In conjunction with the annual “Woodstock for Chileheads”, a hot sauce contest is being added to the events planned for Open Fields. The cost is only $10 per person and that one fee allows you to enter as many sauces as you’d like (within reason, please). Listed categories are Best ‘Hot’ Sauce, Best ‘Sweet Hot’, Best ‘Mild’ Sauce, Best ‘Fresh from the Field’, Open Category (anything goes, any heat level) and Best Salsa. Prizes are yet to be determined but trophies will be awarded for 1st, 2nd, & 3rd in each category. Judging will be done on site & winners announced that evening (September 29th).
The Best Fresh from the Field category is unique among any other hot sauce contest as these will be sauces that are made and prepared on site with chiles picked fresh from the ones available on site. You are allowed to bring your own extra ingredients (onions, garlic, etc) to the contest, but the sauce must be based on the chiles you find in the fields. Think “Iron Chef” minus the high tech kitchen and utensils and adding a rustic setting, weather, lots of fellow chileheads, and a good cause.
The contest is the brainchild of “Scotch Bonnet Steve” from the MSN Rogues group. If you plan on entering, please send him a note (sfoster4 at
gmail.com) so that he can add your name to the poster. He is one of the most knowledgeable growers in the country and is taking part in some real cutting edge research involving chile peppers. The contest is limited to ameteur hot sauce makers at this time, with the hopes that the “pros” who attend assist with the judging.
Contest entries should be mailed to Jim Campbell, 81 Martin Pl, Franklin IN 46131. The check for the entry fee needs be made out to: The Stair Climb Fund.
Written by Jim Campbell
Nick Lindauer founded Hot Sauce Blog in 2004, making it one of the internet's very first hot sauce review sites. After 20+ years of tasting, reviewing, and attending every major fiery foods event in the country, he's back behind the keyboard covering the hot sauce world he helped build.
46 responses to “Open Fields Amateur Hot Sauce Contest”
hmmmmmm…..
[Comment ID #98075 Quote]
Thats a pretty solid assessment of the situation. I agree 100%, shoot maybe even 110% or more.
Sounds like an awesome idea, Jim and Steve! How much hot sauce do the contestants need to bring to enter? I mean, just enough for the judges, or will the entire crowd get a chance to try all of the amateur sauces.
I think the grand prize should be working with one of the pros to actually produce a real product, maybe marketed under the pros label? Is that even feasible? Might be cool for the winner though!
hmmmmmm……this is gonna be good….
Cool idea – I wish we were going this year.
Awwww man, no Jerky catagory! 🙁 😉
Heaven Forbid….can’t leave out the Jerkey……
[Comment ID #98138 Quote]
dont worry DK, you are the #1 Jerk no matter what everyone else says. 🙂
[Comment ID #98204 Quote]
Jerk me.
Redneck.
. 😉
[Comment ID #98207 Quote]
proud of my heritage.
Hay Generallee you scare Gildo off the blog
just like an andrew dice clay joke…
how long does it take an avg woman to have an “O”?
who cares?
When’s the deadline?
Jerky? Did I hear Jerky? PERK
ok, now the hmmmmmmmm
I think the Hmmmmmmmmmm…have it
Sorry folks- been out & about last couple of days.
Deadline would be the day before the event for all but the ‘fresh from the fields’ category.
Ineresting idea on the prize for bottling the winner by a pro. Not likely though as that is a whole chapter in the book about the differences about home & commercial cooking 🙂
You don’t need to send any more sauce than what you’d like. Should be able to do the judging with only one bottle. If you want to send some for the masses, then that’s okay too.
[Comment ID #98224 Quote]
LOL.
darn wes. we’ll keep at it.
How about the winner has to buy Huvason all the free beer he can drink?
and a shot of zero. 🙂
Drumroll please……
waiting on your whatever you are going to write wes….
[Comment ID #98268 Quote]
Wont work Defcon,
no one here has THAT much $. Would need to pool together 😉
Sorry generallee was making a tortillini dish with seafood and BLUE”S habanero sauce…good stuf..So all Gildo has to say is LOL….what did you do send out the guys who wear black hats and carry Violin Cases
to shut him up……..lmao
i wish, just sent some of my relatives dressed in grey (confederate uni’s) and Fort Sumter’ed his hinny.
…lol..lol..lol..lmao…blaaahahaha
on like donky knog dawg.
[Comment ID #98311 Quote]
Long as we’re bringing up Civil War stuff, and since it’s my thread….. 😉
I always thought that North Carolinas’ brag on their license plate “First in Flight” more properly belonged to *South* Carolina 🙂
To those folks that say “the South’s gonna do it again”, I just always smile and say “so will the North” 😉
Full blooded descendant of Gen US Grant, I am 🙂 My dad & he could be twins.
That ought to change a few opinons towards me or there ain’t a drop of reb blood in more than a few of y’all 😛
Interesting night all around..is it a full moon…LOL
i am a member of
http://www.scv.org/
and yes jim, i dont care where you are from, you are the exception. you are too much of an inspiration to me and i hope you know what i am talking about.
and about your thread, i wissh i knew how to make hot sauce cause i’d do all i can to help you out. maybe in the future 😉
Hay David what happened to you??…..Comment # 2..you one of the few people who agree with me….keep talking…you go guy!!!…..
Generallee…see how nice you can bee after you vent……
and he sent me a hug via email a sec ago. what a fella.
[Comment ID #98305 Quote]
Shut me up? That’s just isn’y going to happen. Sorry guys.
Hay Gildo…I knew that would get ya going…shut u up yea right..lolo
This may be a silly question, but..when is open fields? I would like to attend, but I need to plan…….
Ed
[Comment ID #98299 Quote]
You guys could always try. I’ll do my best 😀
Judging is on September 29th.
I’m in for two (or three) different flavors. I’ll send two bottles of each so I can get me some fans!
[Comment ID #98506 Quote]
You’ve already got fans DevilDuck. We haven’t forgotten that sauce we tried in NM, good luck!
Links man,, LINKS!!!
I see no links to entry forms, son. Now that you are taking commercial sauces in the contest,,, I wanna enter my stuff!
Show me where!
[Comment ID #99481 Quote]
No entry form! Just send in the sauce with the fee & a note stating which one goes to which category.
Simple, huh? 🙂
Works for me!
You’ll have a set of everything ASAP Jim!
Thanks!
[Comment ID #101139 Quote]
Thanks! Wife says something arrived at the house today- believe it might be yours Wes 🙂 Thanks again.
some of you can give me some inforation abut whos interesting in bying scoth bonnet red pepper. Please if you have any information write lomarm@gmail.com/lomarm@hotmail.com…..Thanks