Posted on 12/27/2013 9:07:41 AM PST by JoeProBono
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the hottest peppers in the world are the Carolina Reaper peppers grown in South Carolina by Ed Currie of PuckerButt Pepper Co.
Currie spent more than four years working with students at Winthrop University to alter a sweet hot pepper from the Caribbean and give it more zip. During tests at Winthrop, the Reaper averaged just shy of 1.6 million Scoville Heat Units. To put that in perspective, a standard jalapeno pepper registers around 5,000 on the Scoville scale.
The previous record holder, the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion pepper, was measured by New Mexico State University's Chile Pepper Institute with a mean of more than 1.2 million Scoville Heat Units.
Those are just the averages…
The hottest batch of Currie's peppers, code named HP22B -- Higher Power, Pot No. 22, Plant B -- clocked in at 2.2 million on the Scoville scale.
Currie sells Carolina Reaper seeds and hot sauces on the PuckerButt Pepper website. With names like “I Dare You Stupit” and “Purgatory,” Currie makes it fairly obvious he isn’t kidding about the heat.
This warning also helps to clarify that it might be wise to think twice before trying one of these sauces at home:
“After touching or handling hot peppers always remember to wash your hands with a product containing acidity such as lime or lemon juice. Some of our peppers are smokin’ hot and if not properly handled will temporarily damage skin tissue. When sharing your hot peppers with others, please let them know to use with caution.”
funny. I did the exact thing to a tub of chilli I made for or neighborhood summer party. in 2012, I made a pot with a few Habanero peppers and we had a few knuckleheads acted like it was mild. A half a bottle of this stuff mixed in this time sent them running for the ice cream.
Some years ago, I roomed with two brothers from Saipan. They had a hot sauce that an uncle sent to them; it was basically ground chiles and garlic. They would put a good-sized spoonful into a bowl of food. I tried it once, and the smallest amount I could put onto one tine of a fork burned my mouth out for about half an hour. I’m talking less than a pinhead. I don’t know what pepper it was, nor do I want to.
And I consider chiltepin to be about right, though habanero is a bit too spicy for me.
I’m from WV. Grew up meat and potatoes.
When SHTF and you are eating possum and such you are going to want this stuff.
Get back in the kitchen and make me some Pepper Jelly! :)
LOL!!! I actually planned to fire up the canner today - except I got hit with whatever plague is going round.
OK. You can have the day off. But, just THIS day! Then, back to the kitchen! :)
I wear all that crap just for processing the seeds...
Weisenheimer!
Whatever this thing is, it’s bad, but over pretty quick. When the local bar isn’t opening because the bartender is down with it, you know it’s bad............
I rarely got so much as a cold, but this bug was n-a-s-t-y. Haven’t barfed in fifteen years (side effect of medication before surgery), but that streak is OVER.
I didn’t get the barfing (thank goodness) but have the elephant on the chest and head, and the chills and sweats (done with them) and the overall achey BLAH feeling.
Hope you’re feeling better.
“As it is, I’ve subjected myself to plenty of discomfort simply by using store-bought habaneros.”
Last year my kids humiliated themselves at a hot chicken place by ordering the insane ghost pepper chicken fingers.
The cook, waitress, and myself tried to talk them out of it.
The pain, tears and humiliation within 3 minutes of receiving the food was priceless and knocked them off their braggadocios posture of eating the hottest foods.
OMG. Those are the hottest dang wings I’ve ever eaten. Good but hot!
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