Hot sauce, chilli sauce and BBQ sauce have never been more popular, but what actually makes a good hot sauce? How hot is a Carolina Reaper? Should hot sauce be kept in the fridge? And when should you put BBQ sauce on meat?
At Rock A Doodle Do Belfast Hot Sauce, we’ve spent years making everything from fruity Scotch Bonnet sauces and smoky BBQ sauces to seriously extreme Carolina Reaper creations.
So, we’ve answered some of the most commonly searched questions about hot sauce, chilli sauce, BBQ sauce and chilli peppers in one place.
There isn't a strict universal definition, particularly in the UK.
Generally, hot sauce tends to mean a thinner sauce where chilli heat, acidity and pepper flavour take centre stage. Chilli sauce is a broader term and can include thicker, sweeter sauces as well as extremely hot varieties.
The most important thing isn't really what it's called. It's what goes into it.
We believe a great chilli sauce should balance heat with flavour. That's why our sauces combine chillies including Jalapeño, Scotch Bonnet, Habanero, Dorset Naga, Ghost Chilli, Trinidad Scorpion and Carolina Reaper with fruit, vegetables, spices and other ingredients.
The world's hottest chilli officially verified by Guinness World Records is currently Pepper X, developed by Ed Currie.
Pepper X averages an astonishing 2,693,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU).
Before Pepper X took the title, the Carolina Reaper was officially recognised as the world's hottest chilli and remains one of the best-known superhot peppers on the planet.
We use Carolina Reaper throughout several of our hottest products, including our extreme Violent Intentions sauce.
The Scoville Scale measures the heat or pungency of chilli peppers.
A relatively mild Jalapeño may measure only a few thousand Scoville Heat Units, while superhot chillies can run into the millions.
That's why choosing a hot sauce purely because it says "hot" on the bottle doesn't tell you very much.
The type of chilli, percentage of chilli used and other ingredients all affect how intense the finished sauce feels.
If you're looking for something genuinely extreme, meet Violent Intentions.
It contains a massive 75% Carolina Reaper chilli, making it our hottest sauce and one designed firmly for experienced chilli lovers.
This isn't simply about making something painfully hot. The challenge with an extreme chilli sauce is retaining enough flavour to make it something you'd actually want to eat.
Use it carefully. This definitely isn't the bottle to pour onto your dinner without thinking.
You don't need to start with Carolina Reaper.
One of the biggest misconceptions about hot sauce is that hotter automatically means better.
For newcomers, we'd recommend looking for sauces made around peppers such as Jalapeño or Scotch Bonnet, particularly when they're balanced with fruit or citrus.
Our Forty Shades Jalapeño & Lime Hot Sauce, for example, combines Jalapeño with tomatillo and lime for a fresh, zesty flavour and considerably more approachable heat.
If you prefer something fruitier, Scotch Symphony combines Scotch Bonnet with mango, orange and pineapple.
The shorter answer might be: what can't you put it on?
Hot sauce works brilliantly with:
It can also be mixed into mayonnaise, yoghurt or dips, stirred into marinades or added to sauces while cooking.
Matching the sauce to the food makes an enormous difference. Fruity Scotch Bonnet sauces are fantastic with chicken and pork, smoky chilli sauces suit grilled meat, while extreme Reaper sauces can transform chilli, curry or marinades with only a tiny amount.
Buffalo-style chilli sauces are hard to beat.
A good wing sauce needs acidity, chilli heat and enough body to cling to the chicken.
Our Banshee Buffalo was created specifically as a hot wing sauce using Carolina Reaper for additional fire.
For something sweeter and stickier, spicy BBQ sauces also work exceptionally well with wings.
One of the most frequently asked BBQ questions is whether sauce should go onto meat before, during or after cooking.
For sweet BBQ sauces, the best time is generally towards the final stages of cooking.
Many BBQ sauces contain sugar. Put them over fierce heat too early and those sugars can burn before your meat has finished cooking. Applying sauce near the end gives it time to warm, caramelise and form a sticky glaze without turning bitter.
You can always add another spoonful at the table.
Balance.
We think BBQ sauce needs sweetness, acidity, smoke, seasoning and depth, with the chilli adding another layer rather than completely overwhelming everything else.
Our Banshee BBQ range moves from smoky Chipotle through Apple Habanero, Asian Zing and Trinidad Scorpion to a seriously hot Carolina Reaper BBQ sauce.
The range combines flavours including dark brown sugar, tomato, chilli, smoked seasoning and Irish whiskey, creating sauces made for everything from burgers and pulled pork to brisket, ribs and chicken wings.
This depends on the individual sauce.
Many acidic, vinegar-based commercial hot sauces are naturally quite stable, but refrigeration after opening can help preserve colour, flavour and overall quality.
The simplest answer is always to follow the storage instructions printed on the bottle.
The same applies to BBQ sauce. Once opened, refrigeration is generally recommended unless the manufacturer specifically states otherwise.
Start with the flavours you already enjoy.
Want fresh and zesty? Try Jalapeño and lime.
Want fruity heat? Look for Scotch Bonnet, mango, pineapple or orange.
Want smoky BBQ flavour? Chipotle is your friend.
Want something significantly hotter? Move through Habanero, Ghost Chilli, Dorset Naga and Trinidad Scorpion.
And if normal hot sauce doesn't even register anymore, there's always the Carolina Reaper.
At Rock A Doodle Do Belfast Hot Sauce, we've built our range around exactly that idea: different chillies, different flavours and different levels of heat.
Because the best hot sauce isn't necessarily the hottest one.
It's the one that makes you want another mouthful.
