February 02, 2009

Tabasco, hot or not?

I'm down to my last 6 cubes of taco beef, and I needed other groceries too, so I just did a grocery run. Picked up another pound of hamburger and some more taco seasoning.

And I decided to experiment with adding a bit of heat to it. So I bought a bottle of Tabasco Green. When it comes to hot food I'm a real lightweight, and this is reputed to be their milder stuff. They boast that it "only" rates 600-1200 Scovilles, and it's mild because it's made from jalepenos.

I'm used to thinking of jalapenos as being dangerously hot, but I gather that compared to atomic weapons like the habanero they're wet firecrackers. And apparently their original formulation was 2500-5000 Scovilles, while their hot sauce made from habaneros runs above 7000. (eeek!) And worse is available from other sources, I'm sure.

Anyway, adding the green sauce to a pound of spiced burger maybe two drops at a time should give me adequate control to avoid burning holes in my frying pan and/or my stomach.

UPDATE: I just opened the bottle and smelled it. The stuff looks like pureed pepper, which I guess is what it is, and it smells like jalapenos. The bottle has a narrow neck, but as thick as the stuff is, I'm not sure just how easy it's going to be to control the pour. I might get more of it than I really want to.

Also, the smell (and presumably the flavor) may not be quite what I want for tacos. Only way to find out is to try it, of course, but I might decide to go with the original Tabasco instead on future batches.

Oh, the taste? No fucking way am I going to try to taste it straight! Are you insane?

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in Daily Life at 12:56 PM | Comments (13) | Add Comment
Post contains 303 words, total size 2 kb.

1 I've never tried the Tabasco Green.  Sounds interesting--I find regular Tabasco a little too hot for my taste.
I like Frank's Hot Sauce (Original, not the Buffallo Wings type).  Milder than Tabasco and much more flavor to go with the heat.  At 450 Scovilles it's certainly noticeably less hot than Tabasco.
When I was diving in the Cayman Islands a few years back, I tried a local treat--pickled Scotch Bonnet peppers (related to habaneros).  They just fish a whole pepper out of the jar and munch it down, so I figured, what the heck. 
Well. 
I literally had my vision blur for about thirty seconds.  The only good thing is that the heat dies away in about ten minutes...ten long minutes.  I later found out they rank at 300,000 Scovilles, although the pickling tames that as much as 50%, apparently.

Posted by: Toren at February 02, 2009 02:23 PM (YFtJx)

2 The green sauce is noticeably milder than their original red sauce.  However, neither compared to <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huy_Fong>Huy Fong's Sriracha Sauce</a>.  Unlike Tobasco, who aged their sauce in cork barrel, Huy Fong aged their sauce in plastic drum... 

Posted by: BigFire at February 02, 2009 02:31 PM (9KNwi)

3 Tabasco in the small narrow necked bottles does not  pour.  It's shaken out like ketchup.

Posted by: conrad at February 02, 2009 03:08 PM (X5Mq+)

4 I can't really say much about Tabasco.  I'm just not a fan.  Not because it's hot, I can handle much hotter than that.  I just don't like the flavor.  I'm not a fan of the vinegar based sauces.  I prefer to put salsa on my Mexican/Tex-Mex.  

Posted by: Arson55 at February 02, 2009 04:03 PM (6lewD)

5 I'm partial to Cholula hot sauce, though the neighborhood stores haven't restocked lately.  I think it's fairly mild, though others may want to try just a few drops to start.  Unlike a lot of hot sauces I've tried, this one has some nice flavor to go with the heat.

Posted by: Siergen at February 02, 2009 04:51 PM (PXh79)

6

Unless the stuff is a whole lot less hot than I think it is, the flavor is pretty much irrelevant. The purpose of adding it is to add heat, and what little flavor it will add, in such tiny quantities as I expect, won't significantly affect the overall flavor of a full pound of hamburger plus an ounce or so of dried spices from a foil envelope.

...so you guys can stop wasting time by suggesting alternatives, OK? Especially since I hate unsolicited suggestions and advice.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at February 02, 2009 05:16 PM (+rSRq)

7 Easiest way to "pour" it is to glorp it onto a large spoon, then use a smaller spoon or knife to divide it into the amount you want to put into the food.

That's how I do it here at Pond Central for the really hot stuff, seems to work pretty well.

Posted by: Wonderduck at February 02, 2009 05:38 PM (sh9fy)

8 When I lived in Los Angeles there was a "Gourmet Chili" place around the corner that had a small display case of chili sauces, with everything from Tabasco up to "Ultra Mega Death Chili", which could be gotten in signed and sealed bottles that ran up to $1200 for a tiny bottle of sauce that would kill small animals if opened in their general vicinity.  My favorite, on name alone: "Bayou Butt Burner."  http://www.chilliworld.com/SP6.asp?p_id=37

I've never actually tasted it, as I make my Quesadillas with Salsa, and my chilis from the raw spices and peppers.  But you've got to give them credit for knowing how to name their product for the market.

Posted by: David at February 02, 2009 05:42 PM (n/RK7)

9 Haven't tried the green Tabasco. Might be interesting... I don't particularly like the flavor of red Tabasco, but it's not too hot for me as long as it isn't used to excess (though generally I'm a wimp).

Just don't be this guy, who ate a naga jolokia pepper, rated at 1,000,000 Scoville.

Posted by: EvilOtto at February 02, 2009 06:51 PM (moJjI)

10

I have to give the company credit for running an ad I thought was clever, quite a few years ago. A kid sitting on his porch one hot evening, eating pizza and pouring tabasco on it for each bit. On the floor next to him are several empty bottles. A mosquito lands on his arm, and

Somehow I always had the idea that it was a Mexican product, but the label says they're in Louisiana.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at February 02, 2009 07:33 PM (+rSRq)

11 Tabasco is like bacon. There's no food which isn't improved by adding it. The peppers were originally from Mexico, presumably spicing the foods which American peppers won't spice. (Locally grown now) The whole soaking them in vinegar & salt until they liquefy, though, is a Louisianian thing.

If you can find it outside of south Louisiana, Crystal Preserves hot sauce is basically a slightly milder version of the Tabasco classic. They used to have their bottling plant in town until Katrina. You could always tell when they were making pepper jelly because of the smell over the surrounding three block radius.

Posted by: Cybrludite at February 03, 2009 03:22 AM (GDpMq)

12 Oh, if you want to try tasting it straight, go ahead. Just have a piece of bread handy to nom on afterward if it's too hot for you. Or anything starchy to soak up the spice from your taste buds, but sliced white bread is usually on hand & doesn't require preperation. Water is a bad idea, as it clears the pain taste receptors, while still allowing a fresh coating of the peppers to alight on them. 

Posted by: Cybrludite at February 03, 2009 03:39 AM (GDpMq)

13 And the unwanted advice continues to flow. Thread closed.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at February 03, 2009 04:50 AM (+rSRq)

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