot sauce and not telling jokes for a living!) While a few people have actually found it amusing, you’ll be happy to know that the decision had already been made to drop the folklore in order to make room for acknowledgements. (Here is where I’ll admit to being a bit behind on a few things like being on top of keeping my website updated.)

To date, Uncle Brutha’s Fire Sauces have accumulated a total of 16 awards since September of 2004. Along with the 2nd place for No. from the 2005 Fiery Food Challenge, both sauces won first place awards in this years Cajun Hot Sauce festival’s Hot Sauce competition and we were named Grand Champion/Hot Sauce Manufacturer of the year with 8 total awards (www.sugarena.com for a complete listing.) Fire Sauce No. 10 picked up another second place for XXX hot and First place for Best Hot Sauce General-All catagories at the 2005 America’s Zesty Best Professional Food Competion (www.zestybest.com) Most recently, Fire Sauce No. 9 received three second place awards while No. 10 got a third place as well as 1st Place Golden Chile award for Hot Sauce XXX Hot in the 2006 Fiery Food Challenge (www.chilepepper.com) We’re very proud of these acknowledements as they have served to fuel our tenacity and determination to keep moving forward.

Finally, I would also like to apologize for the mis-placed sticker. It was most definiely placed in error which has already been addressed and will hopefully not happen again. While having been disappointed when No. 9 has not won in every competition we don’t believe it necessary to mis-lead anyone as we strongly believe the flavor sells itsself. Thanks again for the glowing review. I hope you enjoy the No. 10 equally as much.

- Uncle Brutha

No, this isn’t a fountain of hot sauce, it’s actually a fountain of hot blood sauce that resides within the main gates at Six Flags Great Adventure for the Fright Fest. The wife & I decided to brave the 40 degree weather and crowds of teenagers in order to ride the tallest and fastest roller coaster on Earth.
It may not look like much in my picture here, but believe me, that fucker is huge! And even though we mistakenly cut in front of 1/4 of the line, the wait was still just over 3 hours – probably only 2 hours if we hadn’t waited the for the front seat. I thought about trying to get a better picture right before the coaster shot us out, but the thought of getting a digital camera jammed into my face at 128mph made me think twice. Hell, I thought my contacts were going to fly out of my eyes and I’m pretty sure the wife peed herself a bit. We can’t wait to go again!
So after behaving like teenagers for the day, we stopped at “Real Mexican Food” (actually the name of the place) & instead of paying $10 for a pretzel at the park, we had drinks, dinner and chips & salsa + tip for less then $30. Immediately when we walked in I knew I was going to like the food. “Hola, Bienvinedos” was music to my ears and my stomach & finding Tapatio and El Yucateco on the table just about made my night. The selection was large and the waitress was very attentive.
Right before our food came, a family with 2 demon spawn offspring came in and sat in the booth right behind us. The entire place was empty and they sat right next to us. This really irritated me and not just because I like a little space, but the two demon spawn kids were 500 times worse then my brother and I ever were. The eldest spawn child was about 5-6 and one day she will make some man very unhappy & probably ruin his night just liked she did for us.

Dinner was a Burrito Al Carbon with beans & rice. Simple and delicious – plus it was easy to eat quickly. If we ever hit Six Flags Great Adventure again, we will definately swing by again. Had it not been for the demon spawn kids we would have stayed longer and tried dessert. Definately can’t find “Real Mexican” in NYC.

Anybody know if Blair has a skull buy back??

HAPPY HALLOWWEEN!

-thakswet

It’s an unassuming little sauce, but it kicks ASS!

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I’ve been sick for the last few days thanks to a nasty flu bug and when I’m sick I do what ever man does – reverts to grade school. So in going with my weekend theme I decided to have a PB&J sandwich for dinner.

So I went for Big Daddy Jake’s Mango Habanero Jelly and extra crunchy peanut butter (of course). I was expecting to have my sinuses cleared out instantly after reading the previous review of this tropical jelly but when I took my first bite… nothing. No heat, no wham bam, thank you mam – nada. But then slowly the heat began to build and suddenly it felt like a torch was lit in the back of my throat. The habaneros singed all the way down to my stomach.

This Habanero Mango Jelly doesn’t taste much like any habanero or mango jelly I’ve had before – typically I find that jellies will have a predominant flavor, but Big Daddy Jakes is just a sweet melody of the two.

