Review and Giveaway: Big Daddy's Hot Sauces...Featuring Buffalo Chicken Puff Pastry Turnovers

I’m excited to share another great Texas-based food company with you today…Big Daddy’s Hot Sauces, direct from Houston! Big Daddy’s was started by husband and wife team Trevi and Becky Biles in their home kitchen in 2001. Their goal was to create hot sauces that provided heat…but also provided great flavor! Their sauces all include Houston-based microbrewery St. Arnold’s Lawnmower Beer, which gives the sauces a really unique depth of flavor! My brother Kyle is friends with Trevi, and he recently introduced us. If you like your food on the spicy side like we do? You’ll love these spicy hot sauces! Big Daddy’s recently sent me a bottle of each of their delicious sauces to try out and share my thoughts with you.

(1) Ass Burn: The original, made with cayenne peppers. This award-winning sauce features a medium spice level, and it’s a perfect all-around hot sauce. Wait until you see the recipe I created using this delicious sauce. This is the perfect heat level for me. (2) Flaming Lips: Named after the band of the same name, this sweet-hot sauce is made with pineapple, habanero, and ginger. We tried this one on crackers topped with cream cheese. It’s spicy, but not overly so…I loved the how the pineapple complemented the fruity habanero notes. The cream cheese tamed it just enough for me. Good stuff! (3) High On Fire: This is the most intense of the sauces, made with habanero and chile de arbol. This sauce is H-O-T…if you like your hot sauce with an emphasis on the heat, this is the perfect sauce for you! This one burned my lips…in a good way. A little goes a long way, but a couple of drops would be fabulous in a big bowl of gumbo! (4) Amplified Heat: A the other end of the spectrum, this is the mildest of the sauces, made with pecan-smoked jalapenos. This one has a smoky chipotle flavor and was perfect on breakfast tacos! It provided heat without overpowering the rest of the components in the tacos. (5) Orange Show Fire Blossom Special BBQ Sauce: This amped-up BBQ sauce is made with habanero, honey, and brown sugar. It starts out sweet, but then it has a kick! We tasted this sauce and decided that it’s earmarked to make fabulous wings and baby back ribs the next time we grill.

After trying out all of the hot sauces in my kitchen, I decided to use one of them to create a featured recipe. After some experimentation, I ultimately decided to use the original Big Daddy's Ass Burn to create a fun riff on Buffalo Wings. I made Buffalo Chicken Puff Pastry Turnovers…which feature all of your favorite wing flavors in one “handy” little pocket. They’re a snap to make, and they are delicious served with celery sticks and Ranch for dipping. Even better, they’re ready for the oven in about 15 minutes if you used store-bought roasted deli chicken. You won't believe how easy these spicy turnovers are to whip up for a quick dinner or snack...or how much flavor they have packed inside. Come check it out!

Buffalo Chicken Puff Pastry Turnovers

a Weekend Gourmet Original

Step 1: Preheat oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil – I’m thinking parchment would work best. Cut one sheet of thawed puff pastry into four squares. Spread 1 tbs. softened cream cheese evenly on each square. Then sprinkle with 1-2 tbs. of crumbled gorgonzola cheese.

Thinly slice two green onions and divide evenly among the four squares.

Step 2: Combine 1 cup shredded chicken breast and ½ cup of Big Daddy’s Ass Burn in a bowl until evenly combined. Place ¼ cup of the chicken mixture on each square, toward the top half corner. Fold the squares over at the corners, into a triangle. You may have to stuff the ingredients in as you go, so go slow and careful.

Step 3: Use a fork to seal the edges of each turnover. Use a sharp knife to cut two small slits in the top of each turnover. Sprinkle with garlic salt and onion powder, then bake for 15 minutes…until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

These turnovers are SO GOOD…spicy, but not in-your-face hot! The celery and ranch dipping sauce cool things off just enough, and the flavors are spot on if you enjoy buffalo wings with blue cheese sauce. I made them full size for our dinner, but you could easily make them bite-sized and serve as a fabulous appetizer. I can see myself making these again and again…

If you’d like to try this recipe for yourself, my friends at Big Daddy’s Hot Sauce will make it easy. One of you is going to win your choice of TWO of their hot sauces! You can have up to three entries, but make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry. For one entry, visit the Big Daddy’s website and then tell me which two of their award-winning sauces you’re most excited to try. For a second entry, Like Big Daddy’s on Facebook. Finally, for a third entry, Follow Big Daddy’s on Twitter. Good luck…I’ll accept entries until 1159 p.m. this Saturday (3/9), and the winner will be notified via on Sunday...so don't forget to include your e-mail address so I can find you!