eBay entrepreneur and Semi-Pro Poker player Jack Penrod proudly boasts to be the “#1 seller of the Habanero Beef Jerky on ebay.”, His business based in Mesa Arizona and operating out of a rented restaurant in Scottsdale is growing with leaps and bounds as we speak. Built on hard work, passion, and the inspiration from friends and family, Jack admits he’s holding on tight to this crazy ride. With several delicious types of Beef Jerky and some very tasty as well as collectible Hot Sauces under their belt, the future looks bright for Jack and Shelia’s family owned and operated online business Arizona Pepper Co. soon to be Penrod Pepper Products. Look for a full line label transformation including store friendly barcodes, new Jerky pacakaging, and some highly antcipated new products from this quick moving and evolving company. “It’s all happening so fast” says the guitar collecting new comer to the Chilihead world, “We have TONS of repeat customers from Seattle to Miami, Maine to San Diego.” So put on your running shoes to keep up and your eyes peeled for the new domain name, SUPERSPICY.COM to be on line soon and in the mean time rip open a package of their Habanero Beef Jerky and welcome them to the Blog.

1. Why Hot Sauce? Where did the idea come from for you to get involved doing this?
When the Doctor advised me to cut down on salt, I discovered Hot Sauce. It is so much more healthy and heart friendly, it has replaced the salt shaker on our table.

2. If you had to pick a favorite sauce of yours, which would it be?
Our Death in the Desert is the King of our table by far.

3. Any new products we should be ready for from your line?
We have a Bloody Mary mix used here locally, and our Illegal Alien label will evolve. Insane Deat in the Desert is ready to go, we are just looking for a trick way to sell it.

4. Where do you see the future of Hot Sauce 5 years from now? 10? 20?
I would love to see Habanero Cat Food, Habanero Gatorade, Habanero Motor Oil, etc.

5. What is your favorite Hot Sauce that you don’t make?
Somebody else makes Hot Sauce? LOL! Actually, a women in Rocky Point Mexico makes the BEST seafood Habanero Sauce I have ever tatsed. I am either going to kidnap her or reverse engineer the product. She makes it at home and walks the beach selling it in ziploc bags. It is AWESOME !!

6. Do you eat the sauce you make?
We eat it on everything.

7. What do you eat Hot Sauce on?
STEAK, all meat dishes, Ribs, and Soup, the list is endless.

8. What sets you aside from the other Hot Sauce producers out there today?
We at Penrod Pepper Products are a family owned, family recipe gang, sort of like a Micro Brewed Hot Sauce Mafia. I am the Head Pepper, my wife Sheila is the Legal Pepper, my daughter Alda is the MBA Pepper, and my son-in-law Rich is the Artistic Pepper.

9. What is your inspiration before you embark on a new concoction?
Input from friends, family and co-workers. That’s how the Jackson’s Awesome Habanero Jerky line got started.

10. Outside of creating hot products, what else keeps you occupied or out of trouble?
Poker, fishing, quitar collecting, and general mischevious activity.

11. Any weird stories or uses for your Hot Sauce that you would like to share?
YES !!!! I have found that the animals will not cross a Habanero Sauce line in the dirt and eat my garden !! Also, hang green, red and orange Xmas ornaments on your pepper plants in the early stage. The birds get used to the glass, and when the peppers start to fruit, take the bulbs off, and WALA the birds are conditioned to not eat your peppers. I am not a freakin’ genious. Birds love peppers, we have to defeat the Bird War on Pepper Terrorism !!

12. How much sauce do you make in a week?
Some weeks a gallon if we are experimenting, other weeks 20 gallons or more, depending on the distributor demand. We only sell fresh Hot Sauce and Jerky. Never a preservative!!

13. How many different recipes do you go through when developing a new sauce?
Sometimes we hit it quick, others may take months, see answer #5 above.

14. How did you get started in the industry?
I just tried to make the sauce I could not buy, and it went from there.

15. What is your biggest challenge so far?
The legal aspect of the food industry. Sheila is a lawyer and our jump through the legal hoops has been easier than most young company’s. We have built-in legal department, and that has saved us countless bucks.

16. What is the most common question you get?
Can you really sell Jerky om eBay? We started on a suggestion 2 years ago and are now the #1 selling Power Seller of Habanero Jerky. Over 1100+ positive feedbacks with a 99.9% rating.

17. What do you want to know from the readers of the HSB?
Ideas, comments and suggestions. Feedback is awesome especially from a market specific group. It is priceless and others have to pay to have their market researched.

