A pizza the action Images by Matt Jelonak
In the United States, the McIlhenny family, of Avery Island, Louisiana, were one of the first to commercially produce hot “pepper” sauce. Their famous Tabasco brand is still produced today to essentially the same recipe Edmund McIlhenny invented in 1868 (the McIlhennys have branched out with multiple variants - including a Tabasco ‘Sriracha’ - and their sauce is sold in 180 countries). In the early 1990s boutique chilli sauce /... continued p36
Paul Martanovic’s decision to give a bottle of his home-made chilli sauce to a pizza delivery driver proved a life-changer. The driver took it back to Stones Pizza in North Perth - and shortly after owner and chef Brandon Farrell got in touch, wanting to use the sauce on his “pizza of the week” and also to sell the sauce in his shop. The rest, as they say, is history and now longtime chilli head Paul - as well as being a stay-at-home dad to daughter Ruby (15 months) - has a busy life making six varieties of “Dr Paul’s” hot sauces, variously made from jalapeños, habaneros, bhut jolokia and Trinidad scorpion chillies. “There’s Dr Paul’s mild jalapeño and coriander relish, Dr Paul’s Steak Sauce is a mustard and habanero spread, Dr Paul’s Smoked Habanero BBQ Sauce is made with habaneros I have smoked myself and Death by Garlic is a sauce made with LOTS of oven-roasted garlic,” says Paul. He has an enthusiastic clientele base at various markets around town, plus stockists such as speciality shops like Leederville’s International Beer Store and, of course, Stones Pizza where it all began. And as to whether he’s thought of joining the race to create ultra-hot sauces, or even go for the Guinness World Record for the hottest sauce on the planet… “I do make some really hot sauces but I concentrate on making sauces you can actually enjoy. All of my sauces have loads of flavour and depth as well as good kick in the throat,” says Paul. •• For more information, visit drpaulshotsauce.com
Roll out the barrel Images by Matt Jelonak
T
he addictive combination of succulent oysters topped with Tabasco sauce got Yokine chef Craig Creed thinking…why not do my own take on this? And so he did. A decade on, Craig’s Firehorse sauce is carving a healthy niche in WA, strongly associated with the oyster scene here thanks to the promotional work of oyster shucking king Jerry Fraser, but also becoming the hot sauce of choice for many of Perth’s top bartenders for use in their Bloody Mary cocktails. Plus, chilli sauce fans throughout the state have picked up on the Firehorse vibe. “I used to shake Tabasco on superfresh oysters and I loved the complexity of the whole oyster-hot sauce experience,” says Craig. “It was the ageing of chillies in oak that got my attention and so the hot sauce quest began.” Firehorse’s biggest point of difference is ageing the chillies in oak barrels. “The closest comparable style of sauce would be Tabasco,” says Craig. “The chillies in Firehorse spend around four years ageing in American white oak barrels before being turned into hot sauce. That makes it unique for an Australian chilli/hot sauce.” Craig chose “Firehorse”, which is /... continued p36 february 15 | PRIMOLIFE
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