Product Review: Pain Is Good

[bayoutider]

Pain Is Good is the name of a brand of hot sauce I just tried out. There seems to be at least 3 hot sauces in the product line.

The first one I tried was #218 which is billed as a version of a Louisiana Hot Sauce. It has a heat level of 7 which is pretty kicked up. The taste is similar to Tobasco but leaves a pleasant sweet aftertaste. It is also a bit chunkier than Tobasco. Contains Habanero Peppers, Cayenne Peppers, Tobasco Peppers, Vinegar, Worcestershire Sauce, Garlic Powder, Brown Sugar, Liquid Smoke and Spices. I like this one a lot.

I went back to the store and bought the other 2 Pain Is Good products on the shelf. The next I tried was #114. This one has Scotch Bonnet and Habanero peppers in it. Pineapple Juice, Salt, Garlic, Lime Juice, Spices, Lemon Juice and Onion Powder rounds out the ingredients. This is a Jamacan style hot sauce with a heat index of 9. This one is not for the wusses out there. If you like jerk, you will like this alot. Again, there is that sweet aftertast after it blisters your mouth.

The last one I tried was a little different since it was greenish brown instead of red in color. It is Garlic Style Hot Sauce #37. Contains Carrots, habanero peppers, vinegar, garlic, mustard seed, onion powder, olive oil, lime juice, turmeric, spices. The heat index is about 8 on this one, just a tad more kicked up than the Louisiana and just a tad milder than the Jamacan. The main difference in this one was it did not have that sweetness the others had. This one just burned you up and didn't apologize.

I liked all three of these hot sauces, I am always looking for some new flavor in a bottle. I will probably keep a bottle of #114 and #218 around in the pantry. One word of caution though, these are not for the novice chilihead, they are seriously hot but the flavor is my oh my good.

 

[bayoutider]

Just found out there is also the following Pain Is Good sauces.

#112 JALAPENO HARISSA, heat index of 6

#164 HONEY-CAYENNE HOT SAUCE, heat index of 6, mustard base sauce

#66 JALAPENO/WASABI HOT SAUCE, heat index of 8

 

[Leigh]

My eyes are watering just from reading about those sauces, but I am still adding them to my list to check out.

You mentioned the Hot Tamales recipe I sent you. I have several that I like, and none have any short cuts. Do you have a clue which one you used?

 

[crimsonoldtimer]

Hot sauces are a staple at our house. The ones you mentioned sound real good. What store did you find them at? I don't think I've seen them and would like to try some of them.

 

[bayoutider]

Hot sauces are a staple at our house. The ones you mentioned sound real good. What store did you find them at? I don't think I've seen them and would like to try some of them.

I bought the first bottle at an Albertson's Grocery store in Lake Charles, La. The others were bought at a White Hen Pantry in Chicago, Ill. I found you can order them online at LINK. You can do a google search for pain is good and find some other places that will send it to you. The stores I shop at may be a little too far for you to zoom over to for a bottle of hot sauce .

 

[bayoutider]

My eyes are watering just from reading about those sauces, but I am still adding them to my list to check out.

You mentioned the Hot Tamales recipe I sent you. I have several that I like, and none have any short cuts. Do you have a clue which one you used?

Leigh, one was a shredded pork recipe and another had corn and southwest veggies in them as well. I can't find the darned recipies you sent me but with my filing system it is little wonder. I did the shredded pork one steaming them in a bamboo steamer from www.cooking.com

 

[FitToBeTide]

Heat

On the subject of hot sauces, I Googled the term scoville units and came up with some interesting sites dealing with it.

There was one site that mentioned one with the name "One Million Scoville".

Insane.

Find it at: www.firegirl.com/1179-02.html

This stuff sounds injurious to human consumption. Can keep deer away???
Whoa.

 

[bayoutider]

On the subject of hot sauces, I Googled the term scoville units and came up with some interesting sites dealing with it.

There was one site that mentioned one with the name "One Million Scoville".

Insane.

Find it at: www.firegirl.com/1179-02.html

This stuff sounds injurious to human consumption. Can keep deer away???
Whoa.

When a recipe says put on rubber gloves and face mask I usually turn the page and look for another recipe.

I like hot but I don't like insane pain.

 

[crimsonoldtimer]

Thanks for the info bayou. Don't think I want to drive that far either. We do have an Albertson's, so I'll look there first.

