Encona hot sauces are some of the most readily available in the UK, reasonably priced, and they generally slap
Really depends on the food and mood. Anywhere from basic crushed red pepper, Crystal, to ludicrous level stuff with ghosts and reapers.
I don't use nuclear stuff as much due to intestinal stuff as I'm getting older though.
Also, for any upcoming spice hounds, pickle juice works very well to kill the burn, if you like pickles.
I can’t pick a single favorite, they all have different uses. Cholula or Valentina go with a lot of things, but obviously and especially Mexican food. Frank’s Red Hot is pretty much only for making Buffalo sauce, but I also like it on mac & cheese, and on steak (this is a weird thing I got from my dad). My favorite chili crisp is Fly By Jing. It makes Chinese takeout worth eating. Calabrian chili paste goes great on sandwiches and in tomato sauces. I’m not big on sriracha, but keep a bottle of Underwood Ranches on hand to make spicy ketchup or add to a sandwich or burger, ramen, etc. Speaking of Underwood Ranches, their chili garlic sauce is perfect on eggs. I also have a bottle of Secret Aardvark habanero sauce for chili and hot dogs and most importantly, chili dogs. The last one that comes to mind is the only obscure one that you get in those mall stores where 99% of their business is from frat boy joke labels: “Sauce Bitch”. Despite the stupid name, this one is unique and delicious. It’s fruity and dark and goes amazingly well with pork dishes as well as eggs. I stumbled on it in a restaurant and now I have to order it direct from the manufacturer because I haven’t found anything else quite like it.
Oh man, how has nobody mentioned cholula? I can't even use other sauces except for siracha.
I came here to mention Cholula. Glad someone did. Its just the right flavor and spice imo
It truly is fantastic. I put it on everything, pizza, breakfast burritos, tacos...whatever. I snag packets of it for free at the local store because I'm a broke ass lol.
Absolutely it is godly on frozen pizza. Quik trip has ot on packets
Tapatio for me.
Tapatio goes with everything!
-Homemade garlic cayenne hot sauce.
-Frank's Red Hot. I put that shit on everything.
-Cholula for Mexican food.
Willing to share your fav garlic cayenne formulation?
A good, fresh salsa verde
Huy Fong Chili Garlic Sauce. They sell it by the gallon at an Asian market near me and all I can say is I'm tempted.
Maritime Madness, Candied Habanero or Lime Cilantro.
Haven't seen Hank Sauce Cilanktro listed yet.
My store bought favorites are chili garlic Cholula and the green tabasco. I also make my own (commented on another reply about what)
Cholula garlic, Valentina, Melinda's habenero garlic and various yellow bird.
Crystal hot sauce is my goto. Tangy and just the right amount of heat to casually throw on anything if you don't want to go into battle mode. Frank's come close. Surprised that I'm the only one mentioning Crystal.
Secret Aardvark I think would be my second goto if you aren't looking for a hot sauce with the acidity of Crystal, Tabasco, Frank's, etc.
Aardvark Habanero and Renfro's Habanero Salsa. I just really like habanero, okay?
My own sauce because it's not cooked, without vinegar and hotter.
El Yucateco - all of their habanero-based sauces are good. I had the black label one recently and feel like I've discovered a new favorite.
Kill Sauce - limited selection but really unique sauces with complex flavor profiles to balance the heat. The Habanero is exemplary, but the Carolina and Ghost versions are the pinnacle, IMO.
El Yucateco Mayan Recipe
That depends. For pizza and Asian cuisine, Sriracha. Special shout-out to Underwood Ranch specifically, because that shit is top tier. For everything else, chipotle Tabasco. When that goes on sale, I buy a few bottles because I know I'll go through it lol.
My own. I lacto ferment peppers with (and or) garlic, sjalots, ginger, veg, fruit, paprika, herbs, spices. It is easy to make.
I also make my own. I've tried a lot of different peppers and random ingredients. I think my favorite was a mango habanero (fermented with mango and some other goodies, also added some fresh mango at the end before blending and pasteurizing). I also made a few fun fermented sauces with those dried chilies you can get in bags from the grocery store, added some fresh ingredients like carrot and onion to get the ferment going.
Good old Tobasco.
suka pinakurat
Yellowbird Habanero Sauce, Tapatío, Valentina, Sriracha.
There's this belizean hot sauce called Marie Sharp's, I get the gold one. Doesn't sting me at all, my family can't handle heat, but it does the job well enough.
My favourite however is Salsa Macha. Can't get dried pepper where I'm at though, or I'd make it myself. Goes great with just about anything, even compound butter slathered bbq steaks.
Franks has no equal.
Nando's Peri Peri sauce.
I go for salsas and chunky condiments (e.g. black bean chilli crisp, hot Indian chutneys) than just a liquid hot sauce, even then it's sriracha.
BOMBA CALABRESE. Sorry, I can't say it in lowercase. It's just crushed peperoncini and oil. Yummmmm I put it on pizza, in soup, curry, stew, I dip my cheeses and fingers in it.
Cholula for eggs but it's hard to find around here.
I'll be on the lookout for Valentina as it's been brought up often in this thread.
Depends what I'm using it on.
Mambo Sauce and buffalo wing sauce for chicken.
Tabasco for eggs.
Current favorites are The Seventh Reaper and Heartbeat Scorpion. Tasty and hot but not stupid hot.
Oh and in the milder end: Dirty Dick’s Hot Pepper Sauce With a Tropical Twist
Might not sound interesting - or maybe it isn't even a "hot sauce", but since it's like, the only I know, schezwan.
Gringo Bandito. It's a flavorful medium-heat hot sauce.
Valentina regular or black label
Chipotle tabasco
Everything from Secret Aardvark and most of Crazy Bastard
sambal djeroek
In the Netherlands I use adjuma pepper instead of habanero and mix sweet orange juice + lime as the sour orange replacement.
Not sure it counts as hot sauce but a chili oil like Lao Gan Ma is my favourite. Otherwise when I do use hot sauce my favourites are Hot Ones Los Calientes Rojo, Tabasco Chipotle, and Secret Aardvark.
that absolutely counts
Blair's Death.
Really liked one of their XB series.
Was about to comment Blair's Sudden Death Sauce. They make really good sauce yeah
my favorite used to be a sauce named "amor" that was primarily centered around southern california and baja california.
it was a little bit like cholula, but w MUCH stronger vinegar punch to it and it makes my mouth water every time i think about it on top of chips or other snacks; sort of like frank's hot sauce if it were more sour and more picante at the same time.
the brand still exists, but their recipe changed significantly about 20-ish years ago and i've been unable to find anything like it to call my favorite.
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