Spicy Food
All about spicy food of all kinds - hot sauces, hot chile peppers, snacks, spicy dishes, hot wings, and more - and even bland food!
New! Spicy Food Reviews - Hot Sauces and Spicy Snacks
Recipe - Easy Beef Empanadas
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At the request of a follow Twitterer (@garrick_s, please follow him if you're on Twitter), I'm posting a beef empanada recipe. Now if you're unfamiliar with empanadas, let me explain. They're turnover-like pastries mostly popular in Latin America (in Argentina they're about as common as white bread is up here in the United States) that can be stuffed with a limitless variety of fillings - chicken, beef, ham, fish, cheese, vegetables, eggs or even with sweet ingredients to make a dessert empanada (you may have heard of Taco Bell's Caramel Apple Empanada, a guilty pleasure). Empanadas can be baked or fried. The choices are up to you; it's fun to experiment to find your favorite fillings, but here's a great beef empanada recipe to start yourself out with.
Review - Montego Bay Trading Co. Naga Bhut Jolokia Sauces
Today we turn our attention towards a trio of sauces that contain the world's hottest chile pepper - the naga bhut jolokia. While I love my foods mind-numbingly scorching (and the jolokia pepper by itself certainly provides ample amounts of fire), I think it's even more important for a sauce to have great flavor as opposed to just pure heat. If you have both, then your product is a solid winner in my book. Montego Bay Trading Co., found on the interwebs at BurnMeGood.com, aim for chilehead perfection with the "magic duo" of flavor and fire with the three sauces I'm reviewing - Heavenly Sweet Heat Naga Sauce, Hell's Inferno Naga Bhut Jolokia Hot Sauce and Undertaker Naga Sauce.
Review - Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce
Look anywhere online for foodies' and chileheads' thoughts on the Americanized version of the Thai Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce produced by Huy Fong Foods in California, and you'll see an avalanche of rave reviews and comments. People go bonkers for this stuff! Since I've never formally reviewed it, Glenn Suarez was kind enough to send me a bottle of Sriracha to review. After trying the sauce on many things, I have to admit I have different feelings about it than others do.
Classic Mac 'n Cheese Recipe by the BBQ Pit Boys
Here's a great grilled mac 'n cheese recipe video done by the BBQ Pit Boys. It runs a bit long for a recipe video (over 13 minutes), but you gotta love the low-pitched, gravelly voice-over AND the fact that he uses a machete for a cooking utensil:
South African ATMs Defend Themselves with Pepper Spray
Pepper-Spray Defense Means South Africa Robbers Face Loss of Balance at Cash Machines
- Thieves face squirt of eye-watering chemical
- New security feature to thwart exploding cash machine raids
By David Smith of guardian.co.uk
Cash machines offer an ever-growing menu of services beyond merely dispensing money. For tampering criminals, this now includes a squirt of pepper spray in the face...
2009 Weekend Of Fire Update and Vendor Participants
Chiliheads, JB here from Jungle Jim's and the Week End of Fire. No, I am not Jungle Jim and no I am not Brett Vitek, but I have learned a lot from both of them over the last 25 years. I have some big shoes to fill this year and will be leaning on a lot of you for your expertise and support. I am thrilled to be associated with an event of this magnitude, and excited at some of the events and good times we have planned.
Many of you have asked for a listing of who is attending the show so I've added it to the bottom of this e-mail. This year, the show will feature over 55 booths with sampling of hot sauces, BBQ sauces, salsas, mustards, spices and even Italian Ice. We are expecting over 3,000 attendees this year! The Bloggers booth and participation will be an integral part of the show. The bloggers will be:
1.Managing the National Salsa Contest Finals
2. Assisting with our "Step Up For Charity" Fund by selling product samples, donations, over runs and miss-labels for the charity. This is the Charity spearheaded by the Mild to Wild Sauce Company (WildPepper.com).
3. Adding to the fun and excitement of the show.
Oh and for our vendor partners let's not forget the Friday night cocktail party at The Oscar Event Center featuring an open bar and complimentary appetizers beginning at 5:00 p.m., or the continental breakfast Saturday and Sunday mornings in the Oscar meeting room.
Some new additions to the show (including the salsa contest) include having four portable restaurants set up in front of The Oscar Event Center during show hours selling BBQ food and roasted peppers and a brand new Harley Davidson Bike sitting in the main entry way! The infamous Defcon Hot Wing Eating Contest at Buffalo Wings and Rings will begin about 7:00 on Saturday Night along with a wrap-up dinner at Papadeux's Restaurant on Sunday night. Wow, what a power packed week end of fire!! Looking forward to meeting all of you on August 1st and 2nd.