I can’t wait to try this jelly on some pork chops, mmmm……

Hot Chick Stoner BBQ
This is a guide to the art of barbequing that you won’t want to miss! The lovely Hot Rod Honey imparts all her secrets, joined by her hot stoner friends in some meat-grilling, gun-shooting, whiskey-drinking, pot-smoking action. Honey will teach you how to perfectly prepare ribs, steaks, corn on the cob, mushrooms, and hot peppers, as well as the ins and outs of the consummate marinade and of course, meat rubs.

After reading this post on the BBQ Report, I did what any red blooded American male would do and I added it to our NetFlix queue. The wife saw it a few days later and just rolled her eyes.

First let me say that the BBQ Report was probably right when it comes to not renting this one. High quality it is not – but with ‘stoner’ in the title my expectations were not that ‘high’.

First things first, just getting through the credits and already it strikes me that they use the term ‘hot’ very liberally and ‘stoner’ very literally.

“We make up the rules as we go and we don’t measure the little shit.”
~ Stoner Chick Motto for BBQ and Life

Marinade Recipe:
Olive Oil – 10 Count
Balsamic Vinegar – 5 Count
Tapatio Hot Sauce – To Taste

Add a pinch of:
Black Pepper
Garlic Powder
NM Chile Powder
Cayenne Pepper
Sweet Basil
Oregano
Brown Sugar – 1 Tbsp
Season Salt (Lawry’s)
Sea Salt
Beer – Generous pour

Marinate slice portabella’s and a few button shrooms for 30 minutes or more.

Pork Rub Recipe:
Black Pepper
Garlic Powder
Chili Powder
Cayenne Pepper
Brown Sugar – 2 tbsps
Season salt
Sea salt

Rub ribs and let sit refrigerated for a min of 30 minutes.

BBQ Sauce Recipe:
Tomato sauce
Ketchup
Molasses
Worcestershire sauce
Steak Sauce
Soy sauce
Balsamic Vinegar
Tapatio
Brown Sugar
Black Pepper
Sea Salt
Season Salt
1 Yellow Onion (minced)
1 Clove of Garlic (minced)
Chili Powder
Cayenne Pepper
Garlic Powder

Cook for 5-24 hours till smooth.

In addition to the recipes listed she also BBQs some corn, peppers and the portabellas that were marinated. Good thing this video was only 37 minutes long, I’m not sure how much longer I could stand the video editing and movie montages they so liberally used.

The recipes were half decent and the food did look quite tasty, but I can’t justify adding the sequel to the queue. Probably a lot more entertaining if your under the influence while watching.

by Lindsey Kremkau
October 25, 2005

If you’re willing to get creative for your Halloween party beverages then you’re reading the right article. I’ve done my research and found some festive Halloween alcoholic themed drinks. If you were lucky enough to hit the liquor store to stock up before it got robbed last week, then gather your alcoholic ingredients and read up!

Devil’s Juice
Start with an ample amount of your choice of liquor in a jug
3 oz. cranberry juice
3 oz. tomato juice
1 tsp. Tabasco sauce
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 dashes black pepper
1 dash salt
Tom Collins drink mix
*pour over ice, stir.

Eat Hot Death
2 oz. rum (151 proof)
10 drops lemon juice
*consume quickly and then sit down.

Halloween Sparkle Punch
2/3 cup Tango orange drink mix
1 qt. cold water
2 cups cold liquor (you choose)
1 pint blackberry sherbet

*Place Tango drink mix in a punch bowl, large glass or a plastic pitcher. Add water. Stir until Tango drink mix is dissolved. Refrigerate several hours or until chilled. Stir in liquor when ready to serve. Place 1 small scoop of sherbet in each drink cup. Pour drink mix over sherbet.

Wednesday, October 12, 2005
BY SUE GLEITER
Of The Patriot-News

Look out Tabasco.

A Mechanicsburg company, Torchbearer Sauces, is hoping its habanero-based products with their quirky pop art labels eventually top tables across the country.

The 1-year-old company, operated by David Lynch, 26, Ben Smith, 29, and Tim Wortman, 26, has already nabbed several awards for its products.

Its eight sauces range from the mild Everyday Sauce, to Slaughter, the “hottest natural sauce in the world” at 38,202 Scoville units. The line also includes Sombrero Salsa and Sugar Fire, a sweet-hot dessert sauce.

If things go accordingly, the threesome plan to be hawking their sauces on QVC and selling them to Wegmans, Whole Foods and Williams-Sonoma.

“We’re hoping to be a large national condiment, fast. We’re not small thinkers,” Lynch said.

“We’re willing to take a lot of risks,” Smith added.

The friends met while students at Harrisburg Area Community College. For several years they and 20 to 30 close friends would gather weekly to prepare dinners and see who could eat the hottest foods.

