It’s National Hot Sauce Day And Here Are Some Great NJ Hot Sauce Shops

Whoopie! It's National Hot Sauce Day! The day when we honor the most beloved and feared condiment in the world! Let's show the love locally with some great New Jersey Hot Sauce Shops!

According to Wikipedia, Humans have used chili peppers and other hot spices for thousands of years. Inhabitants of Mexico, Central America and South America had chili peppers more than 6,000 years ago. Meanwhile, today hundreds of countries have their own variations of hot sauces, using peppers native to their soil, as well as local ingredients. Furthermore, because of their ratings on the Scoville Scale, spicier peppers such as the Ghost Peppers, Scotch Bonnet, and Habanero, are sometimes used to make hotter sauces. Alternatively, other ingredients can be used to add extra heat, such as pure capsaicin extract or mustard oil. Other common sauce ingredients include vinegar and spices. Vinegar is used primarily as a natural preservative, but flavored vinegar can be used to alter the flavor of the sauce

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Meanwhile, you may remember last January I gave you a list of some great local hot sauces in NJ

Well, this year we are going to highlight some fine New Jersey Hot Sauce Shops. Now some of these places make their own stuff, while others just like to find the best sauce from around the globe and sell it either in their brick and mortar shops, or at their E Commerce empires. Usually you can find either at a local farmers market in your neck of the woods come Springtime.

Personally, I've always be partial to going somewhere where I can taste the goods, so to speak. In my humble opinion, hot sauce is not something that should be purchased sight unseen, or tasted, in this case. Online sales are quick and easy, but can be costly and wasteful as well. Besides, there are few greater joys in life than going into a hot sauce shop filled with dozens of different sauces to sample. It's the absolute best way to find your favorite! Plus, these days most hot sauce shops have an e commerce store as well.

Keep that in mind when you visit some of these spicy New Jersey Hot Sauce shops.

This Jersey Shore shop is so much more than hot sauces. From salsas, to spreads. BBQ sauces to bruschetta. Spice It Up seems to have something for everyone. Including a full service deli. https://spiceituplbi.com/collections

Yes, I know they are a chain. Yes, I know they mostly only sell their proprietary sauces. Hey man, the stuff is damn good, and they have a ton of variations! Plus, they have jerky too!! By the way - In honor of National Hot Sauce Day, PP has free shipping on online orders today and tomorrow only. https://pepperpalace.com/

Even though this is technically over the border in Pennsylvania, I consider this short walk across the Lambertville bridge one of New Jersey's finest Hot Sauce joints. An oldie but a goodie, Suzie's been burnin' tongues since 1994. They have moved around town a bit over the years, but their friendly service, knowledge and array of sauces is still top notch. Plus, like any hot sauce store worth it's heat, you can try whatever you like! https://www.suzieshotshoppe.com/

This seasonal establishment should open again in the Spring for all of the South Jersey Chili Heads. I went a couple of years back and they had a sauce there I hadn't been able to find for years. FYI their website says their online store is temporarily closed.

Look for these original recipe Ocean County based sauciteers to be at many Spring Summer and Fall festivals and markets this year. Check their event calendar here.