Uncle Brutha’s Hot Sauce

Since writing this review, I moved to California. The food here is pretty amazing and we cook constantly. I miss having Uncle Brutha’s easily accessible. So a few week’s ago, I was in DC for a quick visit and went over to Hell’s Kitchen (at Eastern Market Metro). They sell both small and large bottles. I bought two of the large #9s and packed them super snug in my suitcase that I checked. Gotta remember that!
We use it on everything. So good on warm tortillas with a touch of butter or in a salsa or stew. I think it might be the best bottled sauce in the universe.
When we run out, we will mail order this time.

Though the shop is closed up, the website is still online — amazing selection of hotsauces — even stuff I wouldn’t touch.

Even though I can’t handle much spicy stuff, Uncle Brutha’s was a fun shopping experience. Just walking into the door, you can smell the spices immediately.
Looks from the outside are definitely deceiving. It doesn’t look that big from the outside but once you enter, it’s shelves and shelves of hot sauce galore. The staff was super friendly and helpful and even allowed my husband to try and sample some of the sauces! I still can’t get over their selection of hot sauce. If you need to add some spicy hotness to your pantry, this place is it for you.

I’m in love with Uncle Brutha!
I wandered into Uncle Brutha’s Hot Sauce Emporium last fall. Looking for Andouille sausage for some gumbo I was planning to make, I ventured to Eastern Market because that’s where I usually get Andouille and I had heard that after the fire some vendors were set up in trucks. Well, this day no sausage was available and I was at a loss as to what to do.
So I thought, anyone in a hot sauce emporium would know where I could find some local Andouille (and I could check out the wares too!)
Was I ever amazed at the selection of hot sauce, marinades, and other various and sundry food accoutrement available at this little store. And Uncle Brutha himself was sitting at the counter (with his cute self) helping me out. I walked out of there not only with a good lead on where to find the sausages, but with a couple of bottles of #9 green sauce and #10 red sauce as well! These sauces are divine! I need to get back there and restock my supply! Since then I’ve seen the sauces in a couple of restaurants and each time I see his face on the bottle my crush on Uncle Brutha is renewed.

MAN, OH MAN I LOVE THIS PLACE!!! Every time I have gone here I have experienced not only stellar customer service, but received excellent suggestions on marinades that are out of this world! The family and staff are so well versed in their products and more than willing to allow you to sample just about everything they offer.
I used to dislike spicy stuff, but there are so many varieties of hot sauce/​marinades/​jams, etc that you cannot possibly walk out empty handed! Who knew hot sauce could have a tropical flavor and be slightly sweet, but kick your butt in a mellow way?
Current faves:
BOTH of the Uncle Brutha’s sauces
Plantation Roast Coffee Rub
Doctor Craig’s Caribbean Hot Sauce– I PUT THIS ON EVERYTHING!!!
Spicy Caribbee Banana Jam
J Chocolatier Chocolates
If you haven’t checked them out– GET YOUR HIND PARTS OVER THERE!!! ;-)

For the most part, I was glad to leave Washington DC, and head to the West Coast. But there are a few things I miss, like my friends, cheap beers at the Common Share, and Uncle Brutha’s.
Hidden away in the bowels of the Eastern Market, the tears of joy hot sauce fans will shed on walking in, will only be equalled by the tears of agony the next morning. (Hot sauce fans, you know the pain I’m talking about!) Their selection is tremendous, the guys are super friendly and helpful, and are neighborhood stalwarts.
There are issues, however. While many of the tasty sphincter-​searing condiments are available out here, too, their own brand of hot sauces (Numbers 9 and 10) are only sold in the greater DC area. This is a serious issue for me, since I put their green number 9 on everything — eggs, sandwiches, meat, ice cream… okay, maybe not the last, but you get the idea. It’s almost enough to make me move back.
Almost.
So go there in the knowledge that addiction will happen.

This place is about as big as a telephone booth, but they jam it floor to ceiling with hot sauces. This is an awesome place to go on the weekend after you’re done wandering around Eastern Market.
The owners are incredibly friendly and always willing to answer the oft-​asked «how hot is this?» They’ll let you taste the stuff too, including their own award-​winning house blends.
For those worried about the tight quarters, see it as a way to get to know your neighbor! God knows we could all be a little more social!

I blame my mother and her ridiculously spicy food for burning whatever normal taste buds a child is born with, making me want to put hot sauce on everything to give it flavor.
Seriously, even though this place is kind of small, its huge selection could have me looking from shelf to shelf for hours, and the fact that they’ll let me taste everything, makes it that much better. Don’t forget to try the award winning Uncle Brutha’s sauce either, I have two different kinds in my fridge right now…
I’d recommend stopping by your next trip to the Eastern Market area, but I wouldn’t come here with me, you’ll feel like you’ll never leave.

