Serves 2 to 4
Serving size: 8 peppers
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 8 ounces whole fresh Shishito peppers, rinsed
• 2 tablespoons Karma Sauce®
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted

The post Grilled Karma Shishito Peppers appeared first on Karma Sauce .

Serves 4-6
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 4 -24 hours

Ingredients

1 3-4 pound chicken, cut into pieces for frying
1 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp Instant Karma
4 tbsp Cherry Bomb Hot Sauce
1 & 1/2 Cups flour for dredging
1 tsp table salt
Sliced pickles for garnish
Corn oil for frying ~ 1 quart or more

Preparation

Combine buttermilk and Instant Karma in a bowl large enough to hold the chicken pieces.

Toss chicken in the buttermilk mixture and let it rest in refrigerator for 4- 24 hours. Turn the chicken in the bowl at least twice while it rests.

Combine flour and salt in a shallow bowl.

Heat oil in a deep fryer or dutch oven to 350 F (the oil should be 1 /1/2 to 2 inches deep before adding the chicken).

One at a time, shake buttermilk from chicken, dredge chicken in flour mixture, shake again and gently place chicken in hot oil. Be careful not to crowd chicken.

Fry chicken for 20 minutes, flipping at least once. Check the internal temperature to make sure it is 160 F or higher. If desired, hold finished pieces in a 200 F oven until all the chicken is finished frying.

Combine the Cherry Bomb with 2 tablespoons of the fryer oil and brush on the fried chicken.

Serve with pickle slices.

The post Cherry Bomb Chicken appeared first on Karma Sauce .

TITLE: ​Production Assistant

SUPERVISOR:​ Production Specialist

SUPERVISES:​ No Direct Reports

GENERAL:​ The Karma Sauce Company is dedicated to crafting healthy, natural hot sauces and condiments using locally sourced and farm grown ingredients. Based in New York’s Finger Lakes, The Company specializes in growing, processing, and bottling vegetable ingredients for craft condiments and hot sauces (Karma Sauce®) using ethical growing and labor practices and batch manufacturing methods.

SUMMARY OF RESPONSIBILITIES:​ The Production Assistant will assist The Company’s Production team in the processing, manufacturing, and shipping of Karma Sauce® products.

SPECIFIC DUTIES:

• Adhere to all kitchen safety standards and process control best practices for acidified foods
  
• Assist in the preparation and processing of raw vegetable and other natural ingredients based on
  scheduled processes, as well as written and verbal instructions
• Hand-process hot and super hot peppers as needed, including rinsing, mashing, and storing
  
• Assist in the filling and bottling processes
  
• Assist in evaluating flavor and texture quality: products include mild to extremely hot sauces
  
• Assist in product finishing such as applying and heating tamper-proof bands, date coding, and
  applying product labels
• Assist in the cooling and storing of finished cases
  
• As needed, assemble and prepare retail and wholesale orders to be shipped in boxes or as pallet
  freight
• As needed, operate shipping/receiving equipment such as a pallet jack

OTHER DUTIES REQUIRED OF ALL STAFF:

• Read, understand, and adhere to all safety standards, guidelines, and better process control best
  practices provided and posted in the Karma Kitchen
• Perform all tasks and responsibilities with attention to detail and in a complete and timely manner
  
• Maintain an inclusive and appropriate work environment through communication and interaction
  that demonstrates respect
• Approach any communication with external stakeholders, laborers, or vendors with a focus on
  maintaining and improving relationships
• Must wear safety glasses and other safety apparel at all times and be comfortable with
  occasional use of filter face masks
• Maintain professional standards of performance and demeanor, appropriately acting as a brand ambassador both at and away from The Karma Sauce Company
  
• Actively seek training, experience, and information to remain current and to grow skills and knowledge in field of work
  
• Provide assistance for other staff as needed
  
• Be available for overtime due to delays in finishing on product filling days

QUALIFICATIONS:

Required

• Must be at least 18 years old to operate some vegetable processing equipment
• Ability to comprehend process schedules
• Ability to understand and follow all verbal and written instructions
• Ability to stand for numerous hours; lift or move at least 50 pounds, and bend frequently
• Ability to safely operate and maintain kitchen equipment such as knives, food processors, and immersion blenders
• Ability to transport self to Karma Sauce Company Job Site in the Rochester Metro Area
• Ability to sample hot sauces and provide constructive feedback on taste and texture

Preferred

• Experience in food service and/or batch manufacturing of goods
• Experience in shipping/receiving or warehouse operations
• Experience with organic or family farming

POSITION TYPE/WORK SCHEDULE: This is a temporary, hourly position with the possibility of becoming permanent depending on job performance. Starting wage is $12.50 per hour at least 20 hours per week. The position may require occasional evening and weekend work and the ability to be flexible depending on the production needs of The Karma Sauce Company.

