Our well-used bottle of Trappey’s pepper sauce and the Cajun Chef which replaces it.
After we cooked up our batch of Southern-style collard greens the other day, we needed some pepper sauce to douse them with. We’re not talking Tabasco, or Frank’s Red Hot, or one of the many niche sauces that are everywhere today. In Texas and across the south, “pepper sauce” can only mean one thing: small, spicy green peppers that have spent a long time soaking in vinegar which is now flavored and ready to lubricate your foods.
A relentless survey of local supermarkets and gourmet boutiques established this product is unavailable in our corner of Upstate New York. There are many jars of peppers in vinegar, in respect to our strong Italian-American/red sauce tradition, and pouring out the liquid in those might work ok, but out of respect to our Benton’s ham juice we wanted the real deal. We’d settle for Trappey’s, the defacto brand that costs less than $2 for a little jar down south. But what we really wanted was Cajun Chef, the brand used at the dearly missed Highland Park Cafeteria.
Looks like we bought our last batch of Cajun Chef products from a company that is now out of business, possibly because they didn’t charge enough for shipping…
Are you ready to make your own pepper sauce at home? This recipe is probably closest to what we grew up with: peppers (artfully arranged in a shaker jar, since you know better than to try and pry them out), salt and vinegar. This one is a little fast and loose with the ingredients (garlic? sugar? rice vinegar??) but there are some good ideas in the comments. It does take a while for the peppers to release their flavor into the vinegar, so get started now while there are still good fresh peppers in the farmers markets.
I haven’t seen the Trappeys version, or any others, in years. A reviewer “doesn’t realize this is sauce and thinks you are supposed to eat the peppers”. I had the same problem! I assume you reloaded the Trappeys bottle with vinegar over the years, those peppers are almost white.
BTW you finally convinced me to buy a Bentons ham this fall. The ham sounds good, the skin sounds better.
My bottle of Trappey’s is probably on a third refill which is too many. My new rule, assuming I have availability of a fresh supply, is “one and done”; refill one time only.
Glad you are going to try the Benton ham. I predict you will be happy with your purchase!
As an Arkansan, I love Cajun chef Tabasco peppers. I put this hot pepper sauce on everything and I hate to admit it. I do sometimes shake the jar to get some peppers loose and I’ll eat one or two.
I remember when the peppers wouldn’t come out. At least not very easily.
It’s a daily struggle.