Johnny Cash Enjoyed His Family Hot Sauce On Homemade Chili

Some like it hot, and Johnny Cash was definitely among those who liked to douse his food with a little heat-inducing sauce. For the "Ring of Fire" artist, hot sauce was not just another condiment lost among others, but a way of life. In 2018, music producer John Carter Cash, Johnny and June Cash's son, published a collection of his dad and mom's favorite dishes in "The Cash and Carter Family Cookbook." While Johnny Cash was known to dump ketchup on his scrambled eggs, the recipes reveal he liked to add his homemade hot sauce to some of his favorite meals, including his signature Iron-Pot chili.

Cash's chili recipe is pretty ubiquitous. It calls for heating up oil and then adding chopped sirloin steak, a packet of chili seasoning, as well as spices and herbs, tomatoes and tomato paste, beans, jalapeños, and seasonings. According to the Cash family cookbook, it is served with sour cream, shredded cheese, sweet onions, and the crowning glory: Hot sauce. Homemade Jamaican Scotch Bonnet hot sauce was a staple in the Cash household. Made from Scotch bonnet or habanero peppers, along with onions, garlic, apple cider vinegar, a little sugar, and fermented to perfection, this sauce packed a nice kick. 

Scotch Bonnet peppers measure between 100,000 and 350,000 Scoville Heat Units. That's really, really hot. For comparison, jalapenos range from 2,500 – 8,000 Scoville Heat Units. If you decide to try your hand at making Johnny Cash's Jamaican Scotch Bonnet hot sauce, John Carter warns that you want to be extra careful in handling the peppers. The oils can cause some real chili burn and discomfort. It is highly recommended that you use kitchen gloves and goggles when cutting into and working with them. 

What other dishes can you use it on? John Carter suggests using the Jamaican Scotch Bonnet hot sauce on Johnny's pinto beans and ham hocks, a Depression-era favorite childhood dish for his dad. Cash would also add a dollop of this heat-inducing sauce to his Cinnamon Hill Jamaican peas and rice, peas in this case being red kidney beans. But don't feel restricted to how you use it. Add it to some guacamole, delicious hummus, or cheesy hash brown casserole. But remember, this sauce is really hot, so start with a conservative amount and have a glass of milk on hand.