 

[ddsmit]

Bayou, try this link:

http://www.peppersofkeywest.com/

 

[Leigh]

Check out these tamale recipes

OKLAHOMA HOT TAMALES

3 (8-Ounce) Packages Dried Corn Husks
5 Pound Pork Roast
Salt
2 Large Dried Red Pepper
2 Mexican Peppers
1 Large or 2 Medium Onions
4 Cloves Garlic
3/4 teaspoon Oregano
3 Cups Shortening
1/2 Cup Red Pepper Juice
Masa Harina Flour

® Soak corn shucks overnight or until softened and easy to fold. Cover pork roast with water and bring to boil. Add salt to taste and cook until tender. Remove from broth (saved broth). Shred or chop meat.

® In small amount of water, boil the peppers until tender. Drain and process in blender or food processor with onion, garlic, oregano, and one cup of the pork broth. Add onion mixture to meat. Taste and adjust seasoning.

® Beat shortening and red pepper juice with electric mixer until fluffy. Add enough masa harina flour to make very thick so when you lay your hand on the dough, it doesn't stick to your hand. Be sure not to get too much flour though.

® Drain corn shucks. Trim small ends. Using knife, spread shucks with masa harina mix to one edge leaving one inch at one side and the large end. Add about two tablespoons meat mixture in center of masa mixture. Fold up large end of corn shucks, and then roll up from meat side. In bottom of tall pot, put a layer of shucks. Add tamales, upright with large end down. Pour in enough hot meat broth to make it three inches deep. If necessary, add hot water. Cover with a layer of shucks. Cover tightly and simmer for one and one-half hours or until shucks pull away from masa.

 

[Leigh]

RED CHILE HOT TAMALES

1 Cup Red Chile Salsa, Recipe Follows
1/2 Pound Dried Corn Husks
1/2 Recipe Basic Tamale Dough, Recipe Follows
1 & 1/2 Cups Cooked, Shredded Pork

® Make the salsa and set aside to cool to room temperature.

RED CHILE SALSA

6 Ounces Large Semi-Hot Dried Red Chiles,
Such As New Mexico Or Anaheim
Hot Water
2 teaspoons Mexican Oregano
3 Garlic Cloves
2 Cups (Approximately) Water, Chicken Stock, Or Pork Stock
2 Tablespoons Lard Or Vegetable Oil
1 & 1/2 Tablespoons Flour
1 teaspoon Salt, or To Taste

® Heat a heavy skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, remove stems and seeds from chiles while rinsing under cold running water.

® Place them on a griddle and toast, three or four at a time, just until the aroma is released, thirty to sixty seconds. Be careful not to burn them. Place the chiles in a bowl and cover with hot water. Let soak until softened, about ten minutes. Drain chiles and discard liquid. Place chiles, oregano, two garlic cloves, and two cups of water or stock in the container of a food blender and process to a smooth puree. Add more stock if it is too thick for the blender.

® With a wooden spoon or pusher, work the puree through a sieve into a bowl, pushing and scraping to get all the solids blended. You may want to pour in a little more liquid to help strain the sauce through the sieve.

® In a heavy medium saucepan, heat lard over medium-high heat until rippling. Add remaining garlic clove and brown in the hot fat, pressing down with the back of a wooden spoon to release the flavor. Remove and discard garlic.

® Add flour to the hot lard and cook, stirring constantly, until golden. Add the strained chile puree to the pan and reduce the heat to low. It will splatter as you pour it in so be careful. Cook over low heat, stirring often, until raw taste is gone and flavor of chile is mellowed, about ten minutes. Can be stored tightly covered in refrigerator for up to a week or indefinitely in freezer.

® Yield: 2 cups

® Place the corn husks in a deep, large bowl, cover with boiling water, and let soak while you prepare the filling.

® Prepare the tamale dough, preferably using pork stock to moisten it.

BASIC TAMALE DOUGH

3 Pounds Fresh Masa (Ask For Coarsely Ground)
Or 4 1/2 Cups Masa Harina
4 To 5 Cups Warm Caldo De Pollo, Plus More As Needed
1 Pound Lard (Preferably Non-Hydrogenated And Without Preservatives)
2 & 1/2 Tablespoons Salt


® If using fresh Masa, set aside. If using Masa Harina, place it in a large bowl and reconstitute by adding four cups warm stock. Beat with a wooden spoon or mix with your hands until you have a stiff, smooth dough like a medium-pliable bread dough. Use a little more stock if necessary, but the mixture should not be loose.

