Josh’s Favorite Hot Sauce

Welcome to Mythical Kitchen Picks, the series in which the culinary experts from Mythical Kitchen tell you all about their favorite foods and ingredients. Last week, Vianai Austin gave us the scoop on the chili crisp she keeps on her person at all times—you know, just in case. This week, we’re keeping on theme with another hot recc. This time, it’s from the Mythical Chef himself, Josh Scherer. Though he’s an equal opportunity hot sauce lover, there’s one hot sauce he prizes above all others. Read on to find out which hot sauce he thinks is the platonic ideal of hot sauces. 

Josh’s Pick: Arizona Gunslinger Jalapeno Hot Sauce

josh scherer favorite hot sauce
Credit: Liv Averett / Ralphs

I firmly believe that there is a time and place for every hot sauce. From the cheapest one-dollar store-brand vinegar bombs, to those bougie smoked blueberry chipotle joints, to the ASS BLASTER 3000 fire bombs of the world, every single hot sauce is perfectly valid, and a version of most genres currently exists in my fridge (yes, hot sauce goes in the fridge, not the pantry). But! There is one bottle of hot sauce that I notice gets drained and restocked faster than all the others, and that is Arizona Gunslinger Jalapeno. It is the perfect combination of heat, acid, salt, and robust jalapeno flavor, but where Gunslinger really separates itself from the rest of the pack is its consistency. Like Tabasco, Gunslinger only has three ingredients—vinegar, salt, and chili peppers—but unlike Tabasco, Gunslinger leaves the pepper pulp in the sauce which gives it this beautiful and wholesome texture. It coats the palate like a buttery Chardonnay, except it tastes way better when poured onto a burrito than Chardonnay does. 

Buy at Ralphs


About the Author

Sporked Staff

The Sporked Staff tastes everything and anything. They are obsessive about groceries and finding the best of any type of food or drink, from frozen fried shrimp to Dijon mustard to gummy candy. And they're always on a hunt for the best new products. When they aren't eating professionally, they're eating recreationally. And often they're browsing grocery store aisles, just for fun.