I think hot sauce gives me more pleasure for the money than any other material thing. (More than beer, Bo? Really? Yes, really.) Such is my fondness for it that when I’m planning a meal, frequently I pick out the sauce I want to have and then think about what foods it would complement.
Some people who learn of this affection of mine ask questions like “well, aren’t all hot sauces pretty much the same?” or “at some point, it’s just hot, right? I like flavor.”
No, all hot sauces are definitely not the same, though if a person has consumed grocery store offerings exclusively or nearly so, then s/he could be forgiven for thinking such. Most hot sauces in most grocery stores are slight variations of the style known as Louisiana hot sauce. A Louisiana hot sauce rarely has much else in it but vinegar, peppers, and salt, and usually in that order. Crystal, Texas Pete, Louisiana brand, Frank’s Red Hot, and original Tabasco are all Louisiana hot sauces. There are only subtle differences between them, and none of them are very hot. Though they definitely have their place, they represent only the tiniest sliver of what’s available.
Flavors in hot sauce, at any heat level, are as varied as those in salad dressings or wines. There’s not any such thing as “at some point, it’s just hot” except in products specifically intended to deliver only heat.
Speaking of heat, the chemical compound responsible for it in hot sauce is called capsaicin. The more there is, the hotter the sauce. The heat of a sauce (or any other food) is measured in Scoville heat units (SHU). The commonly understood ends of the Scoville scale are a bell pepper at 0 SHU, and pure capsaicin at 16,000,000 SHU. To give you some perspective, regular Tabasco sauce measures 2,500 to 5,000 SHU. Most other Louisiana hot sauces are 500 to 2,000 or so SHU. The hottest raw jalapeno is around 10,000 SHU.
Even in the world of gourmet/boutique hot sauces, there are many interesting offerings in these low heat ranges. However, there are also many that are considerably hotter. I use sauces in the 100,000-200,000 range routinely; check in around 500,000 when I’m looking for a thrill; and to date, the hottest I’ve had is around 1,000,000.
(I learned making a pot of chili several months back that my tolerance for heat has increased dramatically. I thought it “had a little kick at the end.” Lea couldn’t eat it. I don’t heat it up in the pot anymore unless I’m the only one who’s going to eat it. Heat goes up only at the table.)
I have three recommendations below that push beyond typical supermarket offerings, both in heat and flavor. They are intended for a person who loves hot sauce, but is perhaps a bit bored and has become curious about what else is out there. They’re “gateway” sauces, into the broader world that awaits.
Warning: These recommendations are only for the person I just described. If you think regular Tabasco is really hot, you need to stop reading here. Thank you.
Shall we? Here goes:
Tabasco Habanero is a splendid little sauce that I continue to enjoy from time to time even now. It’s considerably hotter than regular Tabasco, but not cripplingly so. McIlhenny says it’s “7,000+ SHU.”
The flavor of Tabasco Habanero is rich and impressive, and that’s the important takeaway from it. It’s fruity. It’s sweet, though not cloyingly so. It’s got a nice little kick at the end. The taste is somewhat Caribbean in profile, and considerably more complex than anything else in the Tabasco lineup. I have used it as a marinade. Indeed, grilled chicken is where I’d recommend trying this one for the first time. (If you like this sauce and want something a lot like it later, only considerably hotter, look into Predator Great White Shark Hot Sauce.)
Marie Sharp’s Habanero Pepper Sauce is really a lineup of products. They all taste very similar, and only vary in heat level. From mildest to hottest, they go Mild, Hot, Fiery Hot, Belizean Heat, and BEWARE. I recommend you start with Hot and see what you think.
Do read my review for more details, but the gist is that the habanero/carrot hot sauce paradigm may well be something for which you have no close current analog in your catalog of gustatory experiences. Stay with it until it clicks. It will. You’ll make up excuses to use this sauce.
Heartbreaking Dawns Classic Gold is my recommendation for your initial genuinely hot sauce. I can’t find a published Scoville rating for it and shall not attempt an estimate. To be sure, there are a great many hotter sauces out there. But this is one for which you’ll immediately notice the substantial heat, but also quickly appreciate its versatility. This sauce is at home on anything. It’s an old friend.
Hot sauces are kind of like roller coasters. They feel dangerous, but they’re not. You get the adrenaline, the endorphins, and so forth, but nothing’s really happening to you. Isn’t that awesome?
If you’re ready for a next step (or two or three), I recommend the above. Enjoy.
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