Turn Up the Heat: The NOLA Fire Department Ranks Louisiana-Made Hot Sauces

You ca n’t imagine about American red-hot sauces without acknowledging Louisiana ’s iconic contributions . Not to brag , but we pretty much invented the blasted stuff in this nation . Louisiana brand have dominated the globe , and can be easily find on every continent ( we guarantee that you ’ll find at least one Tabasco bottle on any Antarctic science post ) , while others stay more local . But which one is rightfully the best ?

To find out , we enlisted folks who doubtlessly have strong opinions on the nature of heat : member of theNew Orleans Fire Department , locomotive engine 18 . We came armed with a board full of spicy sauce and the accoutrements with which to examine their mettle ( in this compositor’s case , two loaves of smart Gallic simoleons , and 10lbs of churn prawn fromBevi Seafood Co. ) , and ready out to officially rank Louisiana red-hot sauces once and for all . Our panel consisted ofBill Ballard , operator , 26 - year NOFD veteran;Ken Kinler , fire fighter , a 5 - year NOFD vet ; andRick LaCava , captain , a 19 - yr NOFD veteran . These guy have proven meter and again that they can withstand some serious heat , so we were aroused to encounter out which Louisiana - made live sauce would reign supreme on their tongues .

15.Panola"Clearly Hot Sauce"

Lake ProvidenceGoing in , we were all intrigued by the conception of a readable raging sauce . Since the color could give away nothing – not flavor , viscousness , or intensity – it was a real enigma , and our hopes were in high spirits . deplorably , though , Panola ’s quirky , colorless sauce ferment out to be on the nose what it looked like : a feeding bottle of snowy vinegar with a pepper and a bulb of garlic in it . " I figured , being light , this one would have to pack a puncher to get past the oddness , " Ken say . " But it just did n’t … it almost feel like someone put too much body of water in the mickle , which is inauspicious , because I like the novelty of the clearness . "

14. HongryHawg’s “Bayou Butt Burner” Louisiana Pepper Sauce

PrairievilleLouisiana caller HongryHawg produces a number of whimsically named red-hot sauces , include " Bayou Love Potion " and " Bayou Passion . " But we could n’t help but take the " Butt Burner " for this little experimentation . Neither the author nor the NOFD would like to reveal if the sauce ’s name packed an , hem , more actual poke , but one matter was for sure : this sauce is red-hot . Really hot . In fact , it packed the most impact of any sauce we tasted , which was in the end its downfall . The tang was buried by a spiciness level that can botch up out your roof of the mouth . " The warmth does n’t murder you at first , but it really develops , " Rick says . " It ’s a good flavor , but you ca n’t use it too much , which is a pity , because it has a nice taste to it . And it ’s thick , too , like a barbecue sauce . "

13.Cajun ChefLouisiana Hot Sauce

St. MartinvilleLike Crystal , Cajun Chef is a good " slather it on anything " sauce , due to its nice balance of flavor , without a long ton of rut . As Ken noted , " There ’s nice acetum here – it ’s a ripe all - around classic - style Louisiana sauce . " However , this sauce just did n’t do anything peculiarly noteworthy to fend out positively from similar sauce , but also did n’t do anything to stand up back . In the end , we decided that this one was tasty , decent , and also unremarkable .

12.Slap Ya MamaCajun Pepper Sauce

Ville PlatteOf course , the brash name for this red-hot sauce descend from the old Southern expression , " So upright , it ’ll make you slap ya mama ! " fortuitously , nobody assaulted anyone ’s mother during the savouring . ( As Bill notes , " It ’s very good . I ’m not slapping anyone , but it ’s good . " ) This sauce is a comely all - around effort , though somewhat heavy on the common salt , so if you like a salinity - forward Louisiana peppercorn sauce , this one is for you .

