The spice of life: National Fiery Foods & Barbecue Show brings the heat

Mark Masker is ready to bring the heat to Albuquerque from Friday, Feb. 28, through Sunday, March 2, for the National Fiery Foods & Barbecue Show and wants New Mexicans to prepare their palates for some of the spiciest foods on the planet.

“The show is really like the Ground Zero, Comic Con of hot sauce and spice rubs and barbecue sauce,” said Masker, owner and producer of the National Fiery Foods & Barbecue Show.

Created in 1988, Masker said the event has become an Albuquerque institution, especially with some considering Albuquerque the “chile head capital of the country.” This year, roughly 150 exhibitors will present their favorite sauces, dips and spicy treats to the public, and Masker expects 12,000 attendees.

“People flock from all over the world,” he said. “People are coming from as far as Australia. We had to open two of the conference rooms for more space because the waiting list was so long for exhibitors. It’s a pretty tremendous range of food products to sample and buy.”

Masker said each year, guests come to the festival to stock up on spicy food products.

“This is their annual prep to refill their hot sauce supply,” he said. “I think what keeps people coming is that we get new products that you don’t want to miss. Products that are spicy and that you can’t necessarily access anywhere else.”

Attendees will have the opportunity to peruse over 1,000 spicy food products, some unique to the Fiery Foods show, Masker said.

There are sauces using jalapeño and serrano, which are a lower level of spice compared to options like products using Carolina Reaper peppers.

Chips and pretzels will be provided with a portion of sauce to allow guests to sample products.

“Most people aren’t giving out full pieces of chicken or anything like that, but we do have some exhibitors that do take the time to plug in a Crock-Pot and cook up some stuff,” Masker said.

Along with sauces, eventgoers can try items like spicy chocolates, spicy biscochito cookies and dessert toppings, like a spicy chardonnay fudge topping.

“Ed Currie is always at the show, and he’s the guy that bred the spiciest pepper in the world (Pepper X),” Masker said. “He’s a fixture at the show. He has snacks, he has his signature line of sauces, and he has chocolate bars, so that’s one guy you’ll find at the show all the time.”

The sauces and samplers on the menu can reach a Scoville heat level of 2.5 million, and tinctures filled with capsaicin extracts can reach a 5 to 10 million Scoville rating.

Outside peppery, sharp flavors, attendees can also sample a variety of barbecue sauces and rubs that are available for purchase. On Saturday and Sunday attendees can catch outdoor cooking demos, highlighting the barbecue portion of the show. Attendees will be able to sample grilled foods made by Affirmative Solutions, manufacturers of Disc-It Cookers and Sidewinder Grills.

“Local chile heads have an opportunity to experience international flair, while international attendees have the opportunity to experience some great local stuff,” Masker said.

The spice of life: National Fiery Foods & Barbecue Show brings the heat