18. What is the typical day for you?
Working my Aerospace day job, then countless hours in the restaurant we rent after hours cooking, packing, inventing, etc. Hopefully soon we will have our own bay or building, this thing is growing like a snowball rolling down hill!!

19. Worst burn ever?
Losing with Aces full of Kings to 4 Kings one seat away from the final table in a poker tournament last year in Vegas. Other than that, Habanero mash splashed over my safety glasses once- Thank God I have a pool in the backyard, the Chlorine felt like Holy Water!!

20. Best burn ever?
When I send free samples of Hot Sauce with a jerky order, or vice versa, and I get a repeat customer over and over again.

Jack Penrod
Penrod Pepper Products &
Arizona Pepper Company
Mesa, Arizona

So now that I can consider myself a Nando’s expert, I felt it my duty as an upstanding citizen of the HSB community to give the Non-Heat Seekers a little somthin’ somthin’. Nando’s Medium Pepper Sauce is that something, following suit with the prior reviews this sauce has a great flavor- with just a little smaller kick to it. Though I would have to admit it’s my opinion that it’s not much less. I took this bottle on a road trip to Wendy’s Aunt & Uncle’s house for a little BBQ and taste test, being Non-Heat Seekers they felt it to be hot (light weights). But I can also report everyone enjoyed the taste and raved over the fragrant aroma.

Not wanting to be to repetitive, when opening the Nando’s Medium Pepper Sauce you first catch the Vinegar base, that is very quickly accompanied by the wonderful Lemon smell. When your nose becomes accustomed to the Lemon, the Onion and Garlic check in and say hello. And the taste is delightful, quite tart when you hold it on the tip of your tongue. The Lemon is at the front and the pepper mixture stays politely behind and in the wings. You can pick up on the traces of the Cayenne Pepper and the Peri-Peri’s give this sauce a nice lingering warmth, it’s very nice actually.

Ingredients: Water, Vinegar, Onion Pieces, Lemon Puree, Sunflower Oil (4%), Salt, Serrano Peppers, African Birds Eye Peppers (Peri-Peri), Garlic Pieces, Cayenne Pepper, Paprika, Xanthan Gum

“The flavor and fire of Nando’s Peri-Peri has its roots in the African Birds Eye Chili. This fiery chili is cultivated in the rich soils and intense heat of Africa, then blended with specially selected herbs and spices, a touch of garlic and a dash of lemon. Made with the same original Nando’s Peri-Peri that’s used in Nando’s restaurants world wide.”

Nando’s Medium Pepper Sauce is a fairly thick and medium pouring sauce, it’s packed through and through with pieces of Onion and Garlic, flecks of peppers, and pepper seeds that add a very nice texture to it. The color is a deep orange and the label says “Nando’s Pepper sauces have no added preservatives or colorants and may thus vary in color.”

“Nando’s Pepper sauce is delicious as a pour-on-sauce and as an ingredient in cooking. Use sparingly as a condiment with meat, fish, chicken and seafood, or add 1-2 tsp to casseroles, sauces, pasta dishes, stir fries, etc.”

I topped my Cheeseburger with the Nando’s pretty heavily and put it on a Hot Dog shortly after. The meal was good with plenty of Homemade sides; Wendy’s Potato and Macaroni Salads and Aunt Carolyn’s Cole Slaw all tasted good with the Nando’s on them as well. Not quite hot enough for my taste, but plenty hot enough for them- Nando’s was the talk of the table.

Conculsion: This sauce has a great flavor and all levels of hot sauce tolerances can be accommodated with this medium heat level, I know not everyone has to have all of their orifices expelling smoke and/or fire with everything they eat like I do- they could only be so lucky! Nando’s Medium Pepper Sauce is a very good multifunctional sauce that would go well with and in a lot of dishes, try it.

Packaging/Label: 7 out of 10
Aroma: 9 out of 10
Taste: 9 out of 10
Heat: 6 out of 10
Overall: 8 out of 10

Nando’s Chickenland, Inc.
1041 West 18th Street, Suite B103
Costa Mesa, Ca. 92627
Tel: 1-877-496-4247
www.nandosusa.com

Special deals for HSBers (in case you missed them earlier)
- 15% off all Nando’s Sauces when you buy from NandosUSA.com and checkout using the coupon code: hotsauceblog. For more information, please go to the official discount page on NandosUSA.com

- For $31.99 you can get all 8 Baby That’s Hot Sauces or for $39.99 you can get all 8 plus a t-shirt. Available to HSBers here. (Me So Hot review here)

I have to thank Nick and ultimately Nando’s for giving me the chance to try so much of their incredible product line, my “Box of Goodies” is coming to a sorrowful end but is still delivering wonderful flavor in every bottle I pull out. “Warning: Addictive” is right on the label, so here’s to the Twelve Step Program that I hope doesn’t work. Nando’s Hot Peri-Peri Sauce in a nut shell tastes good, you can tell a great deal of time and effort has gone into this sauce and the flavorings compliment each other well. To me, that is the overall consistent attribute that stands out with all of the reviews done for Nando’s, the flavor.

