Alright, so that title may be a bit far reaching, as I haven’t had the opportunity in my life to sample even a small smattering of the many varieties of hot sauce available around the world. But this here is a story of what I can honestly say is hands down the best hot sauce I have tried so far in my life.
Firstly, I should say that I didn’t even really like hot sauce until the summer of 2009 when I worked at a summer camp where the food was less than delicious and required copious amounts of additional flavoring to remain palatable week after week. That is where the story of the world’s best hot sauce begins, in fact. Or at least, where I developed an unflinching dedication to it.
Shortly before the first week of summer camp, I spent a day working out at our family friends’ farm in Carnation, Washington. I weeded and picked and planted until my nails were dirty and my back was sore. Not only did I get lunch out of the deal, but a great deal of vegetables and a 12 pack of hot sauce from the previous season that they could no longer sell. At the time, I was not a hot sauce person, but I took it all and headed down south to the camp on the Puget Sound. I passed a couple bottles out upon arrival, since I had no idea what on earth to do with a dozen bottles of chunky green chile sauce. Sometime in the first week, I brought a bottle up to the staff table and there it sat, unwanted in favor of the Tabasco sauce provided by the kitchen. I’ve been known to use Tabasco in moderation, though I much prefer the smoked chipotle variation. I’m averse to heat for heat’s sake and loved the smokey depth the chipotle sauce offered. At camp however, there was only normal Tabasco and it went fast. Halfway through the second week of camp the bottle was empty.
I came up to breakfast one morning and, needing something more than pepper for my eggs, reached for the unlabeled green bottle I’d brought up a week before. It slid out, chunky and a shade of green normally reserved for pea-soup and retro carpeting. It was not the most appetizing, to say the least.
One bite, however, and it was clear I had discovered hot sauce nirvana. I immediately proclaimed to the entire table, all of whom had been reluctant to try it first, that this was indeed the best hot sauce ever and that I would take it over Tabasco any day of the week. Well, that caused something of a stir and everyone had to try it. We reached a unanimous conclusion: This was, in fact, the World’s Best Hot Sauce.
Now it was going on everything, and we went through one 5 oz bottle every week and a half. Pizza night meant mixing the sauce with ranch dressing for dipping in. It went in eggs and on sandwiches. Hashbrowns got jazzed up with ketchup and green sauce, and pasta and red sauce got a kick from a dash mixed in. Before the summer was over, I had to make a trip up to Carnation to float the river with some friends (their farm is on the West Fork of the Snoqualmie river) and pick up another box of hot sauce (and potatoes, Walla Walla sweet onions, beets and leeks). We kept two bottles on the table and I carried a bottle in my bag in case I found myself immediately in need of sauce.
This particular green chile sauce is made from a variety of chili peppers, picked while they are still green and thus, at their hottest. The only other ingredients are garlic and vinegar. It must be something about the freshness of the peppers or just the balance of ingredients, but this sauce adds depth to any dish in ways the vast majority of sauces just can’t. Like chipotle Tabasco, there is a sweetness mingled with the heat, but the green sauce is more adaptable than the smokiness of the Tabasco. The light flavor lends itself particularly well to fish dishes, where the smokey chipotle or regular red Tabasco would overwhelm a delicate fish flavor. It’s a great complement to guacamole and preserves its color, unlike a red sauce. And, like I mentioned, it can be used in a large variety of cuisines, it’s not restricted to Mexican fare. The ranch and sauce mix went on pizza, as well as sandwiches, and as a dipping sauce for fresh veggies. Lacking red pepper flakes, it provided a nice warmth when added to pasta sauce that was otherwise lacking in depth. By the end of the summer, it had been used on probably every dish camp served other than dessert. That’s how delicious it is.
Now, I bet at this point you might be thinking “where can I get me some of this sauce, I just have to try it!” Well, you’re in luck, because they sell it online! The farm is called Changing Seasons Farm and the website is here. They also make their own red chili sauce and Worcestershire sauce available for purchase. I recommend both of these as well, if only to support small farms trying to make a difference. And, if you happen to be in the area, during season, they can be found at farmers’ markets in the area, though I don’t remember which at the moment. However, there is a contact form on their page if you want to find out.

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