Weekly Firecast
Presenting the Weekly Firecast - the first weekly video show and podcast about the fiery food that chileheads and barbecuers love - hot sauce, wings, salsa, BBQ and more.
Firetalkers - Interview with Steve 'The Machine' Smallwood - The Peppers Preview
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During the Peppers At The Beach Weekend this coming May 18 - 20 in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, the well-known chilehead known as Steve "The Machine" Smallwood will attempt to set or break a couple of Guinness World Records when it comes to speed eating super-hot chile peppers.
But who exactly is the man known as "The Machine"? Well, he was given the nickname by "Firehead" Thomas Gately of I Love It Spicy! because of two things. One, Smallwood's superhuman tolerance for capsaicin-included heat in challenges that would leave a vast number of experienced chileheads go running for a carton of milk to soothe the burn. For example, just look at how The Machine handles 11 million Scoville Heat Unit extract - the guy is so calm, cool and collected he makes The Fonz look like a panicking little wuss. Two, Smallwood possesses incredible speed and stamina in spicy eating contests. Go against him in a burn battle and chances are that this no-nonsense Kentucky boy will trounce you.
To help ramp up for the Peppers At The Beach Weekend, I recently talked to The Machine to get to know the man behind the myth and the legend. Many of us in the online chilehead circles already know him as a humble guy, a friend, and as a reviewer for the aforementioned I Love It Spicy!. But what exactly fuels this chile-chomping Machine and how does he keep it running so efficiently? Read on to find out...
Weekly Firecast Episode 18 - Texas Creek Products Pure Evil 16 Million SHU Capsaicin Drops
You think you've tackled ultra-hot products before? Very few things have likely remotely close to Texas Creek Products Pure Evil SHU Capsaicin Drops. This stuff comes in a 1/2 ounce dropper bottle and contains pure 15-16 million SHU crystalline capsaicin, along with water, alcohol, ascorbic acid (aka Vitamin C) and xanthan. Although it should ONLY be used as a food additive (and even so it would be extreme), I tried about 6 drops straight on my tongue.
You would not believe the amount of heat from this. You know, I love a good chile pain and a burn, but this product crosses the line into "bad pain" territory. It stopped being pleasant. It's unreal. It's an absolutely unrelenting burn that, unlike super-hot peppers or extracts, doesn't go away until well after 30 minutes. At around 60-90 minutes after taking some of this, a lot of the discomfort went away yet I still felt the heat on my tongue where the drops fell and my lips were numb.
I would advise all of you, even seasoned chileheads, NOT to try this product like this. It's convinced me to never do another heat challenge or contest again. Where else would you go from here? there's nothing more to prove. I'm going to stick to nice, clean burns that come naturally from chile peppers. NO more extracts or capsaicin.
By the way, pure capsaicin does NOT thankfully have the nasty flavor of chile pepper extract. It's a good, clean taste. As I point out in the video, the only disagreeable taste is that of the alcohol used in the Pure Evil Drops. I don't think this would effect the overall flavor of whatever food to which you're adding this, such as a bowl of chile or a saucepan of taco seasoned beef.
The dropper bottle comes on a collector's tin and costs $19.99 plus shipping on the Texas Creek Products website.
Weekly Firecast Episode 17 - Cajun Heat C'est Bon Cajun Q BBQ Sauce
Officially "debuting" on April 27, 2012, C'est Bon Cajun Q BBQ Sauce from Cajun Heat is owner Clement Bourg's painstakingly-crafted version of a barbecue topper that contains the unique blend of Louisiana-inspired spices. After I swallow a spoonful of the sauce, I test it out on food for the first time on camera. Can I declare about this sauce "it's good!" (which is what "C'est Bon" means in French)? Watch the video to catch my unique reaction.
If you're interested in purchasing this sauce (it comes in a 16 oz bottle) or any other of Cajun Heat's top notch products, you can get a 35% discount on your entire order all day long on Friday, April 27, 2012 if you use the coupon code CAJUN-Q at CajunHeat.com!
By the way, Happy Birthday, Clement!
Weekly Firecast Episode 16 - Pepper Jelly Heaven with Suzanne's Kitchen!
If you know me well, then you know that I love the celestial combo of sweet and heat! In his video, I get to try out an offering in that category as I review four tantalizing chile pepper jellies from Suzanne's Kitchen - Heaven (Mild), Purgatory (Medium), Hell (Hot) and Ghost Jelly (Extra Hot). Are these worth a look? Watch to find out.
For more info or to purchase Suzanne's Kitchen products, go to at http://pepperjellyheaven.com.