Follow the instructions in the attached application form to apply – We are accepting applications until 5 p.m. on August 17, 2018.

Click here to get the application!

The post Karma Sauce is Hiring! appeared first on Karma Sauce .

For seven full work days in a row this month, Gene O. and I embarked on The Karma Sauce Company’s pepper planting rituals. A full week of work before that was spent preparing the land to receive the transplants that will eventually sprout some of the hottest peppers in the world.

The typical process — tilling, plowing, laying rows — is the cushy part. The tractor does most of the work. I, armed with a hand shovel, tossed dirt along the row edges where the discs have missed their mark. Almost two miles of row later, we’re  ready to plant.

The three of us formed a mighty planting machine: Gene, myself, and the Hatfield Planter. Alternating like AC current, one of us would use the Hatfield to punch holes in the plastic rows while the other dropped plants into its chute where they’d land in the freshly turned soil. After that, we’d lower ourselves to the plant level to cover them with a healthy mound of their new home for the next six months. The final planting step is watering the thirsty babies.

Many, many, many times during the planting process I did ask myself, “How do I work this?” “How did I get here?” And I definitely did say to myself, “My god, What have I done?”

I feel that many farmers would tell you that the hardest slog of all is the mental one. But my first planting season solidified something I’d learned in previous work environments: the key to surviving the mundane is perspective.

If it was hot as hell, I’d take solace in every breeze that rolled over the hill and every cloud that shrouded the sun.
If it was raining sideways, I’d thank the weather gods it wasn’t hot and sunny.
If I became whelmed at the sight of a full row (350 feet!) of to-be-planted transplant containers, I’d remind myself that at least I knew what to expect for the next two hours.
If it was close to the end of a day and everything seemed 10x more difficult, I’d freely shout expletives until the frustration passed.

Next week the final quarter of planting continues, same as it ever was.

The post Spring Awakening: The Dirt on Planting 9,000 Peppers in 7 Days appeared first on Karma Sauce .

That’s right, Chile Heads are their own sect of adrenaline junky.

One half of the two-person Karma Sauce Production Team is firmly in this camp. Hint: it’s Gene.

The other half, moi, is the diametric opposite. I would argue that these propensities for or against capsaicin can also predict other personality traits and characteristics.

Gene loves spicy food and comfortably lives in what I would classify as chaos (which I still can’t understand because he’s an engineer by trade and aren’t they supposed to be good at linear thinking and processes?!). He has no problem ‘just doing it’ — whatever ‘it’ may be — usually without any form of what I would call “a plan.” He’s what you might call someone who lives in ‘the now,’ but ‘the now’ is a dizzying rush of things to do and places to be and fires to put out and kids to pick up and dogs to locate and sauce to make. He’s a fearless conceptualizer with a heart of gold and a mouth of steel.

I consider myself mild by nature: I disavowed roller coasters at the tender age of 10 after being undone by the wooden Jack Rabbit at Sea Breeze Amusement Park. I have bad flying anxiety. I don’t even like to drive fast. Before working here, my idea of “spicy food” was extra black pepper. Boringly, I also thrive on learning systems/procedures and planning.  

My first six months at Karma Sauce Co. were, among other things, filled with excitement. Summer and fall were all Farm work! Batch production! Learning about peppers! I’m outside all the time! This is awesome!

Then winter came. And with it, the distinct pleasure of selling sauce.

Here’s an actual exchange Gene and I had in January:
Gene: “OK. Time to pound the phones.”
Me: Blank look, expecting more direction and instruction.
Gene: “So, just find some stores that look good and call ‘em up.”
Me: Same look, but with elevated heart rate and blood pressure.
Gene: “Okay. So, I’ll check on you in an hour.”
Me: *Dies*

I am not a ‘just do it’ type of human, nor do I have any woo. How the hell was I supposed to hock sauce without knowing what to say and to whom to say it?

My main source of dread was feeling like I’d come off as stupid on the phone. Plus, I’ve never been in the sales business. I detest the onslaught of advertisements, commercials, and marketing we experience everyday. In fact, I had major existential anguish about entering the world trying to sell people stuff. Worst of all, we didn’t have any system or process written down about how to make sales. It was all a bit paralyzing: without a plan, I felt like I couldn’t make calls. Gene just wanted calls made, plans be damned.

But, perspective is everything. So I decided to re-frame what “sales calls” actually meant, taking cues from my nonprofit work experience. I changed my mindset from “making sales” to “building relationships.” As an efficient nonprofit does when applying for a grant funding opportunity, you need to find good matches — opportunities which match the mission of your organization and which are mutually beneficial for both parties. This really helped take pressure off the perceived randomness of contacting someone 100 miles away to talk about the awesomeness of our natural sauces and condiments.

