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As in the past, with about 200 exhibitors at the show, this little report can only be a sampling of all the exciting stuff we discovered. It is nothing short of incredible that in its 20th year, vendors and manufacturers alike are still coming up with new product and packaging ideas!
Tasty Trends
Every year we're asking ourselves if there's any particular trend in fiery-foods. Some hints already came along on our way to the show. Shortly before coming to Albuquerque, we stayed one night at the classy Westward Look Resort in Tucson, Arizona. For breakfast, Executive Chef Jamie West offered a creative Sonoran version of the Eggs Benedict classic, served with corn tortilla, chorizo and - chipotle hollandaise. Chipotle, as it turned out, was one of the major trends we spotted this time.
Of course there were the usual tonsil torture elixirs, brewed by "the usual suspects". But flavor reigned supreme at the 20th Fiery Foods & BBQ Show, and the famous mesquite-smoked Jalapeño pepper could be found in the most unimaginable foods - and drinks!
Chipotle Products
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 Under the "El Chipotle Hot Sauce" label, Texan Chipotle pioneer Sgt. Pepper introduced a whole new line of saues with the smoked chile - Balsamic Blackberry, Picante Pumpkin, Roasted Tomatillo and Chipotlec Smoked Tomato.
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Also from Texas and well-known for their tasty "Big Dawg Salsa"creations are Candy and Darrell - they had two bold new flavor combinations as well - Chipotle Pineapple Hot Sauce, and "Hot Apple" with green apples, Jalapeno, Habanero, chipotle and cinnamon. Those firemen know how to cook (so what else is new.) 
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 Spiced tea specialist Sunny's Holiday Foods introduced her "Chipotle Chai" instant tea mix. Tasty!
More drinkable chipotle came from our favorite Santa Fe confectioner, C. G. Higgins. Chuck poured us a spicy hot chocolate. His drink mix includes premium dark chocolate and an interesting mix of spices, including the famous smoked pod. I could eat that stuff straight out of the jar (I actually do).
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More Chai & Chipotle:
Intensity Academy's "Chai Chipotle Chup" is an all-natural organic chai tea-infused spicy ketchup.
More Choc & Chipotle:
2008 Scovies Grand Prize Winner Lillie Belle Farms presented their pricy but delish Chipotle Pepper Truffles. Hey, I don't smoke, so I bought myself two packs.
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Chipotle... endless possibilities! Who would have thought of a Chipotle Potatao Soup mix!? Well, Albuquerque-based Comida Loca did!
My Favorite New Mexican Foods from Carlsbad, NM offered their "Chimayo Citrus BBQ Sauce" - a product interestingly different from other barbecue sauces, combining orange marmalade with mustard and chipotle. Meanwhile we tried it at home with seafood - nice!
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More BBQ and chipotle:
Here's Dale Clark of Habby Too with his Chipotle BBQ Sauce. Dale combines a good dose of habaneros (3 pods per bottle) with chipotle - tasty enough to make him 1st
Place BBQ Sauce Scovie Winner in 2007.
Jill & Roger of Hula Girl make one of my favorite hot sauces, "Hula Girl Chipotle Habanero". Currently, the couple is moving from Hawaii to Dallas, can you believe it?!
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We spotted many more chipotle products, like California Chipotle Tequila Mumbo, C. G. Higgins' Chocolate Chipotle Raspberry Fudge, Captain Spongefoot's Cranberry-Chipotle Table Sauce. But I think you got the idea that the smoked chile is stronger than ever.
Other "Hot" Products
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Since her "Throwdown with Bobby Flay", everyone knows Cindy Reed Wilkins (Cin Chili & Company). The double Terlingua International Chili Champion now came forward with her own line of hot sauces, Cin Chili Hot Sauce, Cindy's Cin-Fully Hot Sauce and Cin Chili Hell's Passion
A newcomer was Bermuda Factory, Their "Easy Breeze" Honey Pepper Jam won 1st Place at the 2008 Scovies, Sweet Heat (Jams/Jellies) division.