Weekly Firecast Episode 15 - TATS Original Ghost Barbecue Sauce
This time out, I review a BBQ sauce with a little sweetness and a lotta kick - TATS Sauces & Marinades' Original Ghost Barbecue Sauce:
Weekly Firecast Episode 14 - Review of Red Hawk Premium Peppers Hot Sauces
This time out I review Red Hawk Premium Peppers Hot Sauces - Strawberry Scorpion Sting, B3 Bhut Jolokia Banana Blueberry, and Grounds For Divorce Hot Garlic Sauce.
Weekly Firecast Episode 13 - Review of Danny Boy The Tear Jerker Ghost Pepper Sauce
In this episode of the Weekly Firecast, I give you my first impressions of Danny Boy's Hot Sauce Co.'s The Tear Jerker Original Ghost Pepper Sauce. For more information, go to http://www.dannyboyhotsauceco.com.
Scott's Best Products of 2011
The following are items and companies I've chosen as featuring the best that have been released or that I've encountered for the first time during the 2011 calendar year. To qualify, this product either had to be released after January 1, 2011 or I would have tasted it for the very first time in the past year. Believe me, there were dozens of worthy sauces, seasonings and food enhancers I would have loved to include and so many product manufacturers that deserved a mention. But I had to narrow it down to the creme de la creme and give the "Scottvies" (with apologies to Dave DeWitt) to my top choices in each category.
Please bear with me as I speak with an upper respiratory infection. I hope my scratchy voice isn't too annoying to listen to, especially as it gets later into the video.
I've deviated slightly from the past (but not too much) from the tops in these categories:
Hot Sauce
Wing Sauce
Salsa
BBQ Sauce
Condiment
Seasoning/Rub
Spicy Snack
Sweet N' Spicy Product
Like last year, I announce who I think is:
New Manufacturer of the Year
Product of Year
And new to this year, I'll tell you who I thought was:
Overall Manufacturer of the Year
I've also introduced my first award for Outstanding Contributions to the Fiery Foods World. As I mention in the video, this award may be named in honor of someone in the future.
Weekly Firecast Episode 11 - Scott Answers 10 Questions
It's back to the webcam (the HD camera was on vacation this week) and shoddy lighting and audio for a bare-boned episode of the Weekly Firecast! This time out, Scott answers 10 Frequently Asked Questions about hot sauces, BBQ, the Scoville Scale and more! It's Part One of an on-going Question and Answer series.
Bikini Hot Shot
Here's the back story: as a way to build up their web presence, Nicole Ramsperger of Heartbreaking Dawns promised the world that when they would reach 1,000 fans on Facebook, she would down a spoonful of their 1498 Trinidad Scorpion Hot Sauce (probably the first American sauce to use the super-hot chile) AND wear a bikini while doing it.
True to her word, Nicole held up her end of the deal at this year's ZestFest. Heartbreaking Dawns' Johnny McLaughlin and Nicole's sister Caitlin both shot video of Nicole and I eat a spoonful of 1498 on the 3rd floor balcony of the new Irving Convention Center where this year's ZestFest was being hosted. Please pardon wind noise in the later part of the video.
As an incentive to Nicole to drop trou and wear nothing but a bikini bottom below her waist, I challenged her to do that if HBD would reach 2,000 fans on their Facebook page. So if you're not a fan yet, get on there and do so and Nicole will shoot another video!
Intensity Academy 2011 Lick-A-Thon Lollipop Contest
Intensity Academy presented their third Lick-A-Thon Lollipop Contest at this year's ZestFest. Sponsored by both ScottRobertsWeb.com and Midlife Roadtrip TV, this sucker-dissolving bout featured even hotter candies that contained 1.8 Million Scoville Heat Units of extract, making the contest a bit more difficult for novice contestants.
And speaking of contestants, the group featured not only myself and Midlife Roadtrip's Rick Griffin, but fellow chilehead Vic Clinco, who had won the very first Lick-A-Thon at the Weekend of Fire back in 2009. Will I finally won this lollipop contest? Will Vic reclaim his title as "master sucker"? Watch the video to find out.
Weekly Firecast Wins St. Louis Riverfront Times Award
I'm thrilled to announce that the Weekly Firecast has won an RFT Web Award for "Best Use of Video in Food Blogging"!
According to the Riverfront Times website, here's what the judges had to say:
"When it comes to food, some like it hot - and some like it Scott Roberts hot. If you have a thing for spicy chiles and delicious barbecue, the Weekly Firecast is for you. Roberts' spoonful taste-test reviews provide an honest, real-time reaction to some of the world's hottest sauces. We love the passion he brings to his niche corner of the food world."
I would like to thank everyone out their for their viewership and support. This honor belongs to you guys!
