National Fiery Foods & BBQ Show
Albuquerque, New Mexico · Late February – Early March
The granddaddy of US spicy food events, held annually at the Sandia Resort & Casino in Albuquerque. Three days, 300+ exhibitors, and the Scovie Awards — the Oscars of the hot sauce world.
Official website ↗Why it matters
If the hot sauce world has a capital city, it's Albuquerque in late February. The Fiery Foods Show is where the industry gathers — sauce makers, grill masters, chile farmers, and thousands of food-obsessed attendees who make the pilgrimage specifically for this. The Scovie Awards ceremony is a genuine highlight: watching indie sauce makers win alongside established brands is the kind of thing that reminds you this scene is alive and growing. New Mexico's own chile culture wraps the whole event in local context — don't leave without something Hatch-adjacent.
What to expect
- —300+ exhibitors spanning hot sauces, BBQ, chiles, and spicy snacks
- —Scovie Awards ceremony — the most prestigious prizes in spicy food
- —Sampling-first culture: everything on the floor is open for tasting
- —Cooking competitions and live pitmaster demonstrations
- —New Mexico chile products unavailable anywhere else nationally
Best for
Industry insiders, serious collectors, and anyone who wants to understand the full breadth of the US spicy food market in a single weekend.
What to pack
Shop before you go.
Three days on a show floor is a workout. Comfortable shoes, a cooler for purchases, and a strategy for the Scovie winners table will serve you better than arriving unprepared and overwhelmed.
Smoky shortcut
Chipotle Peppers in Adobo
The pantry move for smoky mayo, burger sauce, taco braises, and chili that tastes like you actually thought ahead.
View on Amazon ↗Bright finisher
Tajin Clasico
Citrusy chile seasoning for fruit, grilled corn, rims, cucumbers, and the kind of summer snacks that disappear fast.
View on Amazon ↗Most-poured bottle
Cholula Original Hot Sauce
The best-selling Mexican hot sauce in the US — mild enough for any table, bright enough for eggs, tacos, pizza, and cocktails. The bottle most people already trust.
View on Amazon ↗Never overcook it
Instant-Read Meat Thermometer
The low-drama upgrade for grilled chicken, roast salmon, burgers, steaks, and serious meal prep.
View on Amazon ↗Shelf builder
Hot Ones Lineup Collection
The easiest way to stack a tasting flight of credible sauces without hunting down makers one by one.
View on Amazon ↗Can't make it?
Try the sauces at home.
These are the sauce profiles you'll encounter on the Fiery Foods Show floor — shop them now and arrive with your palate already calibrated.
Yellowbird Habanero Hot Sauce Review
A bright, carrot-forward bottle with enough heat to stay lively and enough sweetness to stay versatile.
Best for tacos
Best for: Tacos and rice bowls
Skip if: Skip if you want a classic vinegar-forward table sauce with almost no sweetness.
Read review
Torchbearer Garlic Reaper Review
An extremely hot garlic-forward sauce that somehow keeps real flavor structure under all that reaper pressure.
Best for wings
Best for: Pizza and fried chicken
Skip if: Skip if the table is heat-shy or you mainly want an easy everyday pour.
Read review
Queen Majesty Scotch Bonnet and Ginger Review
A bright, elegant sauce that leans on fruit, ginger, and Scotch bonnet lift instead of brute force.
Best for seafood
Best for: Seafood and fish tacos
Skip if: Skip if you want a thick, smoky wing sauce more than a bright finishing bottle.
Read review
Fly By Jing Sichuan Gold Review
A citrusy, tingly sauce with real peppercorn presence and enough versatility to move beyond dumplings.
Best for dumplings
Best for: Eggs and breakfast tacos
Skip if: Skip if you want a thick, smoky wing sauce more than a bright finishing bottle.
Read review
Cook the cuisine
Recipes that match the festival flavor.
The best way to prepare for a hot sauce festival is to already be cooking with these flavors at home.
mexican · inferno
Apr 18, 2026Camarones en Salsa del Diablo - Devil's Sauce Shrimp
Sweet, plump shrimp swimming in a seriously fiery Mexican chile sauce that brings together 7-pot peppers, charred tomatoes, and smoky chipotles. This coastal Veracruz recipe doesn't mess around with the heat, but it keeps the beautiful briny sweetness of the seafood front and center. 60 min · 0 saves.
mexican · hot
Apr 17, 2026Torta de Chorizo con Salsa de Habanero
A generous Mexican chorizo sandwich layered with crispy spiced pork, charred onions, and a molcajete-ground habanero salsa that brings serious heat to every bite. 45 min · 0 saves.
american · reaper
Apr 16, 2026Carolina Reaper Blackened Shrimp with Cooling Buttermilk Drizzle
Plump shrimp get dressed in a bold spice blend laced with Carolina Reaper powder, then seared until beautifully charred and juicy. A tangy buttermilk sauce offers sweet relief from the intense heat. 28 min · 0 saves.