Mild, Medium or Hot?
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Excalibur south of the border sausage seasoning with ghost pepper high temp cheese has me reaching for a lot of sweet tea.
@johng-0 I used the Mexican-chorizo seasoning with the ghost pepper high Yelp and a local Mexican style lager fir a beer brat recently and it was amazing. It was ‘hot ‘ for sure but the flavor was so enticing that it was hard to stop eating it. My crew at the shop doesn’t share my spicy addiction but all agreed that it was a great pairing!
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Mild, Medium or Hot?In Walla Walla, WA., we have what seems like endless choices when it comes to Mexican food. I’m not taking about your average Mexican restaurants. I’m taking about truly outstanding Mexican food. There are numerous brick and mortar establishments and countless Taco Trucks dotting the valley. Fresh, local tortillas and chips are available at every grocery store. I don’t have a bad thing to say about any one of them…except Taco Bell, but that really isn’t Mexican food anyway.
My favorite places tend to be the Taco Trucks, and a big reason is the variety of salsa or a fresh Pico de Gallo. When asked if I would prefer the ‘mild, medium or hot’ I enthusiastically say “One of each!”. There is generally a mild Tomato salsa, a tangy Tomatillo, a Salsa Picante with a bit more heat or a creamy Jalapeno that can range from hot to fiery. All of them are delicious. All of them are unique. I will often throw back ‘shots’ of salsa if there are leftovers. I just can’t get enough.
…Because one salsa is never enough I wanted to experiment with several. After all…variety is the spice of life! I decided to use the Excalibur ‘Salsa Brat’ seasoning based on the many positive reviews and suggestions by Walton’s staff. This will be my base for all of the following pairing suggestions.
I don’t have exact recipes for any of these (yet). Cooking, IMO is all about improvisation and personal taste. Throw some stuff together, take notes and adjust if need be. Don’t be afraid to experiment. Come on in, the water is fine!
- Excalibur Salsa Bratwurst Seasoning: This is a great place to start. The seasoning when used at recommended amounts adds a mild salsa flavor with hints of tomato, onion and pepper but doesn’t have much heat to speak of. This blend is going to please the masses and is unlikely to draw complaints from even the pickiest eater. It’s simply good. The addition of high temp cheese would be a welcome adjunct.
2. Salsa Brat + Fresh Pico de Gallo: Wow! Talk about a punch of flavor! Subtle flavors are out the window on this one. The addition of fresh Roma Tomatoes, Onion, Cilantro, Jalapeno and a squeeze of Lime highlight Excalibur seasonings quite well. The lime juice adds a clean and bright flavor to each of the ingredients and lets each one shine through…especially the cilantro.
3. Salsa Brat + Hatch Chile Salsa: Hatch Chiles are from the Hatch Valley in New Mexico and they are amazing. My Hatch Chile salsa consists of Chiles, Walla Walla Sweet Onions, Garlic, Cumin, Cilantro, fresh Lime juice with salt & pepper to taste. (If memory serves me right)
I took the base Salsa Brat mix and added a generous amount of salsa. Once again the lime really lets the flavors shine. The brats are tangy with quite a noticeable bump in heat . These are quite tasty! You are immediately met with an earthy and vegetive, green pepper flavor which leaves enough room for the garlic and onion finishing with a hint of cumin and cilantro. If I wasn’t running low on my salsa stash I would be making these again at my next opportunity. I have about 7-8 months before the peppers are in season again so I’ll just have to be patient…something I’m not known for.
4. Salsa Brat + Salsa Macha: These turned out to be my favorite of all. I am new to Salsa Macha and I would assume that goes for many people. I stumbled upon this variety of salsa after an accidental encounter with the TV Show ‘Pati’s Mexican Table’. My best description of this salsa is that it is a deep fried Chile, Peanut and Sesame blend…yes, peanuts! I’ve never heard of such a thing but the ingredients were intriguing and made sense so I gave it a go.
You will want a quality dried chipotle for this salsa. Look for a product that maintains good color, a leathery texture and a ripened raisin like aroma that is good and smoky.
Salsas tend to be regional and vary by available product and personal taste. My version of Pati’s recipe has a bit more vinegar, salt and brown sugar than was called for as well as the addition of Pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and a double portion of garlic. I also substituted grape seed oil for the olive oil because it has a milder flavor and a higher smoking point. It is important to note that the peanuts, pepitas and sesame seeds be raw and unroasted as they would burn in the oil. Use Google to find a recipe…it might just change the way you think about salsa.
The Salsa Macha brats were noticeably darker than all of the others. The salsa itself has an almost inky deep reddish brown hue with orange highlights from the oil. It’s like a beautiful sunburst Fender Telecaster in liquid form. Guitar geeks may get the reference…for those that don’t, just imagine a totally rad sunset in the peak of Autumn color.These brats have plenty heat but it’s not overpowering. The chipotles add an intense earthiness with a hint of raisin and deep Chile flavor. I think I could detect more of the peanut flavor of these in the brats vs. the salsa on its own. Acid brightens any dish and the distilled vinegar does the job in this one. The brown sugar doesn’t add much sweetness but it rounds everything out and creates balance. I’ve used this on chicken thighs, breasts, taco meat and as a topping…it’s simply outstanding in so many ways.
I would love nothing more than to destroy a bag of fresh corn chips and a copious amount of Pico de Gallo but as I walk the tightrope of diet and indulgence I will settle on a few of my favorite ‘salsa’ bratwursts.
Joe Hell Hey, was just looking around and found your post from awhile ago. One question: Did you add less liquid to the Pico de gallo and hatch chili salsa batches? Or did you just allow more drying time before cooking/sealing?
