Matt Bray

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

Homemade Habanero Mustard

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This is one big and bold mustard, that’s for sure. One habanero pepper goes into a coarse, whole-grain mustard made from scratch, and it brings serious heat. Be sure you and your guests are ready for this step up in condiments, and label the jar …

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Spicy Honey BBQ Sauce

Spicy Honey BBQ Sauce

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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 …

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Prairie Fire Pepper

Prairie Fire Pepper Guide: Heat, Flavor, Uses

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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 …

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

Red Pepper Hummus

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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

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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

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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 …

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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

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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

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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

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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 …

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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

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