11.Trappey’sBull Louisiana Hot Sauce

New Iberia ( originally!)While Trappey ’s may not be a home name outside of Louisiana , it ’s one of the oldest hot sauce brands in the United States , blend back to the nineteenth century , when a former Tabasco employee decided to forge his own spicy trail . The company may now be owned by B&G Foods , which is based in New Jersey ( Bronx cheer ) , but since it ’s been bring about the same Louisiana pepper sauces for over a century , we figured it justify comprehension here . The two most famed Trappey ’s offer are Bull and Red Devil , both of which are conversant LA - style red common pepper sauces . Our distinguished panel of jurist all enjoy the Bull , but it did n’t do anything particularly exceptional to stand out from the pack , other than to be a thoroughly trusty hot sauce . Solid marks for flavor here , but few for originality . " Very traditional , " Bill says .

10.Frog BoneCajun Pepper Sauce

MadisonvilleThis one has a precious animal mascot : a frog stirring a pot of sauce . We do n’t know where the bone comes in , but we ’re pretty certain there ’s no factual frog in the condiment . Frog Bone distinguishes itself in two ways here : first , it ’s more or less dark than competing sauces , and you could easily see scrap of spices float about . Second , this is not a purist sauce , as it bear both onion and garlic flavors , as well as the received peppers , acetum , and salt . Our control board judge this positively , with high Mark all around . " There ’s plenty of vinegar in this one . " Ken enjoin . " No sweetness , really , just vinegar and spice . "

9.Thib’sUltimate Garlic Pepper Sauce

Lake CharlesAh , respectable ol' " Swamp Charlie . " If you have a travel by familiarity with Cajun culture , you ’ll recognise the name " Thib " as a shortened version of the more democratic Cajun last name and metropolis of " Thibodaux . " It might seem perplexing that Thib ’s mascot is an gator in a sombrero , but that all owe to the fact that Thib ’s makes a lot of Cajun - influenced salsas . As for the red-hot sauce , it ’s a inflexible entry , with a more pronounced garlic flavor than some of the alike sauce on this tilt . " That ’s a nifty compounding , " Ken enounce . " Garlic , acetum , pepper , common salt … you ’re gon na have a secure sauce . "

8.Bulliard’s"The Original" Premium Cayenne Pepper Sauce

St. MartinvillePeppers Unlimited of Louisiana makes a thumbs - up variety of traditional Piper nigrum products , including common pepper acetum ( which is essential to your braised greens ) . Its premium brand of hot sauce , Bulliard ’s , incorporate more pepper solid than the more commonly come up " Louisiana Supreme " red-hot sauce , and has a more nuanced depth of flavor . Rick tell , " It ’s a little different from what I ’m used to – it had a heat that hang around a bit , but it was dainty . "

7.Cajun PowerAll-Purpose Spicy Garlic Sauce

AbbevilleThis one was on no one ’s microwave radar exit in , and we all consider that a serious shame . As a live sauce sapidity , garlic seems to be the Modern hotness ( see what we did there ? ) , with many major brands incorporating " The Pope " into their recipes . Among all of them , this one was a decipherable achiever , praise by all in a surprisingly knock-down entry to this pantheon . We were n’t capable to put our finger on what made this one so special – Rick indicate it has a " tomatoey taste , " Ken ’s going with " mayhap paprika ? " but as Bill says , " It ’s father something else there … I ca n’t enjoin what it is , but I care it . "

6.Louisiana Brand"The Perfect" Hot Sauce

New IberiaIf you ’re going to name your Louisiana red-hot sauce after Louisiana , you ’d well come right with your game . Fortunately , Louisiana Brand does just that , making a finely balanced sauce that was n’t just one of the first commercially available Cajun intersection on the market place , but is proudly " certified Cajun . " That distinctive red loony toons on the label is what you should be looking for when you ’re shucking oyster , or looking to zest up your jambalaya . " It ’s a good mixture of all the classic elements , " Rick says . There you have it : the brand identify after the good blistering sauce state in the nation is never a allow - down . Tried and true , through and through .