“We were secretly trying to burn each other out,” Smith said.

The dinners led to the creation of a habanero preserve. It was so good that Lynch and Smith took a road trip to Texas to stock up on habaneros, one of the hottest peppers.

Within 72 hours, they were back in Pennsylvania with 666 pounds of peppers. For two weeks, they did nothing but chop, bag and freeze peppers to use in the sauce.

In the beginning, they made the sauces by hand using immersion blenders but demand grew to the point earlier this year that they contracted Beanie’s Chuck Wagon in Lancaster County to take over production.

Unlike most sauces on the market, Torchbearer uses no vinegar, water or preservatives, making it an all-natural product. The thick sauces are sold in 8-ounce screw lid jars and are made from a base of carrots, mandarin oranges and onions.

“It just seemed like the carrot would match with the habanero and the mandarin orange, a citrus, goes with habaneros because habaneros have a fruity flavor,” Smith said. “The onion adds body and gives it a lot more sweetness.”

Habaneros are the sole pepper of choice.

“We love habaneros, that’s why we use them. It has the best flavor. We hate jalapenos, we think they taste horrible,” Lynch said.

The Sultry Sauce is the group’s first creation. It has also won the bulk of awards including a second place in the XXX Hot Sauce category at Chile Pepper Magazine’s Zest Fest last month in Texas. They also won three awards at the Cajun Hot Sauce Festival in Louisiana.

The line climbs to the Slaughter Sauce which is advertised as the “hottest natural hot sauce.”

“I think we wanted to see how many habaneros we could cram into one jar,” Smith said.

The Sugar Fire Sauce was inspired by Wortman who is allergic to onions. It is made from papaya, mangos, habaneros, brown sugar and pumpkin spice and goes easily with desserts, especially vanilla ice cream.

The sauces boast many culinary uses and can be used as sandwich spreads, in marinades, dips, burgers and stir fries. “A darn good condiment that enhances what you want it to” is the group’s motto.

They’ve created a small recipe book with two dozen of their favorite recipes, from Vyn’s Spaghetti Sauce to Torchbearer Mac and Cheese.

The eye-popping labels which include a cast of bizarre “rudimentary folk art” characters who live in Pennsyltuckey have drawn attention to the products.

“Their packaging is unusual because it’s in an eight-ounce jar, very colorful, bright. Their sauces are more thick than traditional sauces, more spoonable. They’ve been able to capture the sweet to the most extreme heat,” said Dave Mackey, owner of Belches N Burps in Strawberry Square.

The Neiman Group in Harrisburg created the labels. The firm learned about Torchbearer after Lynch met over lunch with an acquaintance from high school who works at Neiman.

Two days later the firm called saying they wanted to do a pro bono marketing campaign for Torchbearer. The three jumped at the offer.

As for the future, Torchbearer is working on introducing more products and hiring additional staff. They also have a habanero cheesecake they’ve created and they’ve sent baskets of the sauces to publications including GQ magazine, hoping for publicity.

“It’s such a good product, if you get it to the people, they like it,” Lynch said. Torchbearer Sauces Vidian Spaghetti Sauce 1 bottle store bought spaghetti sauce 1 large onion, chopped 2-3 tomatoes, cubed 1 green pepper, chopped 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2-3 tablespoons Torchbearer Sultry Sauce Italian seasoning, to taste

Heat the oil in a large sauce pan. Cook garlic, 1/2 of onions and green pepper in sauce pot. Place spaghetti sauce in pot, add rest of the vegetables and Sultry Sauce. Let simmer for 25 minutes. Torchbearer Sauces Fluffer Nutter 2 slices bread 2-4 tablespoons peanut butter 2 tablespoons marshmallow fluff 2-3 teaspoons Torchbearer Sugar Fire Sauce

Spread peanut butter evenly on one slice of bread. Spread Sugar Fire Sauce on other side of bread topped with marshmallow. Place halves together to form sandwich.

SUE GLEITER: 255-8230 or sgleiter@patriot-news.com

I love truth in advertising and Tabasco doesn’t lie. I grabbed a Porter House steak at the market (on sale) and tossed it into a gallon sized ziplock bag with 1/2 a bottle of Chipotle Tabasco. I left it to sit for about 30 minutes while I heated up the cast iron grill pan and prepared the asparagus.

I boiled the asparagus while I grilled the steak. Grilled each side for 10 minutes, using a brush to spread more Chipotle Tabasco on with each flip. You can see the resulting steak below, but just let me say it was damn tasty. The wife and I split the meal and found ourselves fighting over the last little morsel of meat.

This one is going in the record books…