We know you like it hot. The real question is - how hot? Jalapenos or habaneros? Chipotle or cayenne? The specific pepper in your food can make a big difference in the amount of scorch to your taste buds. As lovers of spicy foods, we thought we should break it down for you.
First things first, you need to know about the Scoville scale. Basically, it’s the the scale of pungency (spicy heat) in chili peppers. It lets you know how hot you can expect the food you’re consuming to be, and it’s measured in Scoville heat units (SHU). To make it simple, bell peppers have a score of 0 SHU, and the hottest pepper in the world, the Carolina Reaper, has a score of more than 2 million SHU.
What is the heat of your favorite pepper?
Jalapeno Peppers - These peppers clock in around 2,500 SHU. Try our Sir Fartalot’s Hot Sauce for these peppers.
Chipotle Peppers - Your favorite chipotle can be anywhere from 3,000 to 10,000 SHU, but you can bet they’re delicious no matter what. Try out this pepper with our Da' Bomb Beyond Insanity Hot Sauce.
Cayenne Pepper - Things start to really heat up with these peppers that can clock in from 30,000 to 50,000 SHU. Look for cayenne in our Trailer Trash Cayenne Pepper Hot Sauce.
Habanero Peppers - Is it getting warm in here? The habanero clocks in at a little over 100,000 SHU. Test your spicy nerves with our Venom Xtreme Hot Sauce.
Red Habanero Pods - This special breed of habanero was bred to up the heat and clocks in at 250,000 SHU. Whew, try this one if you dare with our Blair’s Sudden Death Hot Sauce.
Ghost Pepper - This pepper held the record for the hottest pepper in the world back in 2007, so you know it means business at 1,000,000 SHU. Don’t say we didn’t warn you when you try our Mad Dog 357 Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce.
Now, no matter what hot sauce or pepper you choose for your next spicy endeavor, you can rest easy with the health benefits. Peppers are a good source of most B vitamins. They are also high in potassium, magnesium and iron. So, go ahead and make your next meal spicy. Of course, if the heat is not for you, there is always the tried and true 3 Beer Barbecue Sauce to add flavor to your next cookout.
How many SHUs can you handle ?