[slackline]

Thought a chilli appreciation thread for recommendations, discoveries, stories of getting caught out by the searing burning heat and all things chilli related wouldn't be a bad thing.

Start it rolling with this.

Discovered this little gem the other day that combines two of my favourite epicurean delights, beer and chilli.



Brewed by Fallen Angel Brewery its truly stunning.  It contains Naga Chilli extract (the hottest in the world) which rate 895000 on the scoville scale (Jalapenos weigh in at 2500-8000 ).  It packs a fair punch, passed a glass to a friend the other night with the advice to have a good swill of it, his response "Fucking hell, hang on mum, Neil's just given me some chilli beer, my mouth is on fire!".  I hadn't told him there was chilli in it (he does like spicy food so I wasn't being a total cnut) and he was on the phone to his mum at the time 

It is rather pokey in the heat department, but has a lovely fruity after taste.  Best served chilled and sipped gradually.  I was relieved to find out that the heat didn't "repeat" as it can do when chilli's are ingested in food (its bad enough rubbing your eye after having cut chilli's, I realised after having necked half a bottle the potential pain it may induce in the urethra!).

Heed the warning on the label...

Followed by a recommendation from TommyTwoTone...

If you can't get hold of the beer you could slip a few drops of this into your pint...I had a v small blob on a cheese cracker the other day and it was crazy hot 

http://extremefood.com/product.php?id=10

[SA Chris]

Sounds brutal. this is not a beer for drinking, this is a beer for laying down and avoiding. Does it make you hallucinate talking coyotes?

Do you know what the Pepper of Quetzalzatenango, or the Guatemalan Insanity Pepper, get on this scoville scale?

[slackline]

Sounds brutal. this is not a beer for drinking, this is a beer for laying down and avoiding. Does it make you hallucinate talking coyotes?

Do you know what the Pepper of Quetzalzatenango, or the Guatemalan Insanity Pepper, get on this scoville scale?

It can be whatever you want it to be since it sounds like its a bit like cake (i.e.  made up).  If I remember correctly Homer goes on a little trip after taking them and no doubt saw talking coyotes

I've some rather nice Naga chilli sauce at home that I shall post a picture of when I get home later, very strong.

[cowboyhat]

I have some of that Blairs Mega Death, its actually quite difficult to use it in cooking - tends to overpower everything. I've had it a year and I don't think i'm out of the neck of the bottle yet.

I really like this as a condiment, can get it most places.

[SA Chris]

I heard once that Tabasco sales started to drop, as everyone who wanted one any had a bottle of the stuff, and hardly used any of it.

So they started putting a best before date on it.

[slackline]

I heard once that Tabasco sales started to drop, as everyone who wanted one any had a bottle of the stuff, and hardly used any of it.

So they started putting a best before date on it.

That wouldn't surprise me, my parents have a bottle of Tabasco that must be older than me.  Tried it once and it was horrible, just vinegar really which is the downside to leaving chilli sauce too long.

[Plattsy]

Think I'm going to like this thread.

I always use Encona Hot Pepper sauce as a condiment/dipping sauce because I can get it from a supermarket. A few suggestions on here and I might have to venture out of my comfort zone.

[slackline]

Gringo Inferno from the Gringley Gringo peeps is a pretty nice, hot and strong Dorset Naga based chilli sauce.  This bottle is nearing the end of its time with me and has served me well over the last few months.  You don't need much of this to perk things up.  Picked it up at one of those market stalls that you get in Sheffield every so often outside City Hall/John Lewis, unfortunately it doesn't seem to be listed on their web-site 



Next up is a bottle of Cholula which I've purchased (from Asda I think, not sure got it a week or so ago and can't remember exactly where I was) to take away with me tomorrow when I set off on the Pennine Way....



Contains Arbol (15000-30000 scoville) and Piquin (50000-100000 scoville) chillis and originates from Mexico where I'd imagine they know a thing or three about chilli's.  Haven't tried it yet, but will report back upon my return.

Found a good reference for the Scoville Scale.

[dave]

I've got some of this at home, not uberhot but quite tasty, good on sarnies etc:

http://www.caribbean-food.co.uk/product.php?id=76

[Houdini]

Where's The Orc (UKB-er) when you need him?  This thread was made for him.

Neil!  Where's Orc?

[slackline]

I've got some of this at home, not uberhot but quite tasty, good on sarnies etc:

http://www.caribbean-food.co.uk/product.php?id=76

Yabba, thats the place I was trying to remember, they've a shop on London Road, and often have stalls at the markets in town.  Had one of their bottles a year or so ago that was rather tasty.

I always use Encona Hot Pepper sauce as a condiment/dipping sauce because I can get it from a supermarket. A few suggestions on here and I might have to venture out of my comfort zone.

Encona's always a safe bet, I particularly like their Cajun Hot Pepper sauce, goes really well with Jambalaya (for obvious reasons!).

[Stubbs]

That cholula stuff is really good - very mild as these sort of sauces go but with a sweet/smoky flavour to go along with the heat.

[Sloper]

My favourites are Dave's insanity sauce and mad dog .357

http://www.chilliworld.com/SP6.asp?p_id=41

The real danger with DAve's is using it at a BBQ when pissed as more than enough is far too much

[slackline]

Excellent can't wait to get stuck into the Cholula now, cheers Stubbs.

