Interview

Inside the Brand Behind Hot Ones’ Hardest Hitting Sauces | Podcast Interview

How does an independent, small-batch spice company from Maryland break into the biggest hot sauce stage on the planet?

Watch on YouTubeBlack Eyed Susan Spice Co. Archive

Episode Chapters

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  1. Intro & The Hot Ones Emotional Milestone
  2. The Trivia Night Rivalry That Started It All
  3. Pirates & Petals: How Blackeyed Susan Got Its Name
  4. Organizing the Nevermore Hot Festival
  5. The Magic Formula? Getting Onto Hot Ones Twice
  6. Why the Hot Sauce Community has No Gatekeeping
  7. The Real Cost of Launching an Acidified Food Brand
  8. Tasting "Death by Chocolate" (Chocolate Habanero Flagship)
  9. Inside the Recipe of the Season 30 "Chick-fil-A" Sauce
  10. Barrel Aging & Pumpkin Blends: Limited Edition Releases
  11. Tasting "Edward Peach" (Blistering Fermented Peach Reaper)

Transcript Highlights

Key Searchable Excerpts

  • Did you know an Amish guy developed Jay's Peach Ghost Scorpion?
  • Fermented peach go uh Carolina Reaper pepper mash, um, dried apricots, ground ginger, garlic, and salt.
  • So, like, right, if you don't want to back fill with sugar, you have to add something else sweet to balance it.
  • It smells like very sweet.
  • Apple cider vinegar, apples, carrots, canned peaches, chocolate habanero mash, wonderful molasses, garlic, kosher salt, cocoa, spices, and natural smoke flavor.
  • It's It's pretty sweet, man.
  • I think that's why people like uh Tabasco on pizza so much.
  • And so I put the dried apricots in there because usually dried fruits are incredibly [snorts] sweet.

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YouTube Description

Episode Notes

How does an independent, small-batch spice company from Maryland break into the biggest hot sauce stage on the planet? In this episode of the Fire & Flavor Podcast, we sit down with one of the founders of Black Eyed Susan Spice Co. to find out exactly how they cracked the Hot Ones lineup for both Season 24 (with Red Flag) and Season 30 (with Chickpotle). We pull back the curtain on their "flavor first, no gimmicks" philosophy, look at how they balance intense creativity with brutal heat, and dig into what it takes to scale a brand while keeping it completely handmade. Plus, we do a live tasting of their extreme, 11+/10 heat monster: Edward Peach. If you are a hot sauce fanatic, an aspiring maker, or a fan of the show, this behind-the-scenes masterclass is for you. 00:00 - Intro & The Hot Ones Emotional Milestone 01:08 - The Trivia Night Rivalry That Started It All 05:18 - Pirates & Petals: How Blackeyed Susan Got Its Name 07:55 - Organizing the Nevermore Hot Festival 11:05 - The Magic Formula? Getting Onto Hot Ones Twice 17:06 - Why the Hot Sauce Community has No Gatekeeping 27:48 - The Real Cost of Launching an Acidified Food Brand 31:03 - Tasting "Death by Chocolate" (Chocolate Habanero Flagship) 43:05 - Inside the Recipe of the Season 30 "Chick-fil-A" Sauce 51:59 - Barrel Aging & Pumpkin Blends: Limited Edition Releases 01:01:17 - Tasting "Edward Peach" (Blistering Fermented Peach Reaper) IG 📸: blackeyedspices Web 🌐: https://www.blackeyedspices.com/ ---- Follow on IG 📸: fire.and.flavor 🔥 If you love hot sauce then subscribe & turn up the heat! 🔥 Available on all major streaming platforms! 🎧 #hotsauce #spicy #foodie #hotsaucelover