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Jailhouse Fire Hot Sauce was first mentioned here on the HSB back in 2005 and it wasn’t until the Fiery Foods show in 2007 where I met Allen Boatman did I get a chance to give Jailhouse Fire a try. As the director of horticulture at the Falkenburg Road Jail in Brandon, Florida, Allen has been working with inmates to create Jailhouse Fire since 2003. First public production was made available in 2005 - when the story first hit the world wide AP wire. The recipe has been revised twice since the original version was released and the label has also undergone a few revisions, with the current label being designed by an ad company.
Ingredients: About 200+ varieties of hot peppers (mostly capsicum chinense), Myers lemon, Italian herbs, garlic, mustard, mango, salt, citric acid, vinegar, water, xantham gum. (not exact ingredients)
I decided to try Jailhouse Fire on a Saturday morning chili cheese omelet - while the chili had a good bit of heat, the Jailhouse Fire added a wealth of flavor. With the number of peppers in Jailhouse Fire it’s hard to distinguish any one in particular, but the good news is that they all blend together to create a well balanced pepper sauce. The vinegar & citric acid proved a balance to the peppers and creates a sauce with a zing of flavor.
Good Consistency - check out the seasonings inside
Up close look at the spices inside
On an egg sandwich later that week
Jailhouse Fire is a true all purpose hot sauce - it’s mild and flavorful. I’ve taken the bottle with me everywhere in the last few weeks and it goes on everything. If you’re looking for a sauce that you can trust and not have to worry about ruining your food - go with a bottle (or a case) of Jailhouse Fire. It’s a sauce that I’m going to give a permanent place in my fridge and on the collector’s shelf - the label is great and the sauce inside is even better.
To Order: Email Allen
Cost: $7 a bottle - available in single or case orders (but no wholesale)
Chilehead Comments:
Posted by: Nick Lindauer - Categories: Hot Sauce Reviews, Reviews
Permalink: Review: Jailhouse Fire Hot Sauce
One year ago: Meet your Maker #6 - Innuendo Foods
Two years ago: Chili (sp?) Peppers
- Related Posts:
- Florida inmates create, sell own hot sauce
- Hillsborough Jail Inmates Pick Peppers For Hot Sauce
- Hot Sauce on Ice Cream
- Review: Refiner’s Fire Hot Sauce
- Review: Ring of Fire XX-Hot Habanero Hot Sauce
26 Comments »
What a good idea. I bet it tastes better than a Licence Plate.
Newman..lol..lol..you are getting off to an early start!
There were two verisons of that joke. The first was about breaking rocks…but I couldn’t make it work.
So is Kato’s now done with this line? I thought I read somewhere of them parting ways for whatever reason.
And I’d like to add that you’ll not meet a nicer person in the industry! Allen is also an accomplished grower and horticulturalist. Speaking of “pro-bono” that’s just about what this whole project is for him- it barely pays for itself as all of the money is put back into the program. He’s been hit hard down there by the pepper weevil at least one season & that was a real set back for the program.
I heartily recommend a bottle (or two) that goes to a great cause!
200 Hot Pepper variety?? Is that right or a typo? Seems like that would be a good way to market. 200 varieties is quite extreme.
I checked out the booth in NM and took some samples home and loved them. I agree with Jim, a great cause and a great guy. Talking to Allen was great and I was very impressed. I will def order a cpl bottles.
weszeb on 6/2/2007 at 1:25 pm said:
200 Hot Pepper variety?? Is that right or a typo? Seems like that would be a good way to market. 200 varieties is quite extreme.
Right off Wes, I wouldn’t believe it to be a typo. Allen has about a zillion kinds of chiles growing down there and has sent me seed from at least that many chiles before. He probably grows as many varieties of chinense as anyone in the country.
And, off blog- I trust you got my apology & refund. If not, should be there Monday.
Arizona Jack on 6/2/2007 at 1:54 pm said:
I checked out the booth in NM and took some samples home and loved them. I agree with Jim, a great cause and a great guy. Talking to Allen was great and I was very impressed. I will def order a cpl bottles.
I also had the chance to speak to Allen at the show. Got my sample there but asked him to sign it and well…. you know.
What a funny look he gave Ed and me when we asked him to sign them. Like who me? Why on earth would you want me to do that….lol
Awesome label!
Gildo on 6/2/2007 at 7:41 pm said:
Awesome label!
