People who know me or even know of me, know I like my food on the spicier side of life.
I’ll admit it wasn’t always the case but once I experienced the pleasant sensation of my mouth burning I was hooked; they say chillies release the same endorphins as sex and chocolate so that may explain everything.
That being the case I didn’t hesitate on Wednesday when asked if I wanted to take part in the Death by Food: Burn-Out Rib Challenge being run by the Red Dog Saloon in association with Universal Pictures recent film, A Million Ways to Die in the West, which stars Seth Macfarlane, Liam Neeson, Neil Patrick Harris and Charlize Theron.
The challenge was quite simple:
- Three extra-large ribs coated in a hot spicy sauce
- Three minutes to finish
- Three minutes burn time
I’ve eaten at the Red Dog a lot so I kinda knew what to expect. I haven’t, as yet, done their hot wing challenge but I’ve eaten more of their ribs than is decent and didn’t think it would be impossible. Was my confidence misplaced?
Let’s start with the ribs. These were indeed jumbo ribs, much bigger than the usual portions…sneaky I thought! They were lovingly smothered in the hot sauce which is a blend of Naga Viper, Scotch Bonnet, Thai Red and Jalapeno peppers with some BBQ magic thrown in for good measure.
As they were presented to me I felt my nasal passage way burn from the vapour, then my mouth started to water…I was looking forward to this!
The sauce was very flavoursome and the ribs were juicy the first one went down relatively easy, as I stopped for my burn time I could feel my eyes watering and my lips throbbing, it was all good. The second rib took a little longer to chow down, the problem I had was I’ve been dieting for the last 5 weeks and my stomach wasn’t ready for so much food in one sitting so I paused to chew but within time. By the time I came to start rib 3 my stomach was wondering what had hit it as I snarfed away, finishing with a total time of 5 minutes 37 seconds. (the burn time was reduced from 60 to 30 seconds after each rib)
With watering eyes and burning mouth I was grateful for the glass of milk but appreciated the follow-up beer much more. As the second person to attempt the challenge and the first to complete it I was content. The rules were then tweaked and it became a speed contest, there is still a 30 second burn time between ribs but now the intention is to see who can eat them the fastest.
While I was there I watched a guy called Lewis wolf them down in a shade under 3 minutes, which put my effort firmly in the shade. I’m pretty certain that even if I had tried to speed eat I wouldn’t have beaten him, I might have got to around 3 minutes. If I wasn’t dieting it might have been different but that’s why I’m dieting, I have a tendency to eat too much!
The challenge is being run at Red Dