# Favorite Hot Sauces
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-hot-sauces/185030
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [June 28, 2003, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-hot-sauces/185030 "2003-06-28T21:49:03Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2003, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-hot-sauces/185030/1 "2003-06-28T21:49:03Z")
**scm1001** ’s [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=194019) about building up a tolerance to hot foods has got me cravin’ hot sauces. The hottest one I’ve had is [Scorned Woman Hot Sauce](http://www.firegirl.com/hs1130.html). It’s a “double burner” (i.e. it burns going down, and coming out), but man, is it ever tasty. (Need to get a bottle of the stuff as it’s been awhile since I’ve had any.) So any Dopers got some favorite hot sauces (bottled or home made) they’d like to share?
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### Author:  [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2003, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-hot-sauces/185030/2 "2003-06-28T23:10:31Z")
Well, I tried “Da Bomb: Final Answer” with its 1.5 million Scoville units (regular Tabasco is 2,140 units). Pure heat, didn’t recognize any flavor, had it on a cracker with some cheese spread. One drop. It was so hot I contemplated stripping the flesh off my forearms with my teeth just to distract myself.
I’ll stick with my “Dave’s Insanity sauce”, thanks. And Tabasco’s Habanaro sauce is nice and fruity and hot.
Here’s a nice link with Scoville heat indices: [http://www.smegghead.com/Hot%20Sauce/hothome.htm](http://www.smegghead.com/Hot%20Sauce/hothome.htm)
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### Author:  [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2003, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-hot-sauces/185030/3 "2003-06-28T23:13:02Z")
BTW, Blair has made a new hot sauce (food additive actually), reported to be between 10 and 13 million Scoville units. It’s called Caldera.
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### Author:  [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2003, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-hot-sauces/185030/4 "2003-06-28T23:19:09Z")
[Crystal Hot Sauce](http://64.78.59.54/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=BF&Product_Code=AHS03-00001&Category_Code=HS) is my regular everyday cooking hot sauce. I used to swear by [M[sup]c[/sup] Ilhenny Tabasco](http://countrystore.tabasco.com/index_category.cfm?tlcatid=2&catid=46) until one time when someone challenged me to taste them side by side. I found Crystal to have a deeper character that was almost “tomatoey” in flavor compared to Tabasco’s intense vinegar notes.
For doctoring up food at the table, I prefer the [Louisiana](http://www.brucefoods.com/lahs/index.html) brand. Both the red and green labels are quite flavorful with a good heat balance. Their green label is one of the best I’ve been able to find. Its solid Jalapeño flavor and all natural ingredients put it at the top of my list for a green sauce.
I have many others in my cupboard sheerly for entertainment purposes, but these three fulfill most of my cooking needs.
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### Author:  [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2003, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-hot-sauces/185030/5 "2003-06-28T23:39:52Z")
Hey, **Zenster** , didja know that with slight modifications that Crystal hot sauce is what Hooter’s uses for it’s hot sauce? (They mainly add a little cheese to it.)
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### Author:  [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)
#### Post date: [June 29, 2003, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-hot-sauces/185030/6 "2003-06-29T02:07:29Z")
I used to swear by **Texas Champagne** , until I realized I was paying goor-may prices for a product that essentially duplicated that old Northeastern standby, **Frank’s Red Hot**.
For the table, I prefer a pepper sauce that, like the above two, gives you as much vinegar punch as heat. I keep **Tabasco** around, too, but use it more as a cooking (or Bloody Mary) ingredient than as a condiment. For a more extreme burn, I use **Papa Joe’s Scotch Bonnet** sauce, bottled in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica also exports **Melinda’s** habanero pepper sauces, of which I like the Amarillo (mustard) variety best, especially on pork.
And for Asian food, I got to keep a bottle of **Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce** around. Run a bead of that stuff along the edge of the Chinese take-out BBQ ribs. Wow.
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### Author:  [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)
#### Post date: [June 29, 2003, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-hot-sauces/185030/7 "2003-06-29T02:56:39Z")
I pretty much keep the same trinity around as **Zenster**. Crystal, Louisiana and Tabasco. I have a a couple of the super hot novelty sauces around but they’re really too hot for practical use and I tend to favor fresh peppers or canned chipotles if I really want a lot of heat. The chipotle Tabasco is also pretty good.
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### Author:  [@fizgig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fizgig)
#### Post date: [June 29, 2003, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-hot-sauces/185030/8 "2003-06-29T05:03:07Z")
I don’t even have a bottle of hotsauce in the house right now, since I usually use the **Sriracha** that **Ukelele Ike** mentioned for general heating purposes. However, if I had to pick a proper Mexican style hot sauce, I’d go with [url=http://www.mezzetta.com/california\_habanero\_hot\_sauce.html]Mezzetta California Habanero Hot Sauce\*\*, which packs a
pretty good punch.
On burritos, etc, I use my stash of **Pedro’s Green Salsa** made in Albuquerque. Ingredients =
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### Author:  [@fizgig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fizgig)
#### Post date: [June 29, 2003, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-hot-sauces/185030/9 "2003-06-29T05:05:04Z")
Ahem. Sorry about that, desk just fell apart…
Ingredients = jalapenos, tomatoes, chile de arbol, onion, cilantro, water, salt, lemon juice.
And I actually do have a bottle of Mezzetta Habanero in the fridge. Not sure how it got there…
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### Author:  [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)
#### Post date: [June 29, 2003, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-hot-sauces/185030/10 "2003-06-29T05:06:31Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Ukulele Ike \*
> I used to swear by **Texas Champagne** , until I realized I was paying goor-may prices for a product that essentially duplicated that old Northeastern standby, **Frank’s Red Hot** …
**Ike** , do you have any confirmation on **Frank’s** being the original Buffalo wings sauce ingredient? I’ve heard this a couple of times and am interested on the history of it. I have a bottle of **Frank’s** in my cupboard specifically for making wings.
