Back after a long hiatus, and with another culinary experiment.

The following was inspired by watching one too many “hot challenges” on  Man vs. Food while trying to think of a way to liven up our Sunday night grilled burgers. What I came up with was a little condiment that Josh and I nicknamed “hellish.”

Truth be told: Josh is more a fan of the idea of this topping than the condiment itself. He taste-tested some off of the tip of a teaspoon, and this hellish relish definitely exceeds his Scoville limit.

3/4 cup diced pickled jalapenos
7 oz. can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, diced
1/2 teaspoon (more or less to taste) of intense pepper sauce

First things first: you are going to be heating up hot peppers, so if you are super-sensitive to  capsaicin (and if you are, why on earth are you making this stuff!) make sure you have a hood vent going, and try to avoid getting vapors in your eyes or up your nose.

Now, on to the cooking: Heat a small frying pan over a medium flame. Place the diced, pickled jalapenos in the dry, hot frying pan and saute for about two minutes. Next, add the diced chipotle peppers, plus the adobo sauce from the can. Simmer for another two or three minutes until the mixture starts to thicken. Shut off the heat and add your “intense” pepper sauce. Whatever you have in the house will work, but I would recommend something with a little habanero kick to it. I’ve had a bottle of Dave’s Insanity Sauce in my fridge for a while now–a little does indeed go a long way. The extra heat and the sharper bite of the sauce is a nice counterpoint to the smoky chipotle and the vinegary pickled jalapenos.

After adding in the pepper sauce, let the mixture cool to room temperature. Transfer to a plastic, non-staining container, and you are ready for some tasty heat.

This is a hot topping no doubt, but not so hot that it kills your palate. I could see “hellish” spicing up a number of dishes, but I think its original destination is probably the best–as a topping on burgers. I ladled out a nice, heaping teaspoon (or two) on top of a double-stacked Monterey Jack cheeseburger, and it was pretty awesome. I hope you’ll agree!