Ingredients:Water, White Vinegar, Lemon Puree, Onion Puree, Salt, Serrano Peppers, Sunflower Oil (3%), African Birds Eye Peppers (Peri-Peri Peppers), Cayenne Pepper, Garlic Pieces, Xanthan Gum, Paprika, Propylene Glycol Alginate.

Upon breaking the seal, or in this case ripping open the cool little package, the first smell is the Vinegar and follwed by Lemon/Citrus tartness. The Onion and Garlic are there too and come through pretty strong on the second and third inhale. The Lemon aroma may be in second place but is number one when you taste the sauce, very tart if you leave it on the tip of your tongue. I picked up on the Cayenne Pepper smokey undertones and again the flavors go well together- very complimentary.

Nando’s Peri-Peri Pepper Sauces
The fiery range of chili sauces are not just hot but full of taste. They contain NO preservatives, colorants or additives making the sauces extremely healthy. They can be used as a condiment or as a cooking ingredient.

• Made with Peri-Peri Chilies
• Fire blended with lots of flavor
• For cooking or as a condiment
• Same as the condiments used in Nando’s Restaurants worldwide
• Can be used to increase the heat of any dish
• No preservatives, no additives, no colorants or artificial flavorings, MSG or GMO

Nando’s Hot Peri-Peri Sauce is a fairly thick sauce, it pours nicely and contains a lot of chunks, seeds and flakes floating around in it. I gave it the finger test to try it on it’s own merit and quickly found myself sucking it out of the little packet, you really pick up on everything in it and feel the seeds and chunkiness, it’s great. I can also say it packs a nice little kick, Nando’s categorizes it at “hot” and it is- to the normal population. We here on the Blog, used to eating straight fire may say “Ah, he thinks he’s hot- how cute”. But it has a nice sustaining heat that lingers around for awhile, it keeps your tongue and lips warm pretty well and that’s what it’s all about isn’t it?!

I tried Nando’s Hot Peri-Peri Sauce for lunch on a chicken sandwich with a bunch of extras. I put the sauce on the Cheez-its, the pretzels, and dipped my pepperoncini’s in it. The Lemon flavor was awesome with the chicken and I enjoyed the sandwich very much, I actually ate half of Wendy’s after I finished my two! No prisoners, I go for it all when it comes to eating and especially when it tastes that good.

Conclusion: A testament to how hard the folks at Nando’s work, this is just another very fine Hot Sauce that boasts a flavorful addition to anything you decide to try it on. The heat is there and sticks around long enough to make itself known and appreciated. I can say confidently enough, you will enjoy this sauce.

Packaging/Label: 7 out of 10 (cool little packet)
Aroma: 9 out of 10
Taste: 9 out of 10
Heat: 7 out of 10
Overall: 9 out of 10

Nando’s USA
1041 18th W. Ste. A205
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
Tel: 1-888-625-2657
Fax: 949-722-0102

Special deals for HSBers (in case you missed them earlier)
- 15% off all Nando’s Sauces when you buy from NandosUSA.com and checkout using the coupon code: hotsauceblog. For more information, please go to the official discount page on NandosUSA.com

- For $31.99 you can get all 8 Baby That’s Hot Sauces or for $39.99 you can get all 8 plus a t-shirt. Available to HSBers here. (Me So Hot review here)

Cigars, alcohol, cards, and a whole lot of smack talking, what some would hope becomes an annual tradition, the first Hot Sauce Blog Poker Tourament is taking shape. The pieces are now coming together and as in most HSB undertakings, a lot of good folks are pulling together to make this event something special. Oh don’t get me wrong, they’re still slinging the smack pretty hard (breeze through some of the threads and you’ll see it). But this has all the makings of an unforgettable time and an opportunity to make some friends for life or at least until the expiration date on their bottles.