Weekly Firecast Episode 10 - Scott's Best Products of 2010
Watch the video to see what I award what I think are the best products of the year 2010. To qualify, this product either had to be released after January 1, 2010 or I would have tasted it for the very first time in the past year. Believe me, there were dozens of worthy sauces, seasonings and food enhancers I would have loved to include and so many product manufacturers that deserved a mention. But I had to narrow it down to the creme de la creme and give the "Scottvies" (with apologies to Dave DeWitt) to my top choices in each category.
Although most of the items I mention in the video could be classified as "spicy", overall flavor trumps fire any day. I judged the products based on several factors, including taste, aroma, texture, consistency, versatility, and balance of heat and flavor.
Due to time constraints, I ad to cut the Best Barbecue Sauce out of the video. I would bestow that honor to...
Weekly Firecast Episode 09 - Hippy Seed Company's Skobiyan and Yellow 7 Turkey Slap Sauces
This time around I taste a pair of excruciatingly hot natural sauces made by Neil Smith of The Hippy Seed Company.
The first sauce is Skobiyan F*****G Hot Chilli Sauce, a volcanic elixir containing the frighteningly hot Trinidad Scorpion chile peppers. The second is Yellow 7 Turkey Slap Sauce made with screamin' Yellow 7 Pot chile peppers. I take a tablespoonful of each and have come to the conclusion that they are among the top five hottest sauces I've ever sampled that didn't contain extract.
I also mention the BBQ Central Radio Network as the Resource of the Week.
Weekly Firecast Episode 08 - Interview with Wicked Cactus Sauce
This week's video installment consists of an interview with sauce maker Chris Bintz and his business partner Mike Isenberg of Wicked Cactus Sauce. As you may remember, I reviewed their Head Hunter's Paradise Hot Sauce a few months ago and it immediately became one of my favorite new products of the year.
I was recently given the opportunity to visit with the guys on afternoon. Chris had made some killer ghost pepper-glazed spare ribs and some delicious shrimp tacos for us to chow down on, and we talked extensively about the fiery foods business. When that was said and done, we all sat down in front of the camera together where I asked them what the origins of Wicked Cactus were as well as where the future of the new company might be headed. A big thanks goes to Chris and Mike for their hospitality and generosity and I look forward to speaking with them again in the near future at other fiery foods events.
Weekly Firecast Episode 07 - Bhut Jolokia Pumpkin Spice Coffee Recipe, and a Review of Spiceitup! Jalapeno Ketchup
This week I'll show you have to make a delectable and spicy drinking treat that's perfect for a chilly Autumn morning - bhut jolokia ghost chile pepper/pumpkin spice coffee!
I also review Spiceitup! Jalapeno Ketchup Medium and Hot Versions.
Here's the Bhut Jolokia Pumpkin Spice Coffee recipe...
Weekly Firecast Episode 06 - How to Grill Wings, Plus Crazy Uncle Jester's Angelfire and Buen Apetito's Jalisco Sauce Reviews
Here's the latest episode of the Firecast! I review Crazy Uncle Jester's Angelfire Bhut Jolokia Buffalo Wing Sauce and Buen Apetito Mexican Grills Jalisco Hot Blueberry Sauce, plus I demonstrate how to grill chicken wings:
Want to see more? You can view past episodes of the Weekly Firecast here, or subscribe to the RSS feed.
I would also like to give a mention and thanks to Greg Rempe of the BBQ Central Radio Show for providing the intro voice-over for these videos. If you're a BBQ fanatic, you don't want to miss Greg and his magnificent, golden voice steaming live from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM Central Time on Wednesday nights at http://www.thebbqcentralshow.com.
Weekly Firecast Episode 05 - CaJohns Oaxacan Hot Sauce and Scott's Favorite Seasoning and Spice Combinations
Subscribe to the Weekly Firecast RSS Feed to see new episodes as they're posted!
In the first segment, my friend John Nemec and I visit a local Chipotle restaurant to tackle CaJohns Oaxacan Hot Sauce on some soft tacos and a burrito. I've eaten the taco-style sauce numerous times in the past but this was Jo...
Weekly Firecast Episode 04 - Weekend of Fire Report and BBQ Pitmasters Review
The Weekly Firecast is back with a vengence! This is installment, I report back from the recent Weekend of Fire Hot Sauce Show in the Cincinnati suburb of Fairfield, Ohio. I also give my thoughts on the first episode of BBQ Pitmasters Season Two, with it's revamped format.
Weekly Firecast Episode 03 - Screamin' Peaches Hot Sauce, Plus Odds N' Ends
In the third - and somewhat shorter - installment of the WFC, I give Screamin' Peaches Hot Sauce a quick tryout, give the Resource of the Week, and toss out a few links.
Speaking of links, here's the one to the makers of Screamin' Peaches: SweetLifeSauceCompany.com. Test the sauce out for yourself, and let me know what you think.
Spicy Food Reviews - Hot Sauces, Spicy Snacks, and more.
