MSK – Surprise!

MississippiSauceKing.com is now live and fully functional – this site was created for MSK as a surprise effort dedicated to his autographed collection.

What is it?
Esssentially, it’s a web-based collection interface. Once I walk MSK through the site, he’ll be able to add each bottle in his collection to the database and they will be displayed on the Sauce Listings page. This will allow for manufacturers to see if they are listed in his collection and for the rest of the world to drool over it.

Take a moment and check it out. Let me know if any errors stand out. The site is pretty barebones right now as I spent the majority of the time developing the backend/interface.

I’m just becoming acquainted with the fatalii pepper, aka the Yellow Devil’s Tongue. My only other exposure has been to fatalii powder, and I was looking forward to trying this blazing varietal in a sauce for the first time with CaJohn’s Fatalii Fire.

Ingredients: Fatalii chilies, vinegar, garlic, onion, black pepper, chile caribe, and a select blend of dehydrated vegetables

Nothing too fancy, just simple and straight to the point. That’s always a good sign when paired with a respected producer like CaJohn.

On First Taste
This sauce takes no prisioners from the first moment you open it. The smell is very strong, an incredibly aromatic blend of peppers, garlic and black pepper. And the first taste hits you like a jackhammer – an all enveloping pepper flavor. Then the heat hits you, and wham, you realize this isn’t a sauce to be taken lightly. The burn is pretty significant, rivaling the hotter of the non-extract sauces I’ve tried. And the burn lingers for a good while.

There is nothing subtle about CaJohn’s Fatalii Fire. If it were an animal, it’d be an 800 lb. gorilla, bashing you over the head with fresh fatalii peppers. And I loved every second of it. It’s really a chilihead’s delight, a simple, pure, powerful and hot exhibition of the fatalii pepper.

On Food
I had a very tough time coming up with a food to try Fatalii Fire on. The taste is so intense that I was pretty sure it would wash out the flavor of whatever I tried it on. This is not a complimentary sauce, to be paired with delicate cuisine. It’s an in your face, “here’s the peppers, bitch” kind of sauce, a sauce that dominates, a sauce to be experienced on it’s own merits.

I settled on take out Chinese food, and got an order or almond boneless chicken and an egg roll. The fatalii fire was a good change of pace on the egg roll, a much hotter substitute for my usual helping of hot mustard.

The Fatalii Fire certainly did dominate the taste of the meal, turning it from run of the mill Chinese take out to an intense, fire breathing, heavenly tasting dish with a demon’s heat. I quickly worked up a sweat, and kept piling on the sauce. No doubt, Fatalii Fire is quite the burner.

Conclusion
For the chilihead loving heat and intensity, CaJohn’s Fatalii Fire is an experience not to be missed. With ample heat and flavor to spare, it’ll give the most seasoned of pepper lovers a new and intense experience.

Overall Rating: 8.4 out of 10

SugArena at Acadiana Fairgrounds will be hosting it’s Sixth Annual “Cajun Hot Sauce Festival” on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, April 7, 8 and 9, 2006 at the SugArena located at 713 Northwest Bypass (Hwy 3212), New Iberia, Louisiana.

Weekend events will include Hot Sauce Manufacturer Displays, Festival Pageant, a Hot Sauce Competition, a “Hot Sauce“ Sauce Piquante Cook-off, a street fair, a Hot Air Balloon Rally, a food festival with a variety of specialized “Cajun Cuisine”, a craft/trade show, and lots of great entertainment. The schedule of events is as follows:

Ticket Prices: TBA
NO LAWN CHAIRS PLEASE FRIDAY & SATURDAY
Camping Prices: Thurs. 04/06/2006 – Sat. 04/08/2006
(Camping prices are the same price whether you camp one or three nights)

$60.00 full-service (water & power) LIMITED AVAILABILITY CALL FOR RESERVATION – 337-365-7539
$30.00 primitive camping (no power/water) – Book Upon Arrival

More Information here.

Now, before Mr. & Mrs. Eman go into panic mode and think I ate their bounty, this is a seperate pre-prodcution jar that is un-signed and not numbered. So rest at ease, the #1′s are enroute and unopened.

I remeber trying Blair’s Death Salsa with Ginseng almost a year ago and the thing that sticks in my mind about that salsa is that the chunks were huge – but there was definately not enough heat for a Blair’s product. (the wife ate it with no trouble).

Now, fast forward to the beginning of March and a jar of Blair’s new XXX Salsa & Queso (that review to come later) arrive on my doorstep. Now, both of these products are labeled XXX Hot so I took them to my chilehead AA meeting and shared the heat with the group.

Ingredients (as listed on the prototype label): Red Habanero Chili Pods, fresh diced tomatoes, yellow onions, green bell peppers, white vinegar, water, fresh jalapenos, garlic, cilantro and spices.