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sst4556 Inferno is the hottest Sausage Seasoning we sell but Gigawatt Hot is the hottest overall seasoning we sell. Austin and I did a video where we compared Inferno to Gigawatt by making brats out of both of them and the Gigawatt was a good deal hotter, so if you are looking for something with a good taste but almost too much heat check that out!
Jonathon I definitely have to put this on my list. The Deep South corrupted my taste buds. Coming from Canada I was used to lightly bland seasoned food and then BAM flavor explosion. At this point Louisiana hot is not even hot. Thai hot (authentic) is the only hot that seems to stop me in my tracks.
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Jonathon I definitely have to put this on my list. The Deep South corrupted my taste buds. Coming from Canada I was used to lightly bland seasoned food and then BAM flavor explosion. At this point Louisiana hot is not even hot. Thai hot (authentic) is the only hot that seems to stop me in my tracks.
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Small world . I lived in Stratford Ontario for 14 yrs
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I question why Canadians would leave Canada, id darn near give my left arm to have all the lake access you all have in the Great North…
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I question why Canadians would leave Canada, id darn near give my left arm to have all the lake access you all have in the Great North…
twilliams Hahahaha!!! I left because of socialized healthcare. I was heavily recruited right out of school and made more money as a green horn in my first year then after 18 years in the Canadian system PLUS I picked a place where I would never have to shovel snow again LOL!!!
For the right price I have sell you 40 hectares of wooded land where I am from with a beaver lake and nice little river nearby. Beautiful until the mosquitos carry you away.
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I question why Canadians would leave Canada, id darn near give my left arm to have all the lake access you all have in the Great North…
twilliams The hunting and fishing was a dream for sure.The socialized medicine and being taxed to death didn’t fly with me!
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twilliams Hahahaha!!! I left because of socialized healthcare. I was heavily recruited right out of school and made more money as a green horn in my first year then after 18 years in the Canadian system PLUS I picked a place where I would never have to shovel snow again LOL!!!
For the right price I have sell you 40 hectares of wooded land where I am from with a beaver lake and nice little river nearby. Beautiful until the mosquitos carry you away.
Dr_Pain for 11 years straight we went east of Dryden Ontario to Basket Lake. Best premium lake i have ever been to. Im sure there is many more that are better but i know that lake like the back of my hand. I could be a guide on there with no problem. Oh how i miss going. One day i will get back there.
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I am am medium guy, I get that some people can handle the heat. But it comes to a point where I think some people have blown out their taste buds and just can’t taste as well as they once did. Then also at one point does the actual heat take away from you tasting the food.
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I am am medium guy, I get that some people can handle the heat. But it comes to a point where I think some people have blown out their taste buds and just can’t taste as well as they once did. Then also at one point does the actual heat take away from you tasting the food.
HerbcoFood If the person doing the prep knows how to layer the seasonings, then you can taste the product and the heat kicks in later. If they put that heat in the first layer of cooking, it shows they have no idea and all you get is heat. That’s the diff.
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I am am medium guy, I get that some people can handle the heat. But it comes to a point where I think some people have blown out their taste buds and just can’t taste as well as they once did. Then also at one point does the actual heat take away from you tasting the food.
HerbcoFood I like hot, when we cook for other people we make it medium and have stuff on the side to add heat that way people can eat it as hot as they want it.
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I am am medium guy, I get that some people can handle the heat. But it comes to a point where I think some people have blown out their taste buds and just can’t taste as well as they once did. Then also at one point does the actual heat take away from you tasting the food.
HerbcoFood I grew the Carolina Reaper, Trinidad Scorpion, Ghost Pepper, Chili De Arbol, Habanero, Serrano, and Jalapeño in my garden a few years back. I loved and had a blast watching them grow. Gave them to all the Mexicans at my work. But I did have to try the fresh peppers right from the garden, I asked myself who in the heck on this great earth would enjoy that in their food on a daily basis!!! I want flavor not scorching blisters. I made some hot mustard sauce for one Mexican and the entire family in the house were hacking away. He loved it. It took my breath away and just about made me lose it. There is nothing like growing THE hottest pepper in the world though, it was awesome
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I use to love hot foods but as I get older I have less taste for them , not that I cant eat it just don’t have the taste for it any more
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HerbcoFood I grew the Carolina Reaper, Trinidad Scorpion, Ghost Pepper, Chili De Arbol, Habanero, Serrano, and Jalapeño in my garden a few years back. I loved and had a blast watching them grow. Gave them to all the Mexicans at my work. But I did have to try the fresh peppers right from the garden, I asked myself who in the heck on this great earth would enjoy that in their food on a daily basis!!! I want flavor not scorching blisters. I made some hot mustard sauce for one Mexican and the entire family in the house were hacking away. He loved it. It took my breath away and just about made me lose it. There is nothing like growing THE hottest pepper in the world though, it was awesome
twilliams I have figured out that if it burns twice I leave it alone.
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I love hot. Not the burn your mouth and cant enjoy the flavor hot…just a good habanero or a little Carolina reaper. Wings like that I cant put down.
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Dr_Pain Just my .02 but keep that land!!! Also, looks like the Meatgistics crew has a final fallback place if everything goes mad max!
twilliams some people have a different level of tolerance for heat than the rest of us mortals. Someone once brought some reaper pepper jerky in and everyone was talking about how hot it was. I took a small bite and felt a small amount of heat. So, instead of thinking that the piece I got must have just not had much on it, I assumed I was one of the chosen few who was allowed to enjoy that level of heat and ate a large amount. Well, it was quickly made apparent that I was a lowly mortal, one of the unwashed masses like the ret of us. Man that hurt BADLY!
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