My New Favorite Hot Sauce

RJM62

RJM62

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Geek on the Hill
At least of the mass-market variety. There's a farmer's wife up here who makes some wicked hot sauce (a mix of habanero and ghost peppers), but only in season.

For the rest of the year, I have a really hard time finding hot sauce that's hot enough for my liking. Most "hot" sauces taste bland to me, so I wind up having to add some ghost pepper sauce to them to liven them up. Others are hot enough, but have no real flavor other than being hot.

I suppose I could make my own, which I ponder from time to time; but my brother, who's somewhat of an expert at it, tells me it's more difficult that it would seem to make a really good hot sauce.

Two days ago, however, I stumbled across Valentina's Extra Hot Picante Sauce at Wal-Mart, at $0.99 for a 12 oz. bottle. Hey, I may be a tightwad, but I'll gamble a buck.

Man, am I happy I did. It's flavorful (mainly picante with a hint of citrus), but hot enough that I don't need to adulterate it.

Better yet, it's dirt cheap! They have 34 oz. bottle for $2.99 at Wal-Mart. If it weren't 45 miles away, I seriously would have gone back today to pick up a dozen bottles before anyone else beat me to them.

Valentina's Extra Hot Picante Sauce. Highly recommended.

-Rich
 

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I'm a big fan of Frank's Red Hot. I can't stand Tabasco. Tastes like vinegar to me. I'll have to give this a shot.
 
RJM62 said:
At least of the mass-market variety. There's a farmer's wife up here who makes some wicked hot sauce (a mix of habanero and ghost peppers), but only in season.

For the rest of the year, I have a really hard time finding hot sauce that's hot enough for my liking. Most "hot" sauces taste bland to me, so I wind up having to add some ghost pepper sauce to them to liven them up. Others are hot enough, but have no real flavor other than being hot.

I suppose I could make my own, which I ponder from time to time; but my brother, who's somewhat of an expert at it, tells me it's more difficult that it would seem to make a really good hot sauce.

Two days ago, however, I stumbled across Valentina's Extra Hot Picante Sauce at Wal-Mart, at $0.99 for a 12 oz. bottle. Hey, I may be a tightwad, but I'll gamble a buck.

Man, am I happy I did. It's flavorful (mainly picante with a hint of citrus), but hot enough that I don't need to adulterate it.

Better yet, it's dirt cheap! They have 34 oz. bottle for $2.99 at Wal-Mart. If it weren't 45 miles away, I seriously would have gone back today to pick up a dozen bottles before anyone else beat me to them.

Valentina's Extra Hot Picante Sauce. Highly recommended.

-Rich
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Where have you been? I've been buying this juice from Wally World for over a decade. If you need hot sauce advice, let me know. I have about 40 I keep in stock and chose them like pairing a wine with a meal. I like the Valentina's on hamburgers. Truth be told, Tabasco is probably my favorite.

The Valentina's has sort of black pepper taste to me, so I use it where I would black pepper.
 
bartmc said:
Where have you been? I've been buying this juice from Wally World for over a decade. If you need hot sauce advice, let me know. I have about 40 I keep in stock and chose them like pairing a wine with a meal. I like the Valentina's on hamburgers. Truth be told, Tabasco is probably my favorite.

The Valentina's has sort of black pepper taste to me, so I use it where I would black pepper.
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I've never lived close enough to a Wal-Mart to be a regular shopper there. The two closest to me now are each about 45 miles away, in opposite directions. But they happen to market and carry the strips for the glucose meter I use, which usually is the reason I go. This time, I decided to look around a bit. The sauce made me glad I did!

-Rich
 
RJM62 said:
I've never lived close enough to a Wal-Mart to be a regular shopper there. The two closest to me now are each about 45 miles away, in opposite directions. But they happen to market and carry the strips for the glucose meter I use, which usually is the reason I go. This time, I decided to look around a bit. The sauce made me glad I did!

-Rich
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All the Mexican resturants I used to frequent kept it on the table, I walked into a local hamburger joint one day and they had some on the table. I knew the owner well, so I asked him where he was gettin' it, he said Wal-Mart. There's 2 varietys of it, I like the hot.

I have some ghost pepper hot sauce in the pantry right now. Haven't found a reason to use it a second time. I'll probably use it when I just need some heat for some Chili or something. Coating an egg with it... :no:
 
My every day "spice things up" sauce is Chulo's though I keep a bottle of Sriracha around as well. I've got some random more exotic stuff around, but I tend not to run through enough of it before it oxidizes.
 
