Matt Bray 
What are aji charapita peppers? Tiny, yet oh so very fiery, the aji charapita has wild roots. It hails from the jungles of northern Peru, and has mainly grown wild – only recently being cultivated for commercial use. Its size is small, like an American …
What are Charleston Hot peppers? For many, the cayenne pepper is already a big heat, but its cousin the Charleston Hot takes the popular cayenne to a whole different level. Bred by the United States Department of Agriculture, this cayenne variety doubles the spiciness of …
Ready to graduate from jalapeño slices? Go with habanero heat! Habanero ketchup is at the upper echelon of spicy condiments; this is not a ketchup for the timid. It’s blazingly hot, but with that sweet tomato tang that pairs with burger oh so well. But don’t stop there, …
The grim reaper on the label should tell you enough. Pepper Palace’s Reaper BBQ Sauce, featuring the infamously scorching Carolina Reaper pepper, is a taste bud land mine. Yet, thankfully this isn’t a story of all heat and no flavor. There’s just enough tomato sweetness and peppery spice to make things interesting before the Reaper has its way. Let’s break down this super-hot BBQ sauce.
Just a little crushed red pepper brings your homemade vodka sauce to life. In this recipe, we use only a pinch (or so), but if you’re heat-inclined like us, feel free to be a little more heavy-handed in the amount used.
Spicy vodka sauce is delicious of course with penne, but any pasta will do. Or try it with baked or grilled chicken. The creamy and spicy sauce brings a whole lot of flavor to the table.
Red kidney beans simmered with a smoked ham hock, Cajun seasoning, cayenne and Tabasco, then spooned over rice. Mild, smoky and filling.
A little jalapeño pepper goes far in a batch of corn fritters. It’s just enough spice to perk you up, and the cumin and black pepper provide an earthy undertone that works perfectly with both the chili pepper and the subtle sweetness of corn. 🌶️ …
There’s just a hint of spice, but a heck of a lot of southern flavor in this Cajun lasagna. Buoyed by Andouille sausage and a healthy amount of Cajun seasoning (or Creole seasoning), it’s got that extra “somethin’ somethin'” that’ll turn your typical family meal into something a bit more memorable
The heat mainly comes from a simple source: crushed red pepper. Yes, there’s some cayenne in the Cajun seasoning, too, but the red pepper flakes are really the power ingredient for the meal’s fire. So control your lasagna’s spiciness by adding or subtracting here, not by adding or subtracting Cajun seasoning. You may overpower the lasagna with too much Cajun (is there a thing?) or too little by messing with the amount of seasoning mix.
We’ll be honest, at first we weren’t really sure how we felt about Black Rose Hot Sauce. It has a vinegary tang like Tabasco, but as a Louisiana style dashing sauce it’s way too thick. That thickness is a lot like Sriracha, but the pronounced vinegar tang limits its uses compared to Sriracha. On our first few tastes, we were left with the feeling that this hot sauce was in a hard-to-place limbo zone between two popular flavors.
But Black Rose Hot Sauce has grown on us big time since our initial first impression. In fact, it has a flavor all its own, taking the best of those two popular hot sauces and mixing in a hint smoke and a delicious amount of grit.
We can dive into corn on the cob any day of the week, especially fresh oven- or grill-roasted corn. But our love for the golden sweetness of corn takes another important step when those delicious ears are made fiery. There’s so much flavor in this spicy corn on the cob recipe to go along with the fun crunch and texture of the eating experience.
Our spicy corn on the cob relies on cayenne pepper for the heat. Cumin provides a little earthiness – like you’d get in chili powder. In fact, if you’d like a lesser-heat version of this recipe, simply remove the cayenne powder and substitute in a chili seasoning. The cilantro and lime zest provide a Mexican flair – a little tangy freshness. You can go there – or simply enjoy the earthy fire of the core recipe. These are perfection on the grill, but you can oven-roast them any time of the year to enjoy whenever you want.
If this spicy corn on the cob recipe is right up your alley, don’t miss our Mexican corn on the cob recipe as well. Its mix of paprika, chili powder, and cojita cheese is reminiscent of Mexican street food in all the right ways.
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