The poker table is coming from one end of the country, the chips from another. Now the trophies have been delivered and will be on the way soon enough. Yes trophies, yeah dude this is BIGTIME! Compliments of Arizona Jack and Penrod Pepper Products, any of us have the chance to bring home a cool trophy to put on a shelf right next to all the hot collectables we are all drooling over. They are inscribed: 2006 Zest Fest Poker Invitational, Ft. Worth Texas 9-09-2006 on 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Places.

The inscriptions read: Top Line 2006 Zest Fest poker invitational
Middle: 9-9-06 Fort Worth Texas
Last line is 1-2-3 place

So brush up on your skills, get in some practice, and be sure to bring your poker face- you’ll need it. It’s on ya’ll, this aint no Go-Fish game. It should be a lot of fun. No money will change hands, poker chips will be used and Hot Sauce/Collectables are up for ante. The actual site has yet to be determined, so suggestions are appreciated.

Buy in is a bottle of hot sauce, your choice
Each player will receive $2500 in chips
Blind structure as follows $25-$50 to start, blinds double every 15 minutes

Winner takes 70%, 2nd- 20% 3rd – %10

ALSO !!!
Special Death Match / Heads up, big show and myself, entry fee is a bottle of CaJohns Caveat Emptor
We will each also enter a bottle of our choice and sign them both each
“Death Match Heads Up / Steps up #1 and #2 of 2 to be auctioned for JimC, my entry bottle will be my Red Savina DITD ZF #2

I knew it would happen sooner or later, the more reviews I choose to do, the odds would raise and I would come to my first hurdle. Now before you jump to a conclusion, hear me out. I had the opportunity to try Peppa Royale Gourmet Pepper Sauce form Dave’s Pepper Palace. It came in a large sized 12oz. bottle (does this bottle make me look fat) and the label just screams out at you with a neat little cartoon royal pepper and a lot of color. My hurdle came pretty quickly, I always look at the actual product and read the label fully before I break the seal and dig in. Don’t get me wrong it’s nothing Dave’s Pepper Palace has done, but as I read the ingredient list, the first item listed is Raisins! Here in lies my problem, simply put – Yuck! I don’t like raisins. I do not care for their texture, their flavor, or for how they look. HURDLE: How do I give this sauce a fair shake, how do I not let my personal tastes interfere in someone elses hard work, and why do I have to eat raisins!

Ingrdients: Raisins, Worcestershire, Brown Sugar, Tomato Paste, Vinegar, Mango, Habanero Peppers, Garlic, Onion, Salt, and spices

“Winner of multiple awards, including the coveted Golden Chili and Fiery Foods Show Awards, Peppa Royale is a savory and flavorful Carribean style sauce with just a hint of heat. You’ll feel like your in a sunny island paradise basking in the cool breezes!”

It should be easy to deduct from the ingredient list, this sauce is sweet through and through. From the first smell upon opening the bottle it’s the quick burst of the Worcestershire, it is the primary ingrdient and it makes itself known. That is quickly followed by sweet, it’s what you smell the most- the mixture of the Brown Sugar and the Raisins- very BBQ sauce-ish smelling. The Peppa Royale pours very thick, again very much like a BBQ sauce. The color is a deep mahogany with visible specks of pepper and spices, you can feel and taste the garlic and onion pieces almost giving the sauce a chunky texture.

We used the Peppa Royale Gourmet Pepper Sauce with brunch – makes us sound sophisticated, but actually we slept so late that day we just couldn’t call it breakfast. We made Bagel Sandwiches with Canadian Bacon, Eggs, and Cheese with Hashbrowns and Grits. The meal was good and the sauce went well with everything, especially the Hash browns. The Brown Sugar is very evident making this sweet smelling sauce taste just as sweet. Peppa Royale does not bring a lot of heat “with just a hint of heat” is almost an understatement. It brings flavor instead- but Vic, “what about the Raisins?” you ask? Yeah they’re in there, they add to the flavor and sweetness, and I still don’t like them! But I like this sauce.

“Hot Sauce, Salsa, BBQ Sauce – If its hot and spicy we’ve got it!!”

Conclusion: Dave’s Pepper Palace has been “Burning Mouths Since 1996″, and because I don’t like one ingredient, it shouldn’t sway you from this award winning sauce. In my opinion Peppa Royale Gourmet Pepper Sauce is a multi use sauce; it would make an outstanding baste or marinade, for any application/recipe calling for a BBQ sauce, and would perfectly stand alone as a dipping sauce. A very tasty, very mild, and all around useful sauce and I am glad I tried it, Raisins or not.