Here's the attendees...
How to Start a Hot Sauce Company
Tom Schickel of http://www.tomshotsauce.com has written a step-by-step guide on how to start up a hot sauce company:
So you want to start your own hot sauce company, but you keep running into roadblocks. You are going through the same thing I went through. It starts out simple, you figured out the right recipe and now want to take the next step. Well, I thought I would take a few minutes to share what I have gone through to help other pepper-heads and share some resources that I have found and maybe save you some time...
Review - Syberg's Wings - St. Louis Wings, Part Three
The next stop (just one of among many other forthcoming destinations) for fantastic St. Louis hot wings is the highly lauded Syberg's Restaurant. Unlike most wing joints, Syberg's is noted for having a noteworthy mustard-based wing sauce. Of source to give it credit, Syberg's, with it's four locations (five if you include the Syberg's-owned Helen Fitzgerald's Grill and Pub) is not a basic, "hole-in-the-wall" wing shack; most are sizable retaurants with expansive rooms, perfect for get-togethers with large groups of friends or family members. From past experience I would recommend Syberg's when you and your clan need a family-friendly sports bar to hang out, eat, and have a good time.
But today's review is not on the restaurant itself, but on their trademark chicken wings. To test these out for my Syberg's review, I decided to order some for carry-out during a weekday lunch...
The Burn Buzz - Spicy Food News 7/9/09
There's lots of interesting links about hot foods floating around on the interwebs lately. Each one may not merit a blog post all to itself, but they all are worth mentioning:
10 Delicious Herbs That Help Fight Disease
[Chile peppers, though not technically an herb, are at #1]
Domestication Of Chile Pepper Provides Insights Into Crop Origin And Evolution
Antifungal Pepper Compound Has Potential in Agriculture and Medicine
Fiery Wing Challenge August at the Seaview Hotel, Australia
Rare Blair's Hot Sauce Collectables Up For Sale
World's Largest Green Chile Cheeseburger?
July 2009 Poll: Are You Planning to Attend the Weekend of Fire Event on August 1 & 2?
Are you planning to go to the Weekend of Fire Hot Sauce and Hot Foods Show in Fairfield (suburban Cincinnati), Ohio this year? Please vote:
The History of Chili Cook-Offs Revisited
I had posted this in early 2008 and just in case some of you hadn't caught this the first go-round, here it is again:
Texas food expert John Raven, Ph.B has written an excellent five-part series on the history of chili cook-offs. It's required reading for any type of chili fan...
Part One: In the Beginning
Part Two: Chili Competition Erupts in Terlingua
Part Three: The Sixties; Terlingua Cook-Off Grows
Part Four: Upheavals, Female Competitors and a Parting of the Ways
Part Five: The Chili World Split in Two
New Water Soluble Chile Extract: HydroCap
Courtesy of Dave DeWitt:
Sonoma Organics, a division of Seco Spice Ltd. of Berino, New Mexico, has announced the release of a new product to stabilize the heat levels of fiery foods products. Until now, manufacturers have had to depend on imported, oil-based oleoresins, notes chemist Marlin Bensinger, who invented the process for making a water soluble chile extract. The advantage of HydroCap™ is that it does not separate in water-based products such as salsas and hot sauces and does not change the flavor of the product. Bensinger added that HydroCap™ is not designed to make superhot sauces but rather to be added to products of any heat level to increase or stabilize their heat levels as measured by the industry standard, Scoville Heat Units. HydroCap™ is organic and kosher and is available in varying heat levels but most commonly 50,000 SHU and 100,000 SHU. For more information on HydroCap™, send an email here.
Review - Nando's Chickenland Peri-Peri Sauces
After doing a bit of research on Nando's Chickenland sauces, I was surprised to find that they actually originate from a global Portuguese-themed restaurant chain that started in South Africa. Although they are virtually unknown to American food audiences, they do have two locations in Washington, D.C.. But if you live in the U.S., you needn't travel to our nation's capital to experience Nando's unique peri-peri flavored food; all of their sauces and marinades are, through the magic of the interwebs, available online. I was fortunate to have been sent some test bottles to try out, and here's what I thought of Nando's efforts...
The Muppets' Swedish Chef Cooks With Hot Sauce
The lovable Swedish Chef from The Muppet Show cooks with hot sauce and red chile peppers. Bort bort bort!
Monthly Photo Contest at Peppers & More
Posted by John Z:
"We have started a Monthly Photo Contest at Peppers & More!
This will give everyone a chance to send in their best photos, and compete for a great monthly prize!
Here is how it will work...
Woman Sprayed in Face with Hot Sauce and Robbed
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO - A woman was robbed of her purse after being sprayed in the face with hot sauce Friday, July 3rd.