Armed with this mindset, it’s much easier to make the initial contacts to like-minded folks who enjoy the same stuff we do: food that ain’t been f****d with. We have the natural food products, and they have the capacity to bring it to the masses. Along the way, the process reveals itself in the follow-up necessary to go from “Initial Contact” to “Sale Completed.”

This learning curve proved that like a good sauce, sometimes you need to temper the bold to bring out the the subtle. But a good sauce is also thought out and tested. Gene and I may have completely opposite ways of doing things, but that’s part of the reason we work well as a team. You know, just living embodiments of yin and yang stuff. 

The post A Production Specialist’s story: Mild gal in a spicy world appeared first on Karma Sauce .

Serves: 16
Serving size: 4 meatballs
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients
1 lb. ground pork
1 ¼ C. plain bread crumbs
2  large eggs
¼ can of Genesee Cream Ale
4.5 oz. Karma SauceⓇ Tommy Tomatillo salsa
3 tbsp. Karma SauceⓇ Sabroso spice blend

Preparation
Pre-heat oven to 400℉
In a large bowl, hand mix all ingredients until uniform consistency reached
Hand-form meatballs using approximately 3-4 oz. of mixture
Place rolled meatballs on a baking sheet in rows about ½ inch apart
Bake in oven for 20 minutes*
*Internal temperature must be at least 160℉. Use a meat thermometer to ensure safe internal temperature.

Serve with your favorite pasta or on skewers with grilled onion, peppers, and pineapple for garnish!

The post Sabroso Pork Meatballs appeared first on Karma Sauce .

Even a stronger descriptor like “small batch” can take on tenuous meaning. Fun wiki-fact! Did you know that the U.S. has not yet determined federal regulations that define the use of “small batch” on product labels? Across varying industries, even across different brands in the same industry, the quantity of products manufactured in “small batches” varies. The only real way to know what “small batch” means for a product is if the brand tells you outright on the label or elsewhere in its marketing.

Which means we at Karma Sauce Co. have some explaining to do. Take a look at our labels. Phrases like “Hand-crafted in small batches,” “Artisan” and “All Natural” are plastered all over them.   

But here’s what I know from working here: we back the hell out of our label claims. There are no euphemisms here. Want to know what “hand-crafted” means? It’s peeling and splitting pounds of onions before obliterating them and our sinuses in the food processor. It’s picking and de-stemming literal tons of unholy super hot peppers for hours in 145 percent New York state humidity. Only then to hold a 20 pound wand with a rotating blade (pros call it an “immersion blender”) for more hours grinding the peppers into an unholier mash.

I’d damn it all if it wasn’t the most metal thing ever. Corny but true: the work it takes to go from farm to bottle is a labor of love. I love #farmlife, even though every task is exhausting and my tolerance for hot weather is not a thing. But I relish in all the instant gratification that planting, picking, and producing something 800 times a day can afford me. I mash, therefore I am.

So, let’s satisfy everyone’s inner skeptic and define what Karma Sauce® really is.

All Natural: (In real life, this phrase really irks me because c’mon, does it even mean anything? Welp, here goes:) The ingredients in all of our products — the sauces, salsas, mustards, kats’ups, and spice rubs — never contain ingredients, preservatives, or chemicals developed in an R&D lab. Everything’s all whole fruits and vegetables, spices, and local honey. Naturally!

Artisan: A fancier way of saying “hand-crafted” that describes the quality of the food product. Artisan foods are made by people (!) in traditional, non-mechanized ways using high-quality or specialty ingredients. Check and check.

Craft: There is ongoing discussion in foodie circles about what “craft” is and if it can or should be defined, so let’s take a cue from a dude who makes small batch spirits: “Craft is about the action, not the words.” Words to live by from Scott Blackwell at High Wire Distilling. The next time someone tells you that they make a small batch craft product, ask them for pictures. Check their social media. If they are the real deal they’ll be proudly displaying their work and won’t shy away from explaining how it’s made (short of giving up proprietary secrets).

Farm to Bottle: A.k.a, the path of least resistance. We grow the essential ingredients in our products, like chile peppers, tomatoes, and tomatillos in Bristol, NY and process them (de-stem, rinse, chop, and cook) at the Karma kitchen 18 miles away.

Hand-crafted: Every stage of our production process – picking, processing, cooking, filling, finishing – is completed by hand or by using small, hand-operated machinery. Vegetables are rinsed, peeled, and halved by hand. Bottles and jars are filled by hand. The filler and capper are operated by hand. The label on each bottle is rolled on by hand. Know what I’m sayin’?!

Locavore: Ingredients that we don’t grow we source as locally and as often as possible from other farms within 50 miles of Rochester, NY. Our glass and caps are from Waterford, NY. Even our labels are made in Rochester. Inside and out, Karma Sauce® is a product of Rochester, the Finger Lakes region, and New York state.

