Matt Bray

Founder of PepperScale and Cindermint LLC. Sucker for a good scotch bonnet. Spicy food super-fan. Current fiery fascination: Datil hot sauces.
Spicy Honey BBQ Sauce

Spicy Honey BBQ Sauce

by

Delicious on chicken or ribs… The mix of sweet and heat of this spicy honey BBQ sauce hits the spot. It’s perfect as a marinade for ribs or chicken when barbecuing. But don’t overlook the potential of this recipe as a dipping sauce. It’s total …

Read more

Prairie Fire Pepper

Prairie Fire Pepper Guide: Heat, Flavor, Uses

by

What are prairie fire peppers? Prairie fire peppers may look more like little Christmas lights (or even Light Bright pegs) than chili peppers, but you’re in for a real surprise if you pop one in your mouth. There’s a surprising heat (70,000 to 80,000 Scoville heat …

Read more

Red pepper hummus: roasted red bell pepper and smoked paprika blended into creamy hummus, sweet and smoky with barely any heat.

Red Pepper Hummus

by

Red pepper hummus with a broiled red bell pepper and smoked paprika, sweet and smoky with barely any heat. A dip for pita and vegetables or a spread for veggie sandwiches.

Overhead view of smoky and spicy baked beans with bacon in a speckled white baking dish, with a serving spoon resting in the thick, glossy sauce, on an oak table

Smoky And Spicy Baked Beans

by

Smoky and spicy baked beans with chipotles in adobo, bacon, molasses and a splash of Guinness, baked for an hour until the sauce turns thick and glossy. A cookout side that feeds a crowd.

Red pepper aioli in a white bowl, with toasted bread slices, a wedge of cheese and aioli spread on toast

Red Pepper Aioli

by

With only a hint of heat, this deliciously sweet and tangy red pepper aioli is family friendly and very versatile. Try it as a dipping sauce for breads and cheeses or use it as an entree sauce. It’s a simple way to boost the flavor …

Read more

A speckled white bowl of Old Bay peanuts on a butcher-block counter, with a few loose peanuts and seasoning spilled beside it and a glass of beer in the background.

Old Bay Peanuts

by

Old Bay peanuts tossed in butter, Worcestershire and a splash of Tabasco, then baked low until crunchy. Five minutes of prep for a salty, gently spicy party snack.

A speckled white bowl of harissa ketchup on a worn cutting board, next to a pile of crisp fries with one fry dipped in the ketchup.

Harissa Ketchup

by

Two ingredients and a minute of stirring: harissa paste turns plain ketchup into an earthy, gently spicy sauce for burgers, fries and anything fried.

Guindilla Pepper

Guindilla Pepper: Spanish Simmer

by

Perfect pickled, crisp and tart… Scoville heat units (SHU): 1,000 – 2,000 Jalapeño reference point: Near equal to 8 times milder Origin: Spain (Basque Region) Products and seeds: Guindilla pepper on Amazon The guindilla pepper is a favorite chili in the Basque region of Spain. With …

Read more

A speckled white bowl of creamy Old Bay tartar sauce flecked with relish and capers and dusted with Old Bay, beside a plate of two golden crab cakes, one topped with a spoonful of the sauce, and two lemon wedges on an oak table.

Old Bay Tartar Sauce

by

Mayonnaise, sweet relish, capers and Old Bay stirred into a tartar sauce made for crab cakes, with optional cayenne for more heat.

A salt-rimmed margarita over ice, pale coral, with red chili sauce under the salt and a jalapeño wheel on the rim, beside half a lime, two jalapeños, a dish of salt and a squeeze bottle of chili sauce

Sriracha Margarita

by

A Sriracha margarita with a Sriracha and salt rim, plus how hot Sriracha really is, how to set the heat, and what to serve it with.