An Interview with Steve Seabury of High River Sauces
 For how long have you been making hot sauce?
I always had the passion for a good hot sauce. When I was an intern at a Record Company I was always broke so I got to know the Taco Bell Menu really well. Eating good crappy food I would try to dress it up with some good homemade hot sauce. I would make a batch here and there but nothing serious.
What are your most popular products?
Being that High River Sauces is a newbie sauce company I only have one sauce on the line right now, The Hellacious Hot Sauce. I introduced this Hot Sauce on my festival tour I started called The Metalliance Tour.
I do have a new sauce called the Hillbilly Hell Fire Sauce that will be sold exclusively at this year’s Willie Nelson Throwdown Tour this summer. Willie loved this Hot Sauce and I am really stoked to have High River Sauces be part of his tour.
See our review of Hellacious Hot Sauce here.
How did you get started making hot sauce?
I really started to get serious about making sauces when I was putting together my Cookbook titled Mosh Potatoes (Simon & Schuster). Working in the music industry I have had the honor of working with some amazing bands. We always spoke about food, sports and of course music. We would trade recipes and various hot sauces and BBQ sauces that we each made. All of my friends were always bugging me about putting these sauces into production. So one day I said fuck it. Let's do it. High River Sauces was born.
When did you go commercial?
My first sauce came out on March 17th 2011.
How many bottles of hot sauce do you produce a year?
I am a newbie so I will have to let you know next year.
Do you have a preferred chili pepper as an ingredient?
My favorite pepper is the classic Habanero. They have a great taste and I think they compliment all types of food very well.
Aside from chili peppers, what do you feel is the key ingredient(s) in making the perfect hot sauce?
I am a seasonal guy. I use ingredients that match the season. I am the same way with beer.
Is there a special process you follow in making your hot sauces?
The first process is to pick the soundtrack to what I want the sauce to taste like. When I make a Hot Sauce I always crank the stereo to 11 with the heaviest band I can find in my CD collection. Slayer, Metallica and my band Moth Eater get played a lot when I am working in the kitchen. It sets the mood for the sauce. LOL -
When I throw down some homemade BBQ Sauce I tend to be a little more country. Nothing like Waylon Jennings to get that BBQ Sauce to scream to me.
Do you follow a particular philosophy to making hot sauces?
I love the natural flavors of the pepper. I won’t use any extracts in my sauce. All organic, all natural all the time.
Do you have any other favorite spicy foods?
My wife and I are big suckers for some spicy Thai Food. I never had Thai food until I moved to NYC and now I am a sucker for it.
But being an Ice Cream Junkie I am looking forward to trying Chip’s (Peppers) Hot Pepper Ice Cream in Delaware. I might have to ship up some gallons of that stuff up here.
Do you have any advice for would-be hot sauce makers making sauces at home?
I just make sauces from my heart. Just grab some beers, crank up some tunes and have fun. That’s my advice on everything in life. When you start making sauce it will take some time to find the perfect blend of heat and flavor but when you do it's so magical. You know you when you found the magic when your tongue starts humping your hot sauce spoon.
Do you have any basic/favorite hot sauce recipes to share?
I will be posting some recipes on the High River website soon. But I tell you what I love to make is my homemade poppers wrapped in Bacon. Hot Peppers/Bacon/Cheese. Heavenly.
Imagine this sad reality: If you could have only one chili pepper the rest of your life, which would you choose?
Easy: The Scotch Bonnet.
If your life could be turned into a movie, who would you like to have play YOU on the big screen? What might the movie TITLE be?
The movie would be titled the “The Rock & Roll Outlaw” and I would have Mickey Rourke play me. The guy has been through so much in life and he is a total bad ass.
Any other parting thoughts?
I just wanted to say thanks for taking the time to do this interview. It means a lot to me. Its' great to meet new people who are equally as passionate with food and super hot ass sauces!!! Thanks again for supporting the little dudes. Beers Up!
Visit High River Sauces at:
WEB: www.highriversauces.com
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