® Beat the lard in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until very fluffy and fully aerated, about three minutes. It may take longer if your mixer is not powerful (a heavy-duty machine such as a Kitchen Aid is best).

® The best alternative to a mixer is not a spoon but your bare hand; whip and beat the lard with a rapid folding motion until you feel it lightening, and continue to whip until it is fluffy and full of air. It should be as light as butter creamed for the lightest butter cake.

® Still mixing on medium speed, begin adding the Masa, a handful at a time. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary. Alternatively, beat in the Masa using your bare hand as a whipping and folding tool. If the mixture becomes too stiff to beat, add up to one cup tepid chicken or pork stock, a little at a time.

® When all the Masa has been incorporated, the mixture should be very light and delicate, the texture of butter cream frosting. Beat in the salt. The mixture is now ready to be spread onto corn husks, banana leaves, or other wrappers and steamed.

® When the tamale dough is light and fluffy, beat in one-third cup of the cooled salsa, mixing thoroughly to color the dough evenly.

® In a mixing bowl, combine the shredded pork with the remaining chile sauce. Fill, fold and steam the tamales using about one-fourth cup of the shredded pork mixture in the center of the corn husk.

 

[Leigh]

HOT TAMALES

2 Pounds Lean Boneless Pork
4 Tablespoons Chili Powder
4 Tablespoons Paprika
2 teaspoons Ground Cumin Seed
1 teaspoon Oregano
1 teaspoon Ground Cayenne Pepper
2 teaspoons Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Salt
4 Cloves Pressed Garlic
1 Cup Stock
1 Pound Tamalina
1/2 Pound Softened Lard
4 teaspoons Salt
2 & 2/3 Cups Warm Stock
50 to 60 Corn Shucks

® Cut pork in large four inch chunks and boil in two quarts of plain water for forty -five minutes. Remove bones and excess fat. Put through meat grinder. Reserve the stock. Add the chili powder, paprika, cumin seed, oregano, cayenne, pepper, salt, garlic, and one cup of the stock to the ground pork and mix well. Set aside.

® Work lard well into tamalina by hand or mixer. Add salt; then add the stock, using electric mixer. This will make a thick paste, which is called "masa'.

® Trim fifty to sixty nice corn shucks to four inch by six inch pieces and soak for several hours in hot water. The paste is applied with a table knife to the lower left hand corner of the shuck in an area about two inches by four inches and about one-eighth-inch thick. About a tablespoonful of the pork mixture is applied along the center of this.

® Then the tamale is rolled up (like a cigarette) and the empty end of the shuck folded up alongside the tamale. This wrapping is done rather loosely to allow for the eventual swelling of the masa when the tamales are steamed.

® Put tamales in a steamer, in the steaming tier, in bundles of six, or place them side by side to hold their shape. A canning type pressure cooker is good for the steaming operation. Use as a steamer and not as a pressure cooker (just put the lid on and do not seal it). Steam over boiling water for one hour.

 

[bayoutider]

Bayou, try this link:

http://www.peppersofkeywest.com/

ROFL, I'm not that big of a wuss.

Try this site for some HOT SAUCES

For a good laugh Celebrity Hot Sauces

Last but not least Pyro Pepper

Whew, I need a cold beer and a cold shower after all that heat.

 

[Leigh]

FRESH CORN TAMALES

4 Large Dried Corn Husks
6 Large Ears Sweet Corn, Shucked and Cleaned
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1 Small Onion, Peeled and Cut Into One-Fourth-Inch Dice
1 Serrano Chili, Chopped
3 Tablespoons Cornmeal
Salt To Taste

® Place corn husks in warm water to cover for at least one hour or until ready to use. Using a large grater, grate corn kernels from each cob into a large bowl. Using the back side of a knife, scrape pulp from cobs into kernels.

® Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add onion and serrano and sauté for three minutes or until onion is soft. Stir in corn mixture and continue to sauté for twelve to fifteen minutes or until liquid has evaporated. When mixture is thick, beat in cornmeal. Stir to combine, then remove from heat.
Season with salt and set aside to cool.

® Remove corn husks from water. Pat dry. Spread the soft corn husks open on a flat surface. Spoon the cool corn mixture into a small mound in the middle of each husk. Fold two sides of the husk over the corn, making a large cylinder shape. Fold the top of each husk toward the overlapping crease to form a pocket. Crimp the opposite end of each tamale to close.

