What are You Racking for the Spice?

From left to right, I'd give these 5.10c, Gunks 5.9 and 5.11d.

The flavor profile on the scorp is really good, kind of a slow and steady, perambulatory burn. The spice has a pointed onset, as though your buds were being pricked by an epee ("the potent poison doth o'ercrow my spirit").

The ghost has a rich, creamy mouthfeel, which delays the burn by about fifteen seconds. When it hits, it delivers a full-bodied sear, a veritable saber slice of intensity.

The hab has a nice salty intake but fails to deliver on the "xxxtra hot" appellation. For high-volume users who enjoy a good slather, this might be the ticket.

To pick just one? (Interrogative paragraph start copyright OLH 2022). The ghost, for its versatility, nuance and boldness. The habanero will probably be a crock pot chili add-on. The scorpion is a very worthwhile sauce, but is a bit unidimensional in comparison to the triple-zero. 

Melinda's tomatillo cilantro verde (left, below) remains my favorite sauce of all time. That's more of a Muir Valley 5.8 in terms of heat but has an incredible depth to its flavor palette.

What are you racking for the spice?

Melinda's Ghost and Melinda's Naga Jolokia are some of my absolute favorites.

El Yucateco XXXtra Hot Sauce (Habanero, Brown, Mayan Recipe) is a widely available favorite of mine. Going on a burrito right now.

Da Bomb always tastes terrible to me. Similarly the Dave's sauces I have tried I have not liked as much.

Mad Dog 357 Ghost is the hottest I currently have and actually enjoy the taste of.

Heartbreaking Dawn's had one I really liked, but I can't remember the name.

Marie Sharp's are reasonably available and the habanero based ones I have had have been good.

Pickapeppa is like a Jamaican A1 Steak Sauce. No appreciable spice at all, but tasty. I go through it too quickly. I have not tried their variations though.

Desert Rock Sports wrote:

Heartbreaking Dawn's had one I really liked, but I can't remember the name.

Perhaps I shall try that at Twilight tonight.

Those would be 4th class in NM.

Here's my personal favorite 5.9+, goes well with a lot of things as has a unique & incredible flavor:

And here is an enjoyable 4th class scramble of mine that's a good daily driver, excellent way to start the day:

You should give Exhorresco by Burns and McCoy a shot. Ultra classic 13a.

Mike JF wrote:

What a Dumb idea for a thread Haha

Everyone knows Choluha is where its at!

¿Quién es Choluha?

Not YGD, merely exactly what I want, when I want it:

The Old Bay is great on fried or roasted spuds. The chili garlic sauce is a must have for Vietnamese and other far east cooking, plus it seems to have an indeterminate shelf life in the fridge. I usually buy a new one once a decade or so, just cuz.

The curry powder is a good one, if I'm not up to doing all the separate bits myself. The Hungarian paprika is just a pure chili hot. That's it, nothing else, so really useful.

Other than that, plain old Tabasco lurks somewhere, but I cook with actual peppers, including habañeros. We used to have a special container reserved for the blender to make a great habañero condiment. Peppers, onions, and a few other things. It was sort of like horseradish, but nicer. You could sneak it into all sorts of things, even stuff like mac n cheese.

I don't generally use table sauces, most of that happens in the kitchen. But, I have simple jalapeño Tabasco around for tacos and such, sometimes a couple others. If I want more volume, I have access to really good salsa verde (goes with the really really good tamales) here.

Best, Helen

I'm a fan of Jerome's ghost pepper hot sauce, but it's more of a hot drop or two than a "sauce" if you get my drift. Best to cook with it than chug cold.

https://www.jeromeghostpepper.com/product/sauces/ghost-pepper-premium/

Desert Rock Sports wrote:

Heartbreaking Dawn's had one I really liked, but I can't remember the name.

Could it be the 1498 Trinidad Scorpion or Cauterizer version of the same?  Those are my favorite of theirs among the ones I've tried.  The Cauterizer is at my heat limit but has great flavor to go with it.

There’s a fun store in the Original Farmers ‘Market in LA called Light My Fire. Soooo many different brands of hot sauce to try!

phylp phylp wrote:

There’s a fun store in the Original Farmers ‘Market in LA called Light My Fire. Soooo many different brands of hot sauce to try!

That....is just cruel.