5.Southern ArtNo. 1 Handcrafted Hot Sauce

Baton RougeThis was a real dark horse in the hot sauce race to the top , interpret as nobody really do it anything about it . While Southern Art is based in Georgia , further investigation had the society swear up and down that its hot sauce is produced in Louisiana , as it has a Baton Rouge outfit . But how did it stack up ? Quite plainly , the firefighters get laid it . More so , even , than the more familiar brand of Louisiana pepper sauces . The board delighted in Southern Art ’s unparalleled spice blending and typical eccentric . That ploy bear off . This sauce may not be in every grocery store store near you , but it ’s sure worth seek out . " This one might have the best amount of flavor for heat of all the sauces we tried , " Ken says . " There ’s lots of different color and layers in there , and it ’s fetch a good hotness – if you had too much , you ’d definitely be lit up , but that first insect bite does n’t blow you out … I ’m definitely pick up something that remind me of Asian flavors . Maybe Chinese cherry-red peppers , and refreshful herbs , too . I ’m a big buff . "

4. The Original TryMeTiger Sauce

New OrleansWhile tigers may not be indigenous to our state ( well , unless you consider the LSU campus , where Mike resides as the mascot ) , any Louisiana merchandise make after apex feline predators needs to expect its namesake ’s ferocity . To that end , Tiger Sauce did not disappoint : the firefighters were particularly impressed by this offering . Unsurprisingly , they asked to keep this one at the firehouse when the taste rounds had run their course . " It ’s got some sweetness , " Bill say . " That really gets me . " Ken agrees . " I wish the sweet – it take the edge off the oestrus a minute , almost like a spicy barbecue sauce . It ’s less of a spicy sauce and more of a dipping sauce … I ’d put this on just about anything . "

3.D.a.T. Sauce(“A little bit of HOT with a whole lot of flavor!")

Morgan CityAs y’ all know , " dat " is key in the lingo of NOLA natives , ie . " consider dat ! " and , most significantly , " WHO DAT ! " What it has to do with pepper sauce is anyone ’s conjecture ; what we do know is that D.a . T. Sauce brought some serious game to the mesa with its thickset , dark - red sauce flecked with chili seeds . The fire fighter adored this one , a big combination of heat and genuine savor . " The name ’s a bit self-aggrandizing , " Ken says . " But it lives up to it . Seems like it would try out estimable on just about anything . "

2.TabascoBrand Pepper Sauce

Avery IslandSuch is Tabasco ’s reach that you could chance it almost everywhere in populace . But despite its vaunted account and global brace , how does Tabasco stand up to other Louisiana hot sauces ? Well , it ’s hot , first of all , with a astute boot than similar vinegar - based pepper sauces , causing one to use it more sparingly . But that tang of vinegar and classifiable scarlet black pepper feeling is both unmistakable and tasty . " It ’s a Louisiana basic , but I palpate it brings too much heat to the table for the amount of flavor it comes with , " Ken says . " Of of course , it ’s still a good go - to for seasoning red beans or other lulu . "

1.Crystal(aka “Louisiana’s Pure Crystal Hot Sauce”)

raw OrleansIf you ’re look for the sine qua non of Hellenic Louisiana spicy sauce , Crystal is ultimately the one to beat . Granted , the author of this leaning – and the firemen who aided in this tight examination – are all intelligibly predetermine towards their hometown peppercorn sauce . But that ’s one thing , among many others , that earn Crystal such a gem : it ’s a pepper sauce first ( whereas Tabasco ’s first name fixings is vinegar ) , and while it unquestionably presents a obtrusive spiciness level , it ’s never overwhelming , leading you to just slather it on everything from eggs to pizza to po - boy and all thing in between . Crystal ’s " extra hot " rendering , on the other hand , offers that distinctive Crystal nip profile , while equal Tabasco ’s peppery poke . " I like regular Crystal , " Bill says . " It ’s always been a front-runner . The extra hot adaptation is too hot for me , though … the bead of sweat starting signal come out . " So take heed , y’ all – remember that ’s coming from a career firefighter . So there you have it : classic Crystal is the one , and probably always will be .

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