Packaging/Label: 7 out of 10
Aroma: 8 out of 10
Taste: 7 out of 10
Heat: 2 out of 10
Overall: 7 out of 10

Dave’s Pepper Palace
26506 Keith Street
Old Town Spring, TX 77373
281.288.5959 phone
281.288.2559 fax

*WARNING* READ THIS FIRST *WARNING*
Before we begin, we feel it’s our obligation to you the consumer to enlighten you on the many reputable Addiction Treatment options and resources easily attainable and strongly suggested after you try this [tag]Beef Jerky[/tag]. You’ve been warned!

The Flagship of the Arizona Pepper Company’s armada is their Jackson’s Awesome Habanero Beef Jerky. Recently awared a Power Seller status on eBay, and boasting the honors of being the #1 selling Habanero Jerky this [tag]jerky[/tag] holds firm to it’s reputation. Owner, operator, salesman, jerky maker, hot sauce producer, bottle washer, labeler, guitar collector, hot sauce collector and semi-pro poker player Jack Penrod says “I would like to thank all of you who have purchased my jerky, this stuff is taking off beyond my wildest expectations, and I will continue to try my best to provide you with the BEST BEEF JERKY available anywhere.” With well over 1100 positive feedback hits and an overall 99.9% Positive rating, it looks like a lot of us agree, this jerky is good.

When the package first arrived I couldn’t quite see into to get a good feel for what I was getting myself into, but as I ripped into it eagerly, the bloom of the Habanero aroma hit my nose and it was pure love and it was on! There is a definite sweet underlying smell to the jerky, Jack uses the same process in all of his jerky varities. “I slice, prepare, season, and marinate it as you would regular jerky, but with habanero sauce added to the marinade, and some southwestern heat spices (secret) added to the mix. This jerky is vacuum marinated a full 24 hours for maximum flavor. Made right here in Mesa Arizona.” The jerky has a smoked mesquite flavor with a straight kick in the mouth Habanero greeting.

You can plainly see the Habanero Sauce and many pepper seeds on the jerky pieces just waiting to light you up. To me, I found Jackson’s Awesome Habanero Beef Jerky to be hotter then their Death in the Desert Habanero Sauce (read review) because of the nature of the jerky itself. You have to chew jerky longer then your normal application of sauce to a meal or as an additive, because of the length of time it takes to chew it properly the Habaneros have time to assault your mouth entirely. The burn gets you in every crease, crevice, nook and cranny evenly and the heat lingers around intently and it’s not limited to just the lips and tongue.

“I use only London Broil, this is by far the most expensive and best meat for jerky, with minimal fat, and makes the best jerky you ever tasted. I do NOT use ROUND STEAK ! It’s much too tough and “dry”, even if it is much cheaper.”

Conclusion: Habanero Pepper lovers rejoice, here is a beef jerky you can sink your teeth into and it bites you back! This jerky packs a nice warm burn that you wacky Heet-Seekers will just love. Full of flavor and not over the top, I can see why Jack and his Arizona Pepper Company keep adding to their Positive Feedback hits. Heed the warning above, you’ll be back for more of this good stuff, trust me.

Jack Penrod Pepper Products &
Arizona Pepper Company
Mesa, Arizona

Like most of us here, I scour eBay hunting for those elusive collectors items, well the ones I can afford and don’t have to sell my car to buy it. There are so many items listed under the “Hot Sauce” search, inculding enough sexy lingerie to keep a strip club hopping for a full year! But I have found a little treasure hidden between the sequined D-cups and hot pants. Jackson’s Arizona Chili Company and their Awesome Peppered Teriyaki Beef [tag]Jerky[/tag], if you are a fan of Jerky then you will enjoy this one very much. Jackson’s Jerkys are sold primarily from the eBay store the Arizona Pepper Company, owned and operated by Jack Penrod and his family.

“We have been making this a custom batch for many of our regular customers for a while now, it is our #2 selling jerky. As with the habanero, we only use the best London Broil, never round steak or roast.”

“This jerky is marinated in a vacuum for 24 hours minimum to acheive deep, rich teriyaki flavor. It is dried as normal, but lightly peppered with “pizza” type crushed red pepper. Fantastic, SWEET with a little HEAT.”

“Perfect for those of you that don’t like the flaming hot habanero, just a touch of spice.”

