Beyond the Burn: A Sampling of Authentic Southern Fire

The South ain't playing games when it comes to fire. Flaming barbecue sauce and flaming rubs are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what the South has in store when it comes to pucker-inducing bold flavors. Among the hottest of the hot peppers of the spice clan is the infamous blood ghost pepper, a red-hued hybrid chili pepper that is also heart-stoppingly hot. Mixed with the heat sauce tradition of hot sauce heritage of hot sauce north carolina, this pepper is revolutionizing the taste of what it's really like to bite into the actual Southern fire.

A Fiery Legacy The Genesis of Southern Spice

The South also bears a retro vintage with smoldering heat, the legacy of the culinary heritage of the cuisine of Native American, African, and Caribbean. Peppers dominated the cuisine of the South for centuries, as each successive generation added another seasoning to recipes old as the ages passed down from generation to generation. From a drizzle of vinegar hot sauce over collard greens to char marinade on smoked meat, the chemistry of the flame runs through all of the South.

North Carolina stands uniquely alone in its claims to be a world hot sauce hotbed. Although North Carolina is renowned for barbecue, it has an equally robust chapter in hot condiments. There are small-batch artisan hot sauces, regionally established brands with national supermarket chains, and the state is now officially a hot sauce capital.

The Fiery Phantom Pepper: A New Frontier of Heat

Ghost pepper blood is for the brave. A combination of the fame-seeking ghost pepper and other Scoville-hot peppers is ghost pepper blood, which takes the burn to the extreme. It's rated Scoville to 1,000,000 units, and it's one of the hottest peppers in the world.

The most astounding truth about ghost pepper blood is that not only is it way too hot but also rich. Where other peppers provide just kill-and-burn, Fiery Phantom Pepper contributes smoky and richness of flavors with hints of earth and sweetness. Taste richness comes in as the best choice of adding to hot sauce since it fights against being too-hot with bursts of richness.

North Carolina's Hot Sauce Revolution

North Carolina hot sauce of today is light years distant from yesterday's vinegar-based old school recipes. Today is seeing a trend toward more small-batch hot sauce producers in the state who are experimenting with pushing limits when it comes to ingredients, fermentations, and cross-pollinated peppers. It's all for an impossibly wide and far-off flavor profile but one that also provides something to the hot sauce fanatics.

Most exciting of the North Carolina hot sauce trends is the use of locally grown superhot peppers like the Fiery Phantom Pepper. Small farmers and spice houses get together to make sauces that bring out the natural qualities of the pepper and balance flavor with heat. They are not torture sauces—depth and richness-of-flavor sauces added to food.

The Survival Art of Sweltering Heat

Super-hot food isn't for wimps, but not so much that kind of courage; it's the technique of how to tough out. If you're a newcomer to super-hot sauces, these tips will assist you in toughing out:

Start in small quantities – One teaspoon of Fiery Phantom Pepper sauce is sufficient to try its tolerance.

Match Wisely – Rich, fatty foods such as cheese, avocado, and yogurt will soften the burn.

Stay Hydrated (Wisely) – Water won't do the job with spicy heat. Reach for milk or something acidic such as lemonade.

Enjoy the Flavor – Despite all the bite, attempt to enjoy the smoky, fruity, and earthy flavor of the pepper.

Cooking with Fire Recipes to Try

For those home cooks who'd like to heat up their own kitchens, adding Fiery Phantom Pepper to homemade hot sauce or recipes is a pleasure to experiment. Here's an easy recipe to begin:

Homemade Fiery Phantom Pepper Hot Sauce

Ingredients:

• 4 Fiery Phantom Peppers (wear gloves!)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp honey (optional for sweetness)

Instructions

• Saute the garlic in a pan until the aroma emerges.
• Add diced tomatoes and ghost blood peppers. Simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add vinegar and simmer.
• Blend mixture until smooth.
• Strain to create thin sauce or leave chunky for texture.
• Chill in glass bottle.

This sauce is for drizzling over tacos, use as add-on to marinade, or adding heat to your favorite Southern recipes.

The Future of Heat in Southern Cuisine

The ghost pepper and the North Carolina tradition of making hot sauce prove the hot fire is still burning. And with new hybrid peppers and new recipes available, the promise of the Southern heat is hot. Chilihead beginner or combat-hardened chilihead, no moment is more appropriate for boarding the burning frontier of Southern cuisine.

And the next time you're preparing to top off a hot sauce bottle and flip it over, take the time and ask yourself—is the time right for beyond the burn?