I agree. It’s not often we see a label with flames coming out of that end! 
DK..don’t change..that was beautiful!!…lol
weszeb on 6/2/2007 at 9:11 pm said:
DK..don’t change..that was beautiful!!…lol
Change? You ain’t gotta worry about that. You might take the boy out of the country, but ya can’t take the smart a$$ outta the redneck! 
Gildo on 6/2/2007 at 7:41 pm said:
Awesome label!
Yes, very nice label. Because of the label, I’ll be ordering two. One for the shelf and one for eating. Sounds great and I can’t wait to try it!
Hey all, just stoppin’ by. Today was Isabellas 1st b-day!!!!!!!!!!!
eman on 6/2/2007 at 10:46 pm said:
Hey all, just stoppin’ by. Today was Isabellas 1st b-day!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey eman!
HAPPY B-DAY ISABELLA!!!! :)
eman on 6/2/2007 at 10:46 pm said:
Hey all, just stoppin’ by. Today was Isabellas 1st b-day!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey Efam!!! Happy 1st Birthday to our favorite little Tamale in training!!!!
DK on 6/2/2007 at 9:03 pm said:
I agree. It’s not often we see a label with flames coming out of that end!
HAHA!!! That WAS good! see, Rednecks aren’t as dumb as they look…..JK xoxo
Uncle Big on 6/2/2007 at 11:29 am said:
So is Kato’s now done with this line? I thought I read somewhere of them parting ways for whatever reason.
No, no parting of ways in a bad context. In fact Mick has a few bottles of the first batch with the old artwork (mine) and it has been changed to a collectors item as that label is no longer available. He is selling them at a reduced rate on his site.
As far as selling the sauce, Mick won’t be carrying this sauce as far as I know. May change in the future. Hopefully you can return this information to your source as a bit of rumor control.
Mick is a great guy, with some great sauces, and is a good friend.
Allen/Chance/Boat/anything but late for dinner!
Nick Lindauer on 6/2/2007 at 12:20 pm said:
No mango at all - i think it’s in there to tone some of the other flavors down but I can’t taste it at all. Just heat, vinegar and spices
There is quite a bit of mustard in it too. The mango was supposed to be Prominent. Maybe with hotter mash and more mango we can fix that, but I hesitate to ruin a good thing. The reason the mango and the mustard are in this recipe is that it was a “cross” between a Basan (said Bazion) Mustard Sauce and a Caribbean Hot Sauce.
This has been a fun project, and while it would have been nice to have it as my own private product, I don’t think it would have had quite the fillowing or the novelty value it has today. And yes all the proceeds go back into the program.
Thanks again,
Allen
Allen Boatman on 6/4/2007 at 9:39 am said:
No, no parting of ways in a bad context. In fact Mick has a few bottles of the first batch with the old artwork (mine) and it has been changed to a collectors item as that label is no longer available. He is selling them at a reduced rate on his site.
As far as selling the sauce, Mick won’t be carrying this sauce as far as I know. May change in the future. Hopefully you can return this information to your source as a bit of rumor control.
Mick is a great guy, with some great sauces, and is a good friend.
Allen/Chance/Boat/anything but late for dinner!
Allen,
No worries about rumor control, I saw the fact that the distribution was changing hands from Mick to the Sherriff’s Department or something, that’s all.
I have no doubt that everything is cool in Jail House Fire land, except the sauce of course!!
Keep up the good work, looking forward to trying the product someday.
DK on 6/2/2007 at 9:03 pm said:
I agree. It’s not often we see a label with flames coming out of that end!
How can you tell which end is which on a redneck? Both ends look the same and carp comes out of each 
When my redneck cousin was born the doc flipped him over & told his mama she’d had twins
Jim- Step Up For Charity on 6/4/2007 at 10:10 pm said:
How can you tell which end is which on a redneck? Both ends look the same and carp comes out of each
LOL!!!!
Well in this case we can tell the guy in the pic isn’t a redneck. No PBR in sight, and it’s not spelled “Jailhousefar“!
Excellent sauce. Plenty of heat, great body, nice flavor.
The creator of this fine blend is one of the most committed chili heads I know. As a degreed horticulturist (go Gators), he’s more than an expert on growing the finest peppers. Buy some of this product, you won’t be disappointed.
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The sauce looks great! Was the mango subtle or prominent?