Though I love Jerky, I can’t say I’m an expert. I know you can get a dry batch of the massed produced styles from time to time and I have tried both locals and some home-mades, with mixed reviews. What I do know is there is nothing worse than fighting through what can only be compared to something inbetween cardboard and shoe leather. Chewing and chewing until your head throbs in pain and you get a lock-jaw muscle cramp, leaving no option but spitting the crap out. We’ve all been there. Jack from the Arizona Pepper Company really nails it with this Jerky, Jackson’s Awesome Peppered Teriyaki made from cuts of London Broil is moist and full of flavor. “We only make this jerky once a week as ordered. This is vacuum packed as soon as it cools to maintain freshness.”

The sweet Teriyaki smell jumps right out at you when you rip into the package and brings along a little savory dried pepper aroma with it, they go well together and it gets your mouth watering right away. The first taste is the quick sweetness of the Teriyaki on the tip of your tongue, and it pleasantly fills your mouth as you chew. The flavor is well absorbed throughout each piece of Jerky and you’ll find yourself devouring it pretty quickly. I found myself shoving it into my mouth as fast as I could and actually growled at Wendy when she reached in for piece. Easy…. I gave her a piece, just one though. She found it to be hot, the Jerky is covered in beautiful Pepper Flakes that gives it a slow rising medium to mild heat level. A nice warm burn on your tongue that stays around a little bit, its good.

Conculsion: One of the more popular flavorings for Beef Jerky is Teriyaki and for good reason, it tastes good. Well the Arizona Chili Company ups the ante (Jack is a semi-pro poker player) by adding the Dried Pepper Flakes to give his Jerky some nice heat. Not to hot and full of flavor you can’t go wrong with Jackson’s Awesome Peppered Teriyaki Beef Jerky – Don’t fold on this hand.

Jack Penrod Penrod Pepper Products &
Arizona Pepper Company
Mesa, Arizona

Full of intrigue and mystery, we have all heard small tid bits about this sauce but nothing substantial. Some threads here and there talk about iton occasion, you can also find a picture or two of the label on a couple of our friends websites around, but still- it’s not clear or anything to really wrap your hands around. So I have the challenge and in my opinion the honor to shed some light on this Hot Sauce Enigma. In recognition of the eBay auction for Jim Campbell’s “Stairway to Heaven” World Record Attempt, visit stepupforcharity.org for more information, founding members of the HSU have come out of the dark so to say to raise attention to Jim’s cause. The realization of being able to make an impact and to also HBO- “Helpa Brother Out”, this usually secretive society is doing their own “Stepping Up”.

“The Hot Sauce Underground (HSU) is a small brotherhood of chileheads, bound together by the love of all things hot. A very limited number of the HSU hot sauce bottles made their journey around the country to be signed by each of the founding members:”

So lets paint a picture here, back in March during the Feiry Foods Show in Albuquerque, New Mexico not all the bloggers had made the pilgrimage- not anywhere near the amount that sounds like are travelling to Forth Worth, Texas for Zest Fest this year. A small group represented us there and by the readings and the pictures they had a real good time. Some of us had that left out feeling, so to strike up comradery and build relationships a small group of four hardcore bloggers cooked up an idea for a sauce they could call their own. A sauce that would travel the country, be signed by the four of them, and shared by the four of them. 36 bottles in all were produced; 16 signed were signed by the original 4 members, 4 more bottles were signed by CaJohn, Wicked Wanza, and MSK for again the original 4 members, and with now only 5 remaining bottles that are unsigned and until recently undecided on who they would go to or how they could be used (if you have one you’re lucky). In my humble opinion it couldn’t be for a better cause or for a better guy.

Ingredients: Red Savina Habanero Chiles, Vinegar, Onion, Tomatoes, Lemon Juice, Salt, Garlic

Ok, enough of that, let’s get to the meat and potatoes of this bad boy! Red Savina Habanero Chiles kick major butt. When you break the seal on this bottle the pepper smell is strong, the Vinegar base is apparent but not to overbearing. The Tomatoes and Onions are faint but recognizable, and give this sauce a nice body. Not as thick as it looks, The HSU Sauce pours pretty quickly but sticks well to food and to the Classic Triscuit Test. The texture of the sauce is that of a very fine puree, with very small pepper pieces and evidence of the ground seeds all throughout it.