Small batch: This one has levels. It incorporates batch production, the method of manufacturing where the product is created in stages over a series of workstations and where different batches of products are made. All true for us! This method generally takes longer than mass or continuous production, but there’s no flavor lost for the sake of maximum output. As mentioned earlier, the “small” in small batch can mean just about anything. So let’s break it down: At maximum capacity, the single (yep, just one!) Karma kettle can hold up to 40 gallons of product, or about 900 bottles of sauciness.

Alright, so what? I want people to know that what they see on our kitschy little labels really is what they get. Karma Sauce Co. doesn’t outsource generic pepper sauce formulas to an out-of-state manufacturer, have a co-packer slap a label on it, and call the product “local” because it sounds good and could technically be true. Karma Sauce® is grown in the Finger Lakes and it’s made in Rochester (okay, Pittsford), one bottle at a time.

Rock on and recycle.

The post One Bottle at a Time: A Truer Meaning of Small Batch appeared first on Karma Sauce .

For this funkalicious imbibement we have simple and fancy versions. Let your imagination run wild.

Serves 12 shots
Prep Time 20-30 minutes
Total Time 240 minutes

Simple Version

Ingredients

• 1 (3 ounce) package raspberry gelatin
• 2 Tablespoons Funken Hot
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1/2 cup vodka

Preparation

Place gelatin powder and Funken Hot in a large mixing bowl

Add the boiling water carefully while stirring.

Continue stirring until the powder is dissolved.

Add the 1/2 cup of cold water and 1/2 cup of vodka.

Stir until mixed and pour into 2oz. cups or into a baking dish. Use the latter if you prefer to serve as cut-out free standing cubes.

Chill for 4 hours before serving. Add a dash of extra Funken Hot if you are feeling it!

Fancy Version: Margarita

Ingredients

• 2 packets (5 teaspoons) plain gelatin
• 2 Tablespoons Funken Hot
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup boiling water
• 1/4 cup chilled fresh lime juice
• 2/3 cup tequila
• 2 tablespoons triple sec

Preparation

Empty gelatin packets into a large mixing bowl, add sugar and mix

Add the Funken hot

Add the boiling water carefully while stirring.

Continue stirring until the gelatin and sugar are dissolved.

Add the lime juice followed by the tequila and triple sec.

Stir until mixed and pour into 2oz. cups or into a baking dish. Use the latter if you prefer to serve as cut-out free standing cubes.

Chill for 4 hours before serving. Add a dash of extra Funken Hot and course salt if you are feeling it!

The post Funken Hot Jello Shot appeared first on Karma Sauce .

The post The Karma Sauce Company Wins Big in Dallas at ZestFest 2018 appeared first on Karma Sauce .

Hot Ones, owned by Complex Media and produced by the online food, beverage, and culture magazine First We Feast, is a web series featuring celebrities answering interview questions from host Sean Evans while eating spicy chicken wings. As interview questions roll on, the wings become intensively hotter. The show could be a considered an exercise in humility: storytelling and spicy food combine for moments of real candor from celebrities usually considered out-of-reach to the average person. Rarely do the show’s famous guests make it through the entirety of the lineup without some sort of visceral reaction, usually displaying visible signs of discomfort like running noses and watery eyes, and freely lamenting expletives in remorse of their decisions to come on the show.

Guests (or victims, depending on your outlook) have included musicians, comedians, rappers, models, actors, professional athletes, and other culturally-relevant personalities such as Henry Rollins, Wanda Sykes, Terry Crews, DJ Snake, Key & Peele, Artie Lange, and even astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Since the first webisode was published in May 2015, Hot Ones has accumulated approximately 2.4 million
channel subscribers, while the 24 episodes in season four attracted more than 61 million cumulative views. According to host Sean Evans in season five’s reveal episode, this season’s lineup “…is pound for pound the hottest in Hot Ones history; the most Scovilles on the table.”

Extreme Karma Sauce® was hand-picked for the show by HEATONIST, the Brooklyn-based purveyor of independent, small-batch hot sauce brands and official sauce curator of Hot Ones. Over the last few years, The Karma Sauce Company’s founder/owner Gene Olczak has built a relationship with HEATONIST co-owners Tyler McKusick and Noah Chaimberg. “I think HEATONIST liked Extreme Karma Sauce® for the show because it’s a good step up in heat, it bends towards the extreme levels but is balanced by the squash and sweet potato,” says Olczak. “The philosophy of how the sauce is made, from scratch with ingredients we mostly grow ourselves and in small batches, is very much in line with HEATONIST’s own ethos,” he says. HEATONIST is dually excited about Extreme Karma Sauce® being on the show, “We are all very pumped! I think it’s going to blow a lot of minds to see your sauce (Extreme Karma Sauce®) up there,” said Noah Chaimberg.

The post Extreme Karma Sauce® enters lineup of Hot Ones appeared first on Karma Sauce .