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### Author:  [@Foolonthehill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foolonthehill)
#### Post date: [June 29, 2003, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-hot-sauces/185030/11 "2003-06-29T06:06:34Z")
Nobody’s mentioned Cholula Sauce; Not the hottest, but the best tasting hot sauce.
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### Author:  [@zen101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zen101)
#### Post date: [June 29, 2003, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-hot-sauces/185030/12 "2003-06-29T09:41:45Z")
I lie “Da Bomb” Final Answer just for freaking people out. For plain heating up some chili you don’t use more than two drops in a medium batch and it does have flavor enhancing property, but eaten in a non-diluted manner you just get heat. Which is great as I said for messing people up who think they can handle any heat. Still, it’s pretty pricey as a gag.
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### Author:  [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)
#### Post date: [June 29, 2003, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-hot-sauces/185030/13 "2003-06-29T11:26:11Z")
Just finished a bottle of West Indies Creole, which is made with Scotch Bonnets and papayas. There’s also something from the West Indies called Matouk’s. Same kind of deal, scotch bonnets and papayas.
I just opened a bottle of “Holy Shit!” hot sauce. It’s not subtle. I’m not sure I like it.
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### Author:  [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)
#### Post date: [June 29, 2003, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-hot-sauces/185030/14 "2003-06-29T12:45:45Z")
I’m going more for flavor than heat lately. There’s a BBQ chain called ‘Lucille’s’ around here, and they have a “wall of flame”, a big rack full of hot sauces. I find that the sillier the name, i.e “Slap My Ass and Call Me Sally”, the hotter the sauce and crappier the flavor. There’s often a locally bottled one there called “Gator Hammock” that I like.
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### Author:  [@Yossarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yossarian)
#### Post date: [June 29, 2003, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-hot-sauces/185030/15 "2003-06-29T12:53:37Z")
I go through about a bottle of **Cholula** each week; that’s the single best, nice-n-hot, all-purpose hot sauce. ([www.cholula.com](http://www.cholula.com))
For other purposes, I also keep bottles of:
**Sriracha** , which I like with asian food. ([www.huyfong.com](http://www.huyfong.com))
**Tapatio** , when I just need something hot and cholula-like, but don’t want to use cholula. ([http://www.tapatiohotsauce.com/](http://www.tapatiohotsauce.com/))
**Buffalo Chipotle** sauce, when I want chipotle, but don’t want to crack open a can and dirty up the blender ([http://www.fire-spice.com/bufchip.html](http://www.fire-spice.com/bufchip.html))
and usually at least one Habanero sauce. Right now, I’ve got half a bottle of Tropical Pepper Co. Exxtra Hot Habanero sauce in the fridge.
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### Author:  [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)
#### Post date: [June 29, 2003, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-hot-sauces/185030/16 "2003-06-29T18:14:00Z")
\*\* Pantellerite \*\* nailed 2 of my favorites…Cholula and Bufalo (one “f”) Chipotle. I also like the Bufalo Jalapeno sauce, has a nice whang.
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### Author:  [@International\_Playboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/International_Playboy)
#### Post date: [June 30, 2003, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-hot-sauces/185030/17 "2003-06-30T16:01:02Z")
Been lurking for a few weeks and figure this is a good time to jump in. Hot sauce is one of my favorite subjects.
My number one sauce for several years now is Ring of Fire X-Tra Hot Habanero Sauce. I started with the regular habanero sauce and moved up as my tolerance grew. Now even that isn’t hot enough for me. They also make a chipotle garlic sauce which I like too but find it doesn’t go with as many foods as the habanero flavors do.
[https://www.mikeanddianes.com/products.asp](https://www.mikeanddianes.com/products.asp)
I also like Cholula and Frank’s Red Hot, among others. I recall seeing a claim that Frank’s was the original Buffalo Wing sauce too. I think it was on the back of the bottle with a wing recipe. I also remember the recipe called for something like a whole stick of butter. I prefer Frank’s over Tobasco anymore, though I do like Tobasco’s habanero sauce.
A few years ago, Cheech Marin of Cheech and Chong fame came out with a line of hot sauces. I don’t know if they’re still available, but I like his chipotle sauce. I find a drop or two on a potato chip good.
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### Author:  [@BizarroRonJeremy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BizarroRonJeremy)
#### Post date: [June 30, 2003, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-hot-sauces/185030/18 "2003-06-30T16:50:39Z")
My favorite hot sauce is the Piri Piri style which I brought back from Portugal.
I bought 3 types; 2 are of a Tobasco-like consistency, but not quite as hot but infinitely tastier. The 3rd type is more of an oil and is a great addition to a bowl of white pasta with parmesan.
I used to like all the crazy-hot hot sauces, like Sudden Death and Colon Thinner™, but I found that they were hot for the sake of being hot and not really tasty at all.
I had to through away a whole batch of spaghetti sauce because I added one drop too many of Sudden Death.
For a flavorful spicy hot experience, I implore you all to seek out Piri-piri style hot sauces.
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### Author:  [@Knighted\_Vorpal\_Sword](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knighted_Vorpal_Sword)
#### Post date: [June 30, 2003, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-hot-sauces/185030/19 "2003-06-30T18:47:46Z")
My cubicle companion here at work brought in something today called **Sriracha HOT Chili Sauce** from a place called Huy Fong Foods, Inc. He says it’s awsome.
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### Author:  [@Yossarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yossarian)
#### Post date: [June 30, 2003, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-hot-sauces/185030/20 "2003-06-30T19:16:06Z")
Sriracha is awesome; check out 4 posts up from yours!
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