® Lay each tamale down in a steamer rack over boiling water and steam for twenty minutes or until firm. Serve hot.

 

[TommyMac]

There's a Mexican eatery here in Orlando called Tiajuana Flats Burrito Company that sells about any hot sauce you can name. They have one that's basically condensed capsicum which is the stuff that makes peppers hot. You have to sign a waiver in order to buy it. I tasted some other sauce that only had half the scoville rating and it about snapped my head around like Linda Blair in the Exhortist. I just barely dipped my fingertip in it too, I can't imagine ANYTHING being twice that hot. I buy Tabasco in 12 oz. bottles, two at a time from Costco and they last me about a month so I'm no wuss in the hot sauce department, but that stuff was ungodly.

 

[bayoutider]

There's a Mexican eatery here in Orlando called Tiajuana Flats Burrito Company that sells about any hot sauce you can name. They have one that's basically condensed capsicum which is the stuff that makes peppers hot. You have to sign a waiver in order to buy it. I tasted some other sauce that only had half the scoville rating and it about snapped my head around like Linda Blair in the Exhortist. I just barely dipped my fingertip in it too, I can't imagine ANYTHING being twice that hot. I buy Tabasco in 12 oz. bottles, two at a time from Costco and they last me about a month so I'm no wuss in the hot sauce department, but that stuff was ungodly.

Whew T-Mac, that stuff sounds dangerous.

Here are some of the hottest advertised that I can find.

1,000,000 Scoville Units of drastic heat.Cool Million Extract

This is a collectors Crown Jewel.Blair's 3 am Reserve Extract

Gotta love the name of this one. One drop and feel the IQ points melt away Liquid Stupid

A Scoville rating of 500,000 units! This is the original Capsaicin Extract on the market. Adding it to anything will turn on the heat, but will not effect the flavor. Capsaicin Extract. Pure Cap

800,000 Scoville Unit Extract! "Conceived on Friday the 13th in October 2000, during a full moon." This is a must have collectible! Really cool bottle. Satan's Blood


1,000,000 Scovilles certified! The new King of Extracts. Chile Extract, Habanero Chile Extract. Mad Dog's Revenge

Tested by an outside laboratory, this sauce rates at 1.5 million scoville units of pure heat. Is this the hottest sauce? The Final Answer is emphatically, yes!
Da Bomb

The original "Hottest sauce in the universe", from the Brigadere of Burn himself, Dave Hirschkop. The only sauce ever banned from The National Fiery Foods Show! Probably the most famous gourmet hot sauce in history.
Dave's Insanity Hot Sauce

A little milder, but how about Joe Perry's Rock Your World Hot Sauce Yep, this is Aerosmith's lead guitar player making his food statement. I saw him on Emeril Live.

Be afraid, be VERY afraid! Spontanious Combustion Not as hot as those above but the name says it all.

 

[elizabama]

I'm a big fan of Daves. But like it says it's GOURMET sauce. It's not something you pour on a sandwich, it's toothpick stuff and it's good. If extract is way too much try this one YEEOOW! (habanero, vinegar, onion, garlic, cilantro,capsicum, spices,and vetetable gum). No website but it's Garden Row Foods INC. Franklin Park, IL. Man it's got good taste and the kick. Last year I made some real good out of my own peppers and it was great. I will try some this when my peppers are ready and maybe I can share it. I can't remember what I did last year.

 

[bayoutider]

I'm a big fan of Daves. But like it says it's GOURMET sauce. It's not something you pour on a sandwich, it's toothpick stuff and it's good. If extract is way too much try this one YEEOOW! (habanero, vinegar, onion, garlic, cilantro,capsicum, spices,and vetetable gum). No website but it's Garden Row Foods INC. Franklin Park, IL. Man it's got good taste and the kick. Last year I made some real good out of my own peppers and it was great. I will try some this when my peppers are ready and maybe I can share it. I can't remember what I did last year.

I have been suckered into tasting Dave's and it is insane. I do hope you remember your recipe for your hot sauce, I would love to get on your waiting list for a bottle. I made some about 6 weeks ago from some dried red chilies and fresh serrano peppers and it is almost gone but I only make about 4 oz at a time after it is run through a strainer. It's a lot like Crystal Hot Sauce.