Holy moly, habaneros are the first ingredient? Hallelujah, Blair knows his chilehead taste buds. I’ve never come across a shelf stable salsa (with no preservatives) that lists habaneros as the first ingredient, have you? Shelf stable for those that are not in the biz means the product does not have to be refrigerated and can/will remain edible for a certain time period (usually years).

Taste: Mmmm – smaller, more even chunks then the Ginseng Salsa – flavor is a few notches above anything else you would find on your local supermarket shelf. It reminds be of the Salsa de Rosa salsas I love so much. Good honest salsa flavor and then the heat.

The Heat: Now this is funny. I conned a newb chilehead into giving the salsa a whirl. One chip, then two chips and then on the third chip he paused, put the chip down and went for the water. No less then 1 minute later he had sweat dripping off his ears. This folks was the funniest thing I had seen in a while – I’ve heard of things so hot it makes your ears sweat, but Blair’s XXX Salsa literally did it to him before my eyes. And then, after drying himself off with a towel, he came back for more. The flavor and heat combination proved to be like a moth to a flame, no matter the pain he wanted more.

I can’t wait for Blair to release this to the general public (late April) so I can order it by the case for myself to consume. As a seasoned chilehead I’ve definitely had much hotter salsas, however this is the hottest (shelf stable) salsa I’ve come across that does not use extracts to boost the heat level.

Heat and flavor – now that’s what I’m talking about!

You can now get Blair’s XXX HOT Fire Roasted Tomato Habanero Salsa on Sweat ‘N Spice 

If you are not on the Collectors newsletter list then you missed out on early notification on these limited edition collectors sauce from CaJohn’s. These will only be available via the HSB & SNS.

One of CaJohns Classic Collector’s Series Bottles with a new look. Filled with the CaJohns Select Fatalii, a habanero from the Central Region of South Africa, commonly known as the “Devil’s Tongue”. This chile is a bright yellow in contrast to the Red Savina from the original bottle. These 96 bottles were found during a “spring cleaning” of the CaJohns warehouse, filled and were offered exclusively to Sweat ‘N Spice for limited distribution. The tongue piercing heat of these chiles rival the hottest of habaneros! When they’re gone, thats all folks! You can get your Fatalii Eruption here.

Greetings chileheads! I recently approached Nick on the idea of doing an audio review of a hot sauce. He was keen on the idea, so I couldn’t help but oblige. So here we go. I now present to you the audio hot sauce review of LocoLuna’s suite of Lava sauces. I had a really good time putting this together, and TheWife and I enjoyed doing a live taste testing.

Please pardon the chip crunching and smacking; it goes with the territory, I suppose.

The review lasts about 10 minutes, and the file is about 6 MB in size. Please right-click and “save target as …” or “save link as…” if you are using Firefox.

hsb_lava_sauce_review.mp3

Hot Sauce Collectors: The time has finally come, a newsletter just for you. I’ve been sending out list of collectible items to a select handful of floks over the past few months and the list just keeps getting longer and longer. So I decided to set up a newsletter just for you.

You can sign up using the form below or drop me an email with your information. This list will only be used to notify users of collectible items that are not typically available to the general public (the behind the scenes stuff).

Oh, Shit. Dan’s done it again. Just when you thought it was safe to use seasonings with no profanity on them, it comes. From the makers of Special Shit All-Purpose Seasoning comes a seasoning so hot, so spicy that it will dare you to speak its name. Say its name! Say it! Aw Shit.

Big Cock Ranch is the official “company” behind the line of Shit products, but it is single-handedly run by Dan Martin, cattle baron and all around kickass fellow. A few months ago, I had the opportunity to beta test the Aw Shit along with its other brother, the Good Shit. In my house, where there are two children under the age of 4, we have learned to replace the “shit” with “stuff.” Either that, or we shorten it to “Aw,” “Special,” or “Good.”

Aw Shit is specially blended for those who want to put a little zip in their doo-da. With a hot combo taste of Mexican meets Cajun, this seasoning profices just the right amount of kick to make you say “Aw Shit!”

Even the most … ahem .. seasoned of chileheads just might say those words after trying out one of the latest seasonings from Big Cock Ranch, makers of the infamous Special Shit. The Aw Shit, packaged in the familiar 14oz. plastic bottle sports a dark green label and seasoning with a brick-red hue. The particles of the Aw Shit are noticeably finer than that of the Special Shit whose grains are large and perfect for rubbing into grilling meats.
Knowing some inside information about this, the Aw Shit was ground finer, not only to encourage sparing usage but also to enhance the heat of the ancho chile powder used. It makes sense, you know. The finer the particle, the more that can attach to your taste buds and cause you to say those words.

The Aw Shit is a lot like its brother, the Special Shit in terms of versatility. Sure, the Aw Shit packs a powerful punch, but it still goes great on a myriad of foods. Steaks, pork, chicken, and ribs are the obvious choice, but I also like to dust vegetables such as green beans or corn. It also goes great inside of scrambled eggs or breads.

