Hot Sauces on the Border

Sunday, 03 April 2011 22:20

The ingredients vary in hot sauces from a vinegar base found in Louisiana and the southern states, to chili and spice based from states close to the Mexican border.

Here is a list of places where you can find homemade bottled hot sauces around the Arizona-Mexican Border:

17^th Street Market

Sabrina Mendoza picks hot sauces from a special catalog to stock an entire section at the 17^th Street Market located at 830 E. 17th St. She chooses the hot sauces based on customer reviews, appearance, taste description on the bottle and the level of heat. Here are three choices from the scores of options from the market.

 For customers looking for a cheap ($2.99), mild tasting salsa.

For only $6.99 you get a toilet key chain and a bottle full of heat. Note- the hot sauce tastes exactly like its name.

Red Ghost hot sauce uses a blend of ghost pepper and naga bhut jolokia peppers which are some of the world’s hottest peppers. It is advertised as ranking 40000 Scoville units on Scoville’s scale. Scoville scale measures the heat of a chili pepper.

Check out this video on tasting the hot sauces:

Acacia Artisans

This place offers four different types of hot sauce. “Red Jalapeno Sauce”, “Green Jalapeno Sauce”, “Mexican Hot Sauce” and “Salsa Ranchera”.

 The “Red Jalapeno Sauce” is made from ripe jalapenos.

The “Green Jalapeno Sauce” is made from green jalapenos.

The “Mexican Hot Sauce” is made from habaneros and chili peppers

The "Salsa Ranchera" made using habaneros and chili peppers with the seeds

All Spice Café

 Sold at Whole Foods. They offer a variety of spicy snacks and rubs and hot sauces. The hot sauces range from a Caribbean spice sauce to a spicy  naga bhut jolokia sauce.

 Caribbean Spice Sauce- according to the website “Chile Pepper Magazine's 2008 Fiery Food Challenge Winner for 2nd Place in the Caribbean-Style category and a 1st Place Golden Chile at the 2009 Fiery Food Challenge.” It is made with a combination of traditional jerk seasoning spices like garlic, cinnamon and allspice.

Chipotle Garlic sauce- According to the website- “Chile Pepper Magazine's Fiery Food Challenge Winner for 3rd Place in the Chipotle category. 3rd Place Scovie Award in the Hot Sauce - Speciality Chile category.”

Cayenne Habenaro Hot sauce- Its original use was for hot wings, but customers have been known to use it for steak and in ranch dressing. It is the “Scovie Award Winner for 3rd Place in the Habanero category.”

Bhut Jolokia Ghost Pepper Sauce- The most extreme and spiciest in their line of hot sauces. They claim, “We didn't want an over-the-top sauce that was just hot for the sake of being super hot, but we wanted a sauce that had some really great flavor and could be used in many different ways, from making classic Buffalo style hot wings, to adding a kick to a Bloody Mary or marinara sauce, to just a sauce you would pour on anything that you wanted an extra kick.”

Wild West Hot Sauce

Offers a variety of hot sauces and speciality food items from around the southwest. Their hot sauces range from mild sauces like the peach tomato hot sauce, made with sweet peaches and tomatoe, to the extremely hot like the “Spontaneous Combustion Hot Sauce.” On their website they put this warning, “for the palate pyromaniac who loves the true heat and flavor of the habanero and pure capsicum extract. Caution Extremely Hot.” You can order online or go to their store at 6541 E. Tanque Verde Road.

Written by McKenzie Sheldon You are reading Hot Sauces on the Border articles