Chicken- Valentina's
Generic all purpose- Frank's
Eggs- Cholula
Spicing Sauces/Asian- Sriracha
 
Based on so many good POA recommendations, I tried to find it today at our local Wally World. No luck and we are only a little ways from HQ.
 
Clark1961 said:
While Tapatio has the best chipotle (smoked chili) flavor, it probably isn't hot enough for RJM.
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I juice it up with a bit of Dave's ghost pepper sauce. That stuff is liquid fire. No joke.

-Rich
 
For you Siracha guys, some new chips.

bilde



I also noticed these were new.

8470175116_eb0553e334.jpg


I'm terrified of Chicken and Waffle Lays.
 
I was wrong about the price. The BIG bottles are only $1.97 each at Wally World. Woo-hoo! I stocked up last night.

-Rich
 
I keep several around though my favorite is Franks. I must say, I've never met a hot sauce I didn't like. Difference between bad food and good food: hot sauce. I've applied that wisdom to more than a few of my own concoctions over the years.
 
steingar said:
I keep several around though my favorite is Franks. I must say, I've never met a hot sauce I didn't like. Difference between bad food and good food: hot sauce. I've applied that wisdom to more than a few of my own concoctions over the years.
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Finally, something about which you and I are in absolute agreement! :yes:

-Rich
 
Mexican food = Valentina

Asian = Sriracha

Eastern NC BBQ sandwiches = Combo of vinegar based sauce (scott's) over the BBQ, cole slaw on that, and Texas Pete or Tabasco on the slaw.

Eggs and/or Hash Browns = Texas Pete or Tabasco

Pizza - Tabasco Green Jalapeno Pepper Sauce
 
Thanks for the PIREP, Rich... I'll have to pick some up.

I like a variety of sauces for different things... I've got some Frank's, some Cholula, a couple varieties of Tabasco, and some other stuff lying around the cupboards.

Hottest I ever had was called Possible Side Effects - http://www.deathsauce.com/ was the producer but they appear to have discontinued it. I only used it once, and just a capful of it, maybe 1/2 tsp, made a gallon or so of chili go from really bland to almost unbearably hot! :hairraise:
 
I like Chalula, far from the hottest but I like the flavor. I'm also not all about heat for heat's sake.
 
If you like Mexican, have you tried Pico Pica yet? You are not going to find it in Walmart. . . .
 
Seanaldinho said:
Srichacha. Not super hot but I like it. Franks isnt bad but it doesnt add any meaningful flavor.
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Yeah man, 'Rooster Sauce', the epitome of the Asian hot sauce. My friend gave me one to try 'The Worlds Hottest F-ing Hot Sauce' with no deletion. I put three drops in a big bowl of clam chowder and destroyed it lol. For a moment I understood what it would be like for a dragon to sneeze.:rofl:
 
My family favorites.

1. Sriracha. I have even used it on ice cream or by itself.

2. Cholula.

3. Tapatio.
 
My favorites are:

Mexicans:

Pico Pica Hot

Cholula

My homemade salsa [tomatos, white onion, garlic, salt, cilantro, jalapeño. That's it. You gotta watch me make it to learn the proportions]

Pepper Sauces:

Pick-a-Peppa

Franks [both regular and wing]

And something I had in Louisiana - not sure of the name

Srirarcha is just too nasty - too much salt.
 
Was at the mexican restaurant. The bartender picked up a bottle of Valentina's
He then poured a copious amount over a glass of ice, then added some soy sauce to the mix, filled it almost all the way up with Modelo beer, then topped it off with clamato juice.

I had to ask.

He called it something in Spanish in the said "goood for hangover"

Just thought I'd give you the recipe for a new Valentina's based dish.

I guess it's called a Michelada con Clamato

http://www.lacocinadeleslie.com/2009/08/michelada.html
 
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Valentina's is not bad, but lately I'm hooked on Mamoun's, which you can get via the interwebs. Hot enough for jaded palates, but not all fire; plenty of flavor. Best falafel in the NYC area, too, but those don't travel well, LOL.

http://mamouns.com/shop/mamouns-secret-recipe-hot-sauce

I also love the hot sauce they provide at Brasilia Grill here in Newark... the "picante"; not for beginners. They swear they make it in the basement there, and they're not telling what's in it. :D
 
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