This post has nothing to do with work. It's just something I wanted to share. This past Friday was my birthday, and what better way to celebrate your birthday than to scratch something off your bucket list?
I've enjoyed spicy foods for quite some time now, and decided to attempt a food challenge. Buffalo Wild Wings has a challenge called the Buffalo Wild Wings Blazin' Challenge, where you must eat twelve chicken wings smothered in their Blazin' Sauce in under six minutes.
Just how hot is their Blazin' Sauce? I e-mailed prior to going there and asked if they could give me a list showing the Scoville Heat Units (SHU) for each of their sauces. The Scoville Scale measures the amount of capsaicin in a chili pepper, or how hot it is. The higher the number, the hotter the pepper. In comparison, a Bell pepper has no heat, and is listed as 0 SHU, the average Jalapeño pepper is about 5,000 SHU while a Habanero pepper ranges from around 100,000 to 350,000 SHU. One of the hottest hot sauces I've ever used, Endorphin Rush, rates about 33,900 SHU. I got a reply from Danielle, from Buffalo Wild Wings, who told me their Blazin' Sauce rates at 170,000 SHU or higher.
When we got to Buffalo Wild Wings, I asked if they could give me a small sample of the sauce, so I would know what I was getting myself into. I tasted the sauce, then tasted it again and looked at Cindi, my fiancée, and said, "I can do this." I ordered the wings, and as I began the challenge, I realized they were straight out of the fryer... they were still steaming. It wasn't the heat from the spice that was burning my mouth, it was the temperature of the wings. No matter though, I was on the clock, and there was no way I was not going to complete this challenge. I had six minutes to devour all twelve wings, and as my taste buds went numb, I was downing wing after wing. I was half way done in just two minutes, and my mouth was in pain (from the temperature), but I kept pushing on. I completed the challenge in just over five minutes.
I had an order of mozzarella sticks standing by to help cool my mouth afterwards, but unable to eat them because the breading on them was irritating my the roof of my mouth, which was raw from the heat of the wings. So, I finished my beer and drank a glass of water instead.
Since I completed the challenge, the wings were free, and I was given a free t-shirt that said "Blazin' Challenge Survivor" on the front and "It's like walking on hot coals, except you eat 'em" on the back along with the Buffalo Wild Wings logo.
To be honest, my stomach didn't feel so good afterwards, but I'm still glad I did it. I didn't touch any spicy foods the next day, but the following day, Cindi made her famous Habanero Chicken Alfredo for dinner. I guess I'm a glutton for punishment.
