Different situations call for different heat-enhancers, but I generally keep Louisiana Hot Sauce and Sriracha on hand and that takes care of most. I do also like several varieties of El Yucateco.

I think the tastiest hot sauce I ever had was a Rhino brand Peri-Peri sauce that my friend picked up a while back, I haven't had that one in a couple of years though.

Me too on the Louisiana Hot Sauce and occasionally Texas Pete's. But I don't find myself using Sriracha as often as I thought I would. Best for Asian dishes? Eggs? Other suggestions?

If I could have no other hot sauce I would have to choose Valentina Black Label. It's got a great chile flavor that tastes good on most things....especially Mexican, Tex-Mex and pizza. Unlike many hot sauces it doesn't have an overpowering vinegar flavor. Plus, it's readily available.

toria wrote: Seems to me that Tabasco is too vinegary. What hot sauce do you like, and do you have a favorite?

Agree, Tabasco is vinegar dominate one-note, I like it with bloody mary's but not much else.

I'm a fan of Sriracha though prefer the made in Thailand over the ubiquitous California produced Huy Fong brand.



My on-deck lineup, not the only hot sauces I have in the house simply my current most used. Bufalo Chipotle most often used as an ingredient to add subtle smokey heat to sauces, marinades, brines etc.

On the counter 10.26.10

Just canned a batch of habanero/ghost pepper hot sauce--nothing but 3 cups of very ripe chilis, vinegar, salt, garlic, and a small jar of canned tomatoes (from this summer). I pureed everything together and wrung it out through a fine strainer, added more vinegar, pureed again and strained. Repeated this exercise one final time. Brought the resulting liquid to a boil, simmered for half an hour, then jarred and processed for 35 minutes. I admit, i was afraid to even taste it before jarring it. It could be nothing but flavored vinegar. REALLY REALLY spicy flavored vinegar. It looks like hot sauce. I have 9 1/2 pint jars that some of you may be getting for Christmas. HO HO HO !!!

HOT SAUCE UPDATE: I wasn't really accurate before when i described what I made. I actually canned 7 jars of the strained sauce. In addition, I took about a 1/3 of a cup of the solids and mixed it with canola oil and stuck it in the fridge. I then took the rest of the solids, added more vinegar and the other half of the jar of tomatoes, pureed again and stuck that jar in the fridge as well.

Tonite we did a tasting of all three and they were all great but different. The oil based sauce was the mildest and the least flavorful but still very tasty. I see this as being a good base for cooking. The pureed mix with the vinegar was fruity, fully tasting of peppers and salsa-like. Finally, the strained sauce was awesome--fiery hot but still flavorful and so much more complex that i would've expected the second day out. Can't wait to see if it develops further. Definitely my new favorite hot sauce!!

My fridge should always have the following:

Sriraja Panich brand sriracha, although the rooster will do
El Yucateco Kutbil-ik
Valentina Black
Tabasco

Yes, Tabasco is very vinegary, but I don't find it one-note at all. The mix of aged, fermented tabasco peppers with the sharp bite of vinegar is perfect in certain situations, mainly with fried or fatty foods where you want a lot of acidity to cut through the richness of the dish. Louisiana and Crystal sauces work as well, but I like the classic Tabasco the best of that bunch because of its vinegary bite.

I also enjoy Cholula and Marie Sharp's Hot Habanero sauce, especially the latter.

Survey:

Hot sauces in the fridge, or on the counter? Some in, some out?

None of mine are in the fridge.

gleam wrote:Survey:

Hot sauces in the fridge, or on the counter? Some in, some out?

None of mine are in the fridge.

this has no basis in science that I know of but my rule of thumb is: If it has texture of any kind (Siracha, Garlic Chili Sauce, etc.) it goes in the fridge. If it's liquid, it doesn't. I'm curious too--is this unnecessary?

gleam wrote:Survey:

Hot sauces in the fridge, or on the counter? Some in, some out?

None of mine are in the fridge.

Non-refrigerated here.

gleam wrote:Hot sauces in the fridge, or on the counter? Some in, some out?

once opened mine go in the fridge.

For most uses I look for sauces that contain three ingredients: peppers, vinegar, salt. No xanthum gum, no sodium benzoate, no other vegetables, no spices. When opened these stay on the kitchen counter.

Binko wrote:Sriraja Panich brand sriracha, although the rooster will do

Just picked up some of this at Bangkok Oriental Market (75th & Harlem-ish) in Oak Lawn. We were in the area and I needed some Sriracha and this is what they had. It seems sweeter and less spicy than the ubiquitous rooster stuff that I'm used to but not bad, and usable in the same situations I guess. Also it makes me want to try some other alternative Sriracha sauces if I can find them.

JimTheBeerGuy wrote: Also it makes me want to try some other alternative Sriracha sauces if I can find them.

shark is really good.

Great idea for a thread! I love hot sauces, especially ones with a little flavor (besides mega-scovilles). And of course, the names are part of the fun, right?