Best place to get sauces and marinades at. They have every kind of hot sauce you could ever dream of. I purchased both of the store’s own sauces as a gift for a hot sauce lover and they were impressed. The store is really small so it gets crowded quickly.

Uncle Brutha’s Hotsauce Emporium
I recently happened upon Uncle Brutha’s Hotsauce Emporium near Eastern Market, and had a conversation with the proprietor, Brennan Proctor. Brennan was a production sound engineer for many major music videos between 1999 – 2003. He originally began formulating his sauce for use on hot wings. He would bring the wings to potlucks and to work. His clients started asking for the sauces. Eventually they would ask for them by the case, and he started getting new clients with the understanding that he would bring them hot sauce. Brennan perfected his sauces and won twenty awards between the two sauces.
I brought both of Brennan’s sauces, the red and the green to a meeting of DCfud writers, and the sauces were a big hit. There wasn’t an onion ring or burger at our table at Brickskellar that wasn’t covered in hot sauce, and our beloved editor actually drank some straight from the bottle. The green was the favorite with ½ a bottle consumed, while the red had ¹⁄₃ of a bottle consumed. The green sauce is thicker, so pours slower, leading me to believe that if the consistencies had been the same that even more of the green sauce would have been consumed. You can taste both sauces as well as the other hot sauces that Brennan sells at the hot sauce tasting bar at the store.
The green sauce is made with serrano chilies, and flavored with ginger and garlic, and is tasty without being very hot. The red is a little hotter and is made with 4 kinds of chilies. For the red sauce, habanero, red and green jalapenos, and serrano are used. I like both sauces.
Some other hot sauces that are sold at the store include «Crazy Mother Pucker’s», «Pain is Good», «Dave’s, Mama Africa’s» (from South Africa), «Susie’s» (from St. John), and «Marie Sharp’s» (from Belize.) There are also some with politically inspired names, like «Monica Lewinsky Sauce», «Where’s the WMD’s?», «Weapons of Ass Destruction», «Saddam Insane», and «Bomb Ladin.» There are some sauces referencing various parts of the anatomy including «Colon Cleaner», «Ass Blaster», «Red Rectum», «Bayou Pecker Power», and «Liquid Lava, It Will Pucker Your Pecker.»
Uncle Brutha’s also carries BBQ sauces, marinades, dry rubs, spices, and condiments, and is in its third month of operation. Their own 2 sauces are also available in area Wholefoods.
Uncle Brutha’s Hot Sauce Emporium
323 7^th Street SE
Washington, DC 20 003
Hours: T-​Th 10 – 7, Fri. 10 – 8, Sat. 9 – 7, Sun 10 – 5
Closed Monday
(202) 546-​FIRE
–June 10, 2006

Dang! Uncle Brutha’s is HOT! Hawt? Hott? DANG HOT!!!
I dump Fire Sauce 10 on just about everything I eat: chili, burgers, wings, chicken, sausage, tacos, Thai takeout, pizza, cookies, pears, pancakes, eggplant, bananas, oatmeal, turkey, ice cream, hot dogs, cereal. Hell, I’ll even drink the stuff straight out of the bottle if needs be: proper!

It’s a small store dedicated entirely to hot sauce. They got more kinds than you can imagine. From all over the world. The lady working there was quite possibly the kindest human on earth. She also had a Ph. D in hot sauce. You can’t leave this place without thinking it’s awesome.

Cool store for obscure sauces. Any brand that you can find in a regular grocery store is overpriced here. Otherwise, neat place to drop into.

My lazy secret to making meat or veggies taste like I cooked all day? Marinated them in a tasty sauce for a day or so before cooking. And, forget Tabasco. In my pantry, you’ll find U.B.‘s hot sauces and jerk marinades.
Last year, I was so psyched to hear that the owner, Brennan was getting his own store. I used to find him in a booth in Eastern Market. Now that there is more space in an actual store, he can carry more items like marinades, dry rubs, BBQ sauces and other tasty things to cook with (or in my case, soak stuff in).
Next time you’re in the Cap Hill hood, stop in there and take some home and try ‘em yourself. I’m partial to Hot Sauce #9 with 1^st place ginger, garlic and chili.

When I first started working in this area, I passed the Hot Sauce Emporium a couple times, without really seeing it. When I finally focused on it, I realized this was probably one of the more interesting stores I’d seen in the area. I hadn’t realized there was such a market for hot sauce, but this place has hundreds of bottles.
There’s some kind of connection with hot sauce and crudeness, too — I don’t know why. A lot of the hot sauces in here boast labels with biting sexual innuendo and, well … sauciness. I would definitely check this place out if you’re planning to make some BBQ or jerk chicken in the near future.