Though cayenne pepper sauces are not necessarily a big deal in Southern cookin’ at these latitudes, still, to many people they’re an essential item. The fancier grocery stores such as Whole Foods have some of the boutique brands. But even country grocery stores have three or more brands to choose from.
Tabasco, in my opinion, is not the best. It’s thin, very hot, and doesn’t have much taste. There’s a local brand, Texas Pete, which I wish I liked because it’s local, but I don’t. Texas Pete also is too thin and tasteless, and it even has preservatives in it, something for which there is no excuse. My favorite brand, by far, is way cheaper than Tabasco. It’s Louisiana brand. It’s a little thicker and redder than most pepper sauces, and it has a nice flavor with no ingredients other than the basics: peppers, vinegar, and salt.
When the building project is done and I have time to focus on gardening and preserving, I hope to experiment with putting up my own pepper sauces.