Im currently enjoying:
Jump Up and Kiss Me Chipotle
Inner Beauty
Queen of Farts
Blair's After Death
Smack My Ass and Call Me Sally

Im not enjoying the Dave's Insanity way too hottt for me

For those who arent aware, I recommend the Pendery's catalog for a very big selection of hot sauces (and amazing chili powders):
http://www.penderys.com/hot-sauce.html

I'm really missing the kutbil-ik since I ran out and haven't found a source. Haven't seen the el-yucateco jalapeño either. However, I'm glad I can easily get the Texas Pete sauces at my neighborhood grocery store. Now they even had others. I really like the garlic version. The hotter Texas Pete is very good as well - though a touch too hot for me for regular use (it is nice for cooking...). The sauce that I've really become a fan of is the Matouk's Calypso sauce - habanero flavor sings more than it singes (it is hot, but the type you can't stop eating...)

gleam wrote:Hot sauces in the fridge, or on the counter? Some in, some out?

Vinegar based (high acid) sauces I keep out. Sriracha is in fridge.

Katie wrote:Me too on the Louisiana Hot Sauce and occasionally Texas Pete's. But I don't find myself using Sriracha as often as I thought I would. Best for Asian dishes? Eggs? Other suggestions?

Almost everywhere you use ketchup, you could add some sriracha to it.
Almost everywhere you use mayonnaise, you could add some sriracha to it (+ a touch of chili oil and a drop of honey or maple syrup)

Huichol, from Nayarit and pictured above, is the best of the Cholula-type "cocteles" sauces (of which Valentina is another good choice). Also among the cheapest.

sazerac wrote:I'm really missing the kutbil-ik since I ran out and haven't found a source. Haven't seen the el-yucateco jalapeño either.

I'm nearly 100% certain that they have both at Armitage Produce. I should be stopping by there in the next day or two and can confirm, but I recall that I am always stunned by their hot sauce selection.

Armitage Produce
3334 W Armitage Ave
Chicago, IL 60647

We like Clancy's Fancy a great deal, but I haven't seen it for sale here (prob at Fox and Obel?). I also like Sriracha, Louisiana Hot sauce and we have something that is just habaneros pureed in vinegar. That one is a paste, approx 3 oz jar, and I have had it for 15 years and still haven't used it up

I'm a big fan of Matouk's Calypso, a thick, habanero based sauce that seems characteristically carribean to me.

Love it on Harold's fried chicken.

Habibi wrote:I'm a big fan of Matouk's Calypso, a thick, habanero based sauce that seems characteristically carribean to me.

That stuff is the bomb! They have several flavors, but that one is my favorite. Picked it up in Bonaire. I have seen it here at random groceries now and then.

Just got back from Armitage Produce and they do carry the full line of El Yucateco and nearly all of the Cholula's (Chili Garlic, the one I want, of course, is not available).



Pretty nice variety of hot sauce overall, some of the usual suspects and some more interesting items


They also have this El Yucateco product I've never tried


Armitage Produce
3334 W Armitage Ave
Chicago, IL 60647

Ursiform wrote:Just got back from Armitage Produce and they do carry the full line of El Yucateco

Was just at Tony's at Fullerton & Central Park and saw that they do as well.

Marie Sharpe's habanero and prickly pear from Belize is my favorite, Sharpe's habanero and grapefruit runs a close second. My favorite commercial Mexican sauce is definitely Huichol, but the store-made salsas from Supermercado Morelia are fantastic (as is their in-house made crema). They usually have a tasting station set up with fresh fried tortilla chips (made from their in-store pressed tortillas) for sampling the various sauces.

Ursiform wrote:(Chili Garlic, the one I want, of course, is not available).

Apoligies, but given the array of hot sauces pictured this made me chuckle.

sazerac wrote:The sauce that I've really become a fan of is the Matouk's Calypso sauce - habanero flavor sings more than it singes (it is hot, but the type you can't stop eating...)

Matouk's Calypso is a favorite of mine as well, loved it since first tasted in a Key West oyster bar decades ago.

boudreaulicious wrote:pureed mix with the vinegar was fruity, fully tasting of peppers and salsa-like. Finally, the strained sauce was awesome--fiery hot but still flavorful and so much more complex that i would've expected the second day out. Can't wait to see if it develops further. Definitely my new favorite hot sauce!!

Tasted Boudreauliciousohabeaulicious hab/ghost pepper hot sauce, fruity with building heat coming in soft waves. Not as hot as expected, multi layered flavor..punch with poetry.

Enjoy,
Gary

My every day hot sauce is Crystal i like it much better than Tabasco which I have tired of . For special hot sauces i like Matouks and I like Sriracha.

d4v3 wrote:Marie Sharpe's habanero and prickly pear from Belize is my favorite, Sharpe's habanero and grapefruit runs a close second.....

Where do you get your Marie Sharp's? I have found it at Fresh Foods in Niles, but have never seen the flavors you describe. It's been one of my favorites, ever since my aunt brought back some from Belize.

Jen

Pie-love wrote:

d4v3 wrote:Marie Sharpe's habanero and prickly pear from Belize is my favorite, Sharpe's habanero and grapefruit runs a close second.....

Where do you get your Marie Sharp's? I have found it at Fresh Foods in Niles, but have never seen the flavors you describe. It's been one of my favorites, ever since my aunt brought back some from Belize.

Jen

Rogers Park Fruit Market
7401 N Clark St ·
Chicago
(773) 262-3663

BTW your spelling is the correct one. I don't know why I thought it had an "e" in the name.