Police say the victim was at the EZ Check Cash on the 500 block of south Circle drive just before 9:00 a.m. when three men confronted her. One of the suspects pointed a toy pistol at the woman and shot her in the face with hot sauce, causing minor burning to her face and arm. The suspects fled the scene in a green Honda car that had been reported stolen out of the Denver area.
The woman followed the suspects to the Valley Hi Golf. The suspects were attempting to dump the stolen car for a white Jaguar with Colorado license plate number 928-UTR but were interrupted by the woman who honked her horn. They jumped back into the Honda and fled the scene in an unknown direction.
CSPD Robbery detectives responded and are following up on leads.
Police have released no suspect descriptions at this time.
Weekend of Fire Salsa Contest Finalists Announced and YOUR Chance to Pick the Winner!
As mentioned a few months ago, Jungle Jim's Weekend of Fire Salsa Contest would be underway and eventually be narrowed down to four finalists. Well, the time has come to announce the finalists! Here is one of the contest organizers and fellow chilehead, Buddah, giving all the details:
Weekend of Fire Salsa Contest Winners & a FREE Jar of Salsa to YOU!
This salsa contest started a few months back and now I am proud to announce the final 4 salsas judged to compete at the Weekend of Fire at Jungle Jim's International Market on August 1-2. When I say compete, what I mean is that YOU the chilehead will get to cast your vote to decide the ultimate winner in this competition to be declared the top overall salsa and reap the rewards that come with it. More on the rewards in a moment, but let me explain how YOU get to decide the fate in this salsa challenge.
Anyone going to the Weekend of Fire will get to sample all four salsas. You will have a ballot to vote, and if you mention that you heard it here, you will get a FREE jar of the salsa you vote on as long as supplies last. This is only for the first day, Saturday August 1st, because on Sunday the 2nd, we will announce the winner.
I would like to thank all the wonderful companies who participated in Jungle Jim's 1st Salsa Contest. Not everyone can win, but I found out how many great salsas are out there to be had. As you will see by the winning salsas below, it doesn't matter what region of the country you are in, a good salsa can come from anywhere and be made by anyone. When we do this again next year, we might have even stiffer competition and a lot more salsas to consume. I do not think I have ever had so much salsa in a two month period than for this contest. It was worth it, though. Thanks goes out to Jungle Jim's for letting me organize this for you and to my judges - Scott Roberts, Joe Bowen, and Joe and Linda Levinson - who did an awesome job deciphering who had the best salsa. A special shout-out to Bret Vitek who was the brains in making this possible. Thanks Bwana!
Here are the finalists in no particular order:
- Big Orson's 'Citizen Cajun' Hot Mango Habanero Salsa (Georgia)
- Marco's Not Yet Famous Medium Roasted Vegetable Salsa (Maryland)
- Chuck Evan's Montezuma Brand Smokey Chipotle Lime & Garlic Salsa (Ohio)
- Santa Fe Seasons' Grilled Garden Salsa (New Mexico)
These skilled salsa makers will have 5 cases (60 jars) of salsa purchased from them by Jungle Jim's International Market for the show. The public will decide who wins the grand prize. What is the grand prize you ask?
Review - Cheater 5 Sauces and Salsa
With the amazing and baffling assortment of hot sauces polluting the marketplace, manufacturers must have some unique angle to differentiate yourself from the pack. How 'bout a surfing theme for your company? Well that's exactly what the Cheater 5 Surfin' Salsa Company has done (and according to their website, some of their founders are "extreme sports enthusiasts" who actively participate in "surfing, motocross, skateboarding, wakeboarding, snowboarding, and skiing"). But can their products - which are Shreddin' Serrano Salsa, Killer Caribbean Hot Sauce and Totally Tubular Salsa Taquera - be just as distinctive?
Sortable Columns Added to the Spicy Food Reviews Page
I've made a minor addition to the Spicy Food Reviews page by adding sortable columns. Now you can sort the reviews either alphabetically or by rating. I hope it makes the page more useful, so please let me know what you think.
Link
India Plans Grenades Made From the World's Hottest Chile Peppers
India is planning to use the bhut jolokia pepper - the world's hottest chile - in a variety of uses. Courtesy of BBC News:
India plans hot chilli grenades
"Indian defence scientists are planning to put one of the world's hottest chilli powders into hand grenades.
They say the devices will be used to control rioters and in counter-insurgency operations.
Researchers say the idea is to replace explosives in small hand grenades with a certain variety of red chilli to immobilise people without killing them..."
Spicy Food Reviews - Hot Sauces, Spicy Snacks, and more.
