Meet the Makers: Dawson’s Hot Sauce
More and more people are getting to know the wonderous world of hot sauce, but most don’t know much about the creators of these delicious sauces. Who are those heroes behind the brands that spoil us with the best hot sauces? We are about to find out in our interview series ‘Meet the Makers’.
Dawson’s Hot Sauce
We ask our 10 questions to Brodie Dawson this time, President of Dawson’s Hot Sauce. This Canadian brand (Hamilton, Ontario to be precise) has been quite a big name in the hot sauce world, also thanks to the YouTube show Hot Ones. In season 5 and 13 their Original Hot Sauce and Shawarma Hot Sauce were part of the show. And those are just 2 of their 7 sauces you can find on Heatsupply. Because they are new to our webstore we would like to get to know them a bit better and that’s why we asked our 10 questions!
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- Brodie Dawson
When & what was your first hot sauce experience?
My very first experience of hot sauce was when I was very young. We were on a family trip somewhere in Mexico, and were getting food from a food truck/stand during a day trip. My brother, even after many warnings from the cooks, decided to eat their hottest sauce. I thought he was going to die. I’ve had a respect for hot sauce since then. As the younger brother, it was unusual to see him unravel like that and it stayed with me over the years..
What made you decide to start your own brand?
I was annoyed that hot sauce didn’t have variety or quality differences between regularly available brands. If you wanted salad dressing, there was 50 kinds. If you wanted hot sauce – it was only Franks or Tabasco! I was enjoying the sauces I made as a hobbyist and was really driven by making sauces that you couldn’t find anywhere. This was around the time hot sauce was beginning to blossom in the indie markets due to all this new creativity and passion.
How did you come up with the name of your brand?
I wanted to keep it in the family, so Dawson’s was always going to be it for me.
What is your favorite ingredient to work with?
I really love working with Habaneros. It’s one of the best tasting peppers, and it has a very mature heat scale. Not everyone can handle it, but if you can work on your tolerance, it’s a really nice pepper to live with daily.
What does your working space look like?
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We’re still doing a lot of renos, as we just moved into this place 6 months ago. We have the shop section, office area, kitchen in progress, and our warehouse for waxing, packing orders and storing stock. In the video above you can see us, Brodie and a co-worker try their hottest sauce, the XXX Ghost Pepper Mash. In the last few minutes of the video we got a tour of the new shop and warehouse, so check that out!
What is the ultimate highlight up until now?
We’ve had a lot of really great moments that last couple of years! For sure, I think moving into the new space and really ramping up has been the highlight. Getting our brick-and-mortar store with a kitchen space and warehousing is a dream come true. A few years ago it would be hard to imagine getting to this point.
What is your favorite hot sauce from another brand?
I’ve said this before and I will say it again: Queen Majesty Hot Sauce Red Habanero & Black Coffee. That sauce has been in my top 5 for years.
Do you have a favorite cultural hot sauce reference (in music or tv/film)?
As a kid, Dumb and Dumber had that classic bit with the chilies. ‘Have any mustard and ketchup?’
What is your favorite music for when you’re making/eating hot sauce?
Bloodmeat – Protest The Hero
Gb/ol h/nf – Oso Oso
Drop the Mike – Weatherbox
Sleepy Tea – Chon
Miss You – Born Ruffians
Name 1 food + (your own) hot sauce combination our followers just have to try.
Big Smoke Burgers are a summer must. Make your own patties at home and incorporate our Big Smoke Chipotle. The depth from the chipotle bring out a wonderful smokiness alongside a manageable heat.
We want to thank Brodie Dawson again for answering our questions and ofcourse for making incredibly tasty hot sauces! You can find all Dawson’s Hot Sauces right here. Also, if you want to read more stories behind the sauce makers you can check out all our ‘Meet the Makers’ interviews here!
What is the SHU of the Dawson’s XXX Ghost Pepper Mash? (I already bought it but I would like to know)
Hi Luuk,
The SHU score has not been measured by Dawson’s, but from experience we would estimate it somewhere around 400.000-500.000 SHU. Enjoy your sauce!