WARNING!!
This product is not for children or for those who have a mild tolerance for heat!
XXX HOT XXX YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED XXX HOT XXX

Did I mention that Red Savina Chiles kick major butt? The HSU Sauce is a Feisty and Angry sauce, the heat jumps right out and takes control. The flavor is outstanding, and my first impression without thinking was “This Tastes Fresh”. Being the consistency that it is and the heat that it brings, this sauce is in your face but not a “Show Stealer”, it complimented everything I tried it on. I cooked a Butterflied Boneless Pork Chop with some steamed (oversteamed!) Asparagus, Corn on the Cob, and Lipton’s Tomato & Basil Noodles. By the end of the meal my nose was running, my lips and tongue were numb, and it felt like my mouth was smoking, I loved every minute of it.

Conclusion: This is one mean sauce, one of the hotter non-extracts I have tried and one of the tastier ones at that. I love a good strong Habanero sauce, throw in the fact that it tastes fresh, and to me you have a winner on your hands. Produced by Cajohn’s Fiery Foods for Cape Fear Pepper Company. These four guys, the founding members of the Hot Sauce Underground have a superb hot sauce here. Not only is it now part of this incredible act of selflessness and humanity by Jim and his efforts, everyone involved in this mystery sauce can say they helped Jim just a little bit. From the top of the industry, to both sides, and all the camps inbetween have come together with one goal in mind, support one of our own. Isn’t that what it’s all about!

Packaging/Label: 10 out of 10
Aroma: 10 out of 10
Taste: 10 out of 10
Heat: 10 out of 10
Overall: 10 out of 10………………..This one’s for you Jim

Jim Campbell
http://www.stepupforcharity.org
Stairway to Heaven
Meet Your Maker #13 – Jim Campbell

Straight out of the dry and barren desert of Arizona comes this low frills, down to basics HOT [tag]hot sauce[/tag]. Jack Penrod of Penrod Pepper Productions and doing business on his eBay store the Arizona Pepper Company brews and bottles all of his hot sauces in a restaurant he rents after hours in Scottsdale, Arizona. Like so many small start up enterprises, Jack followed the endorsements of co-workers, friends, and his family to bottle, package and sell his hot products. Now this little venture is taking off for a wild ride and he’s just holding on and enjoying every hard earned minute of it.

“YES FOLKS, THIS IS THE HOT SAUCE THAT HAS BEEN GETTING RAVE REVIEWS FOR OVER 2 YEARS NOW, SEARCH WAYYYY BACK INTO OUR FEEDBACK TO SEE SOME FROM BUYERS, I BLEND THIS HOT SAUCE RIGHT HERE IN MESA ARIZONA, HOMEGROWN HABANEROS,CARROTS,AND GARLIC OTHER SECRETS I CAN’T EVEN MENTION”

Ingedients: Carrots, Peppers, Spices, Vinegar, Salt

When you break the seal the first whiff is the Vinegar base, then the glorious [tag]Habaneros[/tag] make their first appearance and are followed by the faint aroma of the Carrots. This sauce is fairly thick, it’s almost the consistency of a puree with a lot of seeds swimming through it. A beautiful deep orangish-red, the spices and flecks of the peppers are very evident and visible. But the big sell of this sauce is it’s taste, the Habanero’s pack a good sized punch and the heat is proud and very noticeable very quickly. Jackson’s Death In The Desert is not a killer, it’s a pleaser! It’s not going to blow your doors off, but the burn is steady and holds on for awhile not letting up.

I doused one of my favorite meals, a Tijuana Flats Blackened Chicken Mega-Juana Burrito, all the way with extra Jalapeno’s and covered with Queso Cheese. The Death In The Desert was a perfect compliment to the burrito, they held hands and danced around my plate like old pals.

Conclusion: Habanero lovers everywhere will absolutely enjoy this sauce completely, a very basic and simple sauce that offers the burn the Heat-Seekers desire along with a taste that is enjoyable. Not flashy, the label could be considered basic- but the graphics are cool and it’s an eye catcher. To me, more focus was put “into” the sauce then put “out of” the sauce, instead of the other way around that faults a lot of sauces and their producers. The Arizona Pepper Company got it right on this sauce, like Jack says above- read his feedback, some of you are in there. Simply put: “Try it, you’ll like it”.

Packaging/Label: 7 out of 10
Aroma: 9 out of 10
Taste: 9 out of 10
Heat: 9 out of 10
Overall: 9 out of 10

Jack Penrod Pepper Products &
Arizona Pepper Company
Mesa, Arizona

Pepper= Any of several plants of the genus Piper, as cubeb, betel, and kava. Any of several tropical, American, cultivated forms of Capsicum frutescens or C. annuum, having podlike, many-seeded, variously colored berries.