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Interesting Packaging I:
Danny Cash's NOS (No Ordinary Sauce). The big canister is a metal tank with a quality paint job otherwise only found on fancy bikes or cars.
Interesting Packaging II:
Southwest Specialty Foods' "Ass Blaster" hot sauce, appropriately packaged in a wooden outhouse.
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Unusual Products I:
"JD's Get Your Foot Off My Neck Pickled Green Beans". Suggested for use in your Bloody Mary.
Unusual Products II:
Somehow current politics are always reflected on hot sauce labels. You be the judge...
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Nice job, both name & artwork.
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A hot sauce manufacturer's dream: a complete sauce cooker with agitation, pump, everything on a small footprint. Wish I'd had one of those babies when we made hot sauce in Florida in the late 90's. Randy Johnson from Materials Transportation Co. (Temple, TX) was kind enough to explain to me the "MTC Multi Cooker" in detail.
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Chile Pepper Gurus
Chileheads were lucky to find the United States' most famous chile pepper gurus at the same location.
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Here's Dr. Paul Bosland, director of the NMSU Chile Pepper Institute, of Guinness World Records fame, thanks to CPI's Bhut Jolokia research. How come that once you're famous, you're always surrounded by attractive ladies!?
Here's a "hot" idea for your next chile season: Get that strawberry pot out of your shed and plant some of CPI's nice ornamental peppers!
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Fans of the "Pope of Peppers" had a chance to get his latest book signed, "Cuisines of the Southwest - An Illustrated Food History with More Than 160 Regional Recipes."
I own about 25 of Dave's books, but I must say this is one of my favorites. If you like the Southwest and the food there, I highly recommend buying this book.
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Btw., you can order the book here.
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Name that Pig
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Woodfield's Patio and Hearth Co. from Albuquerque displayed this fancy barbie and had attendees suggest a name for it. Renate liked it much better than the big black monster in our backyard. She suggested "Big Pink Pig" as opposed to Big Green Egg).
Another good-looking pig we found at the show..
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Heads & Hats of the Southwest
As always, the afternoon hours of the Fiery-Foods & Barbecue Show were open to the public. For the big 20th, more than 15,000 heatseekers came to the show! No wonder most of the time the aisles looked like this:
Amazingly, the fans of the flames still found what they were looking for, and most of them left loaded with bags of hot stuff.
But it's not only the tasting and buying, but also showing off fiery fashion, including hilarious hats. Here's a sampling:
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Redhead Bill Milroy of Texas Rib Rangers with an unidentified mohawk mate.
Flaming Joe of "Flaming Joe's, Inc." Good looking hat, but not too handy while driving in your car.
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I wonder if the person he's talking to realizes what kind of hat the caller is wearing.
Always a plus when your shirt is matching your cap
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I think this is one of the best shots I ever took of Peppers' Chip Hearn.
Hot Shots' Dave Lutes didn't show off any head gear, but he sure had some creative T-shirts...
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Witness Danny Cash's Pepperman, ready to morph into his alter ego. He just didn't offer me enough money not to reveal his identity. ;-)
Author's favorite brew this at this year's show:
Sun Dog Amber Wheat.
Quite drinkable (limited by its floor price, though), nice microbrewery taste despite its giant manufacturer.
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That's All, Folks!
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Well, that's it. For now, anyway. More next year, at the 21st Annual National Fiery-Foods & Barbecue Show (February 27- March 1, 2009).
See ya! --Harald (with flaming Renate)
PS - Mary Jane reminded me that she, Dave and Margaret would like to thank their show sponsors: Budweiser, El Pinto, New Mexico Chile Company, and 94-Rock. They'd also like to thank Wayne Scheiner & Co. for handling the advertising and Shiroma Southwest for coordinating the public relations.
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