Its not just chillis though, wasabi is another great hot condiment and you can't go far wrong with wasabi peas....



I'm pretty sure I got some of these from the Chinese wholesale supermarket near the Edge, and expect you can get them in the asian food shop in Broomhill too (although haven't been in there recently and checked).  Theres no contest between these and the various chilli nuts you can get these days.

The real danger with DAve's is using it at a BBQ when pissed as more than enough is far too much

Alcohol and chilli can be a disastrous/highly entertaining combination depending on where your standing.

[dontfollowme]

Anyone got a decent recipe for Chilli Con Carne. Currently using Jamie Oliver's but was wondering if anyone has a better one?

[Sloper]

Jamie Oliver (spitting symbol etc)

Good chilli serves 4

12oz rump steak cut into thin strips then cross cut
3 large onions sliced very thinly
12oz kidney beans (pref cooked from dried) Note if they're not fully cooked they can be toxic.
12oz skinned and seeded tomatoes
2oz 85% cocoa chocolate
1 smoked chipolte chilli pepper crushed
2 fresh red chilli peppers
2 tsp smoked sweet paprika
2 cloves garlic
1/2 pint ale
2 tbs frsh thyme
beef stock cube (or reduced beef stock)
pinch cumin

Fry onions, garlic, chillies then add meat and brown.
Add tomatoes, beans, chocolate, the remaining seasoning and beer and cook slowly for about 1hour.

Season to taste and serve with traditional accompaniments.

[butters]

Anyone got a decent recipe for Chilli Con Carne. Currently using Jamie Oliver's but was wondering if anyone has a better one?

My basic recipe which I have been tweaking for years is something along the lines of this:

2lb Mince Beef
3 Onions
4 Large Cloves Garlic
1-2 x Scotch Bonnet Chillis
6 Green Chillis
1 tsp Chilli Powder
1 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
2 Tins Chopped Tomatoes
1 Tin Whole Tomatoes (drained of juice)
1/3rd to 1/2 tube Tomato Puree
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 Tins Kidney beans

Chop onions garlic and remove seeds from chillis and chop them as well
Fry onions until soft add chillis and garlic, fry for 1-2 minutes (or until you go blind from the fumes) and then throw in the beef mince - cook until meat is brown.
Add the Cayenne, Paprika and Chilli Powder and cook for a further minute
Add tomatoes and tomato puree salt and pepper to taste stir well and heat for 10-15 minutes and then throw in the kidney beans
Cook at a low heat for at least an hour but preferably two.
Serve with rice and enjoy.

Few things to note:

The mince has to be lean mince - you do not want too much fat in it as it ruins the whole thing (Battys butchers in Woodseats is the best I have found in Sheffield S8 area).
The cayenne and paprika measures are a bit of a guess as I just put some in and think that's correct but its about right I think.
1 Scotch Bonnet will make a reasonably hot chilli - 2 will make a damned hot chilli (all chillis sourced from Shah's Indian shop on Abbeydale road by the old cinema)
What I rate as hot might kill the eldery and infirm 

bluebrad

[andy popp]

Stubbs beaten me to it but the Cholula is nice, more for flavour than heat; surprisingly mild, milder than ordinary Tabasco I'd say. Has a cute little wooden cap though and seems to be widely available. Tabasco Habanero is good. On a related theme I really like Colman's English mustard made up from the powder.

[dave]

Heston had a good looking chili con carne recipe, but it looked a touch long-winded to say the least:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/chilliconcarne_87368.shtml

[SA Chris]

long-winded

I'm sure the after effects will be too.

[tlr]

My tolerance for heat has increased massively since I met my wife. My mother in Law, who is Malay-Thai eats bird pepper chillis like peanuts, and puts chilli in almost everything. My first few meals at her house were somewhat interesting.

She makes a chilli sauce that is excellent, and rather warm. I used it once in a tomato sauce for pasta type dish, and less than a teaspoon between 4 rendered the dish inedible for the guests. Even the 2 tins of tomatoes didn't null its effects. 

[SA Chris]

Apologies if this is old news, but tried cooking with stuff called Harissa recently. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harissa

Lovely stuff. Quite hot, but not ridiculously so, with a nice spicy taste. Lovely with lamb. You can get it in most decent international food shops (but not supermarket chains).

[tommytwotone]

Right - inspired by a lot of general chilli / hot food related talk, plus the fact I've got a surplus of green finger chillis in the kitchen, I'm going to embark on making some of my own chilli sauce.

I've looked online and found a few recipes but thought I'd canvass the culinary types on here, so - anyone got any suggestions for a good recipe?

I should add that I'm after a relish / dipping type thing as opposed to, say, an arrabiata for pasta or anything.

Cheers ears.

[robertostallioni]

Are we talking tortilla chips, hombre?

[dave]

Apologies if this is old news, but tried cooking with stuff called Harissa recently. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harissa

Lovely stuff. Quite hot, but not ridiculously so, with a nice spicy taste. Lovely with lamb. You can get it in most decent international food shops (but not supermarket chains).

one of my homies made us a jar of this, its dang nice, works well as a flava in couscous or on a meat sarnie in lieu of pickle.