The podlike fruit of any of these plants, varying in size, shape, and degree of pungency, with the milder types including the bell pepper and pimiento, and the more pungent types including the cherry pepper.

Palace= The official residence of a royal personage. A large, often gaudily ornate building used for entertainment or exhibitions.

Upon entering the gates of the Pepper Palace you quickly realize “We’re not in Kansas anymore Toto” It takes a long thirty seconds or so before your eyes stop scanning as much as they can as fast as they can before your instincts take you directly toward what you love the most- Oh you can try and fool yourself to “Play it Cool”. You know, save the “Best for Last” by going for the OK stuff first, but man the draw of those long walls of Hot Sauce is just to strong. Fight it all you want, but it’s all in vein- it’s like a magnet pulling on you. Soon find yourself side stepping slowly from one end of it to the other talking to yourself, mumbling the names, and laughing at the labels. Yeah people around you may snicker and stare, but a couple of people away there’s a guy or two doing the same thing. Then one of the Pepper Palace folks comes up, offers you a sample of something tasty, and strikes up a conversation about one of the sauces in front of you. That’s about when it hits you, you’re in a quadily ornate place of hot peppered entertainment and spicy food exhibitions surrounded by hot sauce royalty, a little slice of heaven baby!

With humble beginnings in 1987 owners Craig and Tanya Migawa opened “Hots Pepper Pod” in a mall in central Wisconsin, by 1992 this HOT couple opened two additional stores in the same Wisconson region calling them “Pepper Palace”. In 1995 the decision was made to close the Wisconson stores and the Migawa’s and the Pepper Palace headed to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Making a home in the Mountain Mall at traffic light #6 right in the heart of Downtown Gatlinburg and have been making Chiliheads, Gourmets, Pepperheads, BBQ’rs, Hott-a-holics, etc…very very happy ever since.

As I wandered the aisles and peeked in every nook and cranny, I noticed many pictures adorning the walls of said royalty- the Big Leaguers if you will. There is a great one of CaJohn watching in amazement The Flameboyant Chef on fire at a Chili Cook-off last year. The Pepperpalace.com has some great additional pictures as well under “Hot Events”. Also they are “Putting the finishing touches on our Newest Concept” and will have a new website roll out in September to replace the old one so keep your eyes peeled.

Free bottle of Nasal NapalmSpeaking of websites, Craig and his team have offered exclusively to us the HSB, anyone who types in “Hot Sauce Blog” on the “where did you hear about us” section of the web order form will receive a FREE bottle of their newest product “Nasal Napalm” (The Most Powerful Horseradish On The Planet) with an order of $25.00 or more. Nasal Napalm will retail for $9.95 and will become available on 7/20/2006. “I will gladly sign the HSB bottles!”….Craig.

With over 70 FEET of samples, there is so much to choose from someone (like me) could spend hours in there and possibly lapse into an endorphin induced comma, happily and quite contently. The Pepper Palace is self proclaimed to have been built brick by brick on customer service and I saw it first hand. We spoke with both Ronda Vaughan and Patrick Bradford, and both were outstanding in helping us find what we were looking for, fed us sample after sample after sample, and just made us feel welcome and appreciated. It was honestly very nice, they are great/Knowledgeable folks and we are so glad we met them.

Pepper Palace Team
Owners – Craig & Tanya Migawa ( Since the Beginning )
Manager – Tom Curtis ( 8 years )
Asst. Manager – Jeanette Curtis ( 5 years )
Warehouse Supervisor – Patrick Bradford ( 2 years )
Sales Manager – Ronda Vaughan ( 1 year )
Sales People – Elaine, Pete, & Youlanda

Overview:
Just a great time had by all! You can see the intensity in Craig’s eyes when he talks about what he has accomplished and what he does. And I had a chance to see his sadistic side, I got the opportunity to sample the “Nasal Napalm” and my eyes are still watering almost a week later. Craig’s eyes got to just about the size of dessert plates when I took a pretty small spoon full, yes I wimped out, he and Patrick had me so freaked with their continued “it still hurts” and “it’s gonna burn all the way down” jeers I backed off some. Go ahead you can say it- Pansy! Let me tell you, it packs a punch but it’s good stuff and I enjoyed it.

1 Established Hot Sauce Palace + 9 Knowledgeable Friendly Palace Servants + A Flippen’ Buttload of Hot Sauce is ROYALLY PRICELESS!!

Pepper Palace
611 Parkway
Mountain Mall Suite D-10
Gatlinburg, TN 37738
800-684-3358
Fax 856-436-5535
pepperpalace.com