As the label says, Aw Shit will get you reaching for the nearest beer, but without having to “bite the bullet” the next morning. This seasoning has a unique ability to be as hot or cool as you like but still retain a decent flavor. If you need just small amount of heat, lightly dust your meat with it. Or, if you like your mouth burnt, you just might want to slather it on. Either way, the flavor of the Aw Shit doesn’t get over or under powering.

Yes, I know the name is a little bit unique, perhaps a tad bit profane, but I gaurantee you will enjoy using this product on all the foods you make at home.

Green Bandit Culinary Herb sauces aren’t, well, hot. But they are an interesting possibility for chefs looking to cut a few corners without sacrificing taste.

As most chefs know, dried herbs simply aren’t very good. They lack the complexity and aromatics essential for the best tasting food. But, as those who don’t cook for a living also know, buying those herbs fresh and cutting them up is often the most time consuming part of prep work. In steps Green Bandit, offering a product that retains most of the essence of a fresh herb, in a container you can store in the fridge for a long time.

Ingredients:
Oregano: Filtered water, oregano, apple cider vinegar, basil, salt, sage, mango puree, lemon juice concentrate, fresh garlic, olive oil, xantham gum

Basil: Filtered water, basil, apple cider vinegar, salt, ginger, olive oil, lemon juice concentrate, garlic powder, xantham gum

On First Taste:
The basil sauce tastes mostly of – you guessed it – basil. The other ingredients are primarily in the background, and as such this would be a suitable substitute anywhere basil is needed. You could even use this directly to make a pesto sauce.

The oregano is a bit of a different animal. It tastes of oregano, to be sure, but the mango is perceptible and the vinegar seemed more pronounced to me. This is probably not something to be used as a one for one substitute for the fresh stuff, but would be a good option to add additional flavors to a dish, or to be used on its own as a marinade or topping.

On Food
On my honeymoon I had the great fortune of spending a week traveling the French and Italian Riviera, and immensely enjoyed the blending of French and Italian culture in a beautiful beach setting. There I discovered a new twist on an old favorite of mine – bruschetta. As opposed to the Tuscan method of only using bread, oil, and garlic, or the American method of serving cold tomatoes on toast, the Mediterranean folks incorporate toppings you’d normally find on pizza such as pepperoni and light cheese. ANd, it’s served as a main course. An emulation of this wonderful dish is one of my favorite preparations, and a perfect test for the Green Bandit line.

First, start with olive oil, Roma tomatoes, sandwich sized pepperoni, fresh garlic, asiago cheese, and most importantly, good fresh Italian or french bread; either works, it just depends on your tastes. Personally, I prefer the large, flat and soft variety of Italian bread. To put the Green Bandit sauces to a tough test, I replaced all spices (except the garlic – you can never got too much garlic in my opinion) with their seasonings. To my mind, if you need to purchase additional fresh herbs anyway, why use anything jarred?

Next, I chop the tomatoes finely, skins and all. Chop the garlic, being sure to remove the germ and it’s inherent bitterness. Mix those in a bowl and add the Green Bandit. The best herb advice I’ve ever gotten was from the head chef at a great Italian restaurant I waited tables at in college: Use as much basil as you want, but always go easy on the oregano. Heeding those words of wisdom, I mixed in 4 teaspoons of the basil sauce and 1 teaspoon of the oregano.

Now to prepare the key to bruschetta. The origin of the dish isn’t the topping at all. It is, in fact the preparation of the bread, which is quite simple. Brush the bread with oil, add some garlic to the top, broil for a couple mintes, and voila! You’ve got bruschetta.

To add the Mediterranean flair, add one slice of pepperoni to each slice. Heap on the tomato mixture. Grate cheese over the top, and over broil for another 1 – 2, until the cheese melts.

And of course, because this is the HSB and not John relives the Riviera (which was woefully lacking in spicy food, BTW) I poured a dose of Cholula on the top. If you’re in a real mood to heat it up, feel free to add Blair’s Jersey Death to the tomato mixture before piling it on the bread.

The result of all that hard work? A very close approximation of the bruchetta I get using olive oil and fresh herbs. It had a slightly different taste, to be sure – more citrus flavors than usual, and some vinegar which I usually avoid, plus a much less pronounced olive oil flavor than I usually create. But in this case, different is good. Anyone not involved with the preparation would be hard pressed to detect that fresh herbs hadn’t been used.

Overall, I was very pleased. The total preparation and cooking took me 15 minutes, a savings of perhaps 10 minutes from when I have to wash and chop up the large volumes of herbs required. The flavor was good, and the herbs had a distinctly more fresh taste than you could ever get with the dried variety. Overall, this Green Bandit culinary herb sauces are a product that can definitely improve the quality of meals for many a time restricted chef.

Overall Rating: 8.2 out of 10 (Since it’s not intended as a spicy product, I dropped heat from the criteria I usually use.)

10 oz. Original Death Sauce. Bottled in 1993. Only 22 bottles available. Signed and Numbered. These are the only bottles with Blair’s dripping wax! FEEL ALIVE!

Get yours here