Fun & Learning – Page 25

Pepperoncini Beef

Simple and delicious…

Sometimes the simplest ingredient list can turn out the most delicious results. That’s the beauty of pepperoncini beef. It’s pretty much a chuck roast, a jar of pepperoncini peppers, and some spices, but the flavor impact just seems like so much more.

This is a perfect slow cooker recipe for spicy sandwiches – simply stuff some hoagie rolls and you’re off to the races. Though, there’s many other uses too. Try it over rice, or use it as a stuffing for a delicious twist on stuffed bell peppers. Yes, you heard it right – pepper-stuffed peppers. There should be a law.

The Cayenne Pepper Planting Guide: A To Zing

by Matt Bray

Perfect for flakes, powders, and hot sauces…

The cayenne pepper is certainly the jack of all trades of the chili world. It’s solid medium heat and relatively neutral flavor provides many culinary uses, especially in powdered and flake form. Its neutral flavor, too, brings the spice to hot sauces while allowing other flavors to dominate the experience. Growing cayenne pepper, whether in container or garden, can keep you loaded with delicious heat all season long. Find what you need to start with our cayenne pepper planting guide.

The Banana Pepper Planting Guide: A To Zing

by Matt Bray

Growing the perfect sandwich pepper… When you want just a little simmer of heat for your sandwich or salad, the banana pepper delivers like few other chilies. Its low heat and delicious flavor (fresh and pickled) make it a favorite for not only chiliheads, but foodies of …

The Ghost Pepper Planting Guide: A To Zing

by Matt Bray

The infamous bhut jolokia (a.k.a. the ghost pepper) is well-known for its super-hot slow burn. It’s a perfect chili for extreme hot sauces or simply spicing up a soup or chili. But know: a little ghost will go far. Growing ghost peppers in your garden will …

The Habanero Planting Guide: A To Zing

by Matt Bray

Ready to grow the most popular extra-hot chili? Combining big heat and a delicious fruity flavor, the habanero pepper has built up quite the spicy reputation in the kitchen. And for those with a green thumb, growing habaneros is the perfect way to keep a continuous …

Pepper Palace Reaper BBQ Sauce: Extreme Grilling

by Matt Bray

A BBQ sauce for those that think “big” and “bold” are entry level…

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.

Black Rose Hot Sauce: A Growing Bite

by Matt Bray

Tabasco tang, Sriracha thickness, a flavor all its own…

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.

Time’s Up Reaper Hot Sauce (Tomato Blend) Review

by Matt Bray

Edge of your seat heat, sweet tangy tomato flavor…

Check your willingness to explore the edge of super-hot if you pick up a bottle of Pepper Palace’s tomato-based Time’s Up Reaper Hot Sauce. While not as hot as some inferno-level hot sauces, it punches and hard from the first taste. But unlike many of those extreme sauces that lean into the heat and away from taste, there’s a real flavor in Time’s Up – a garden-y tomato base with garlic and onion undertones, perfect for wings, eggs, and much more. That is, as long as you can take the heat.

Pepper Palace Ghost Pepper Sauce: Smokin’ Versatility

by Matt Bray

Slow burn, smoky sweet…

When you pick up a bottle of Pepper Palace Ghost Pepper Sauce, expect a sauce that sticks around. Not on your shelf – we’re sure you’ll find as many uses for it as we did – but on the palate. That ghost pepper heat lingers, and with it a smoky sweet tang that’s as good on eggs as it is on steaks. Though, you may be surprised – the heat here is not as hot as you may expect for something labeled with the name of a super-hot chili.

Berbere Spice Mix

by Matt Bray

A delicious Ethiopian spice blend…

If you’re aiming for authentic Ethiopian cuisine, getting to know berbere spice mix is a critical first step. It’s a blend that’s used for everything from a steak and chicken rub to a finishing season for vegetables and dips. The heat is mild – delivered from chili powder (a spice mix itself) and paprika.

This berbere spice mix recipe is quick to make, using pre-ground spices many of which are common to a well-stocked spice rack. For an even better flavor, try toasting fresh whole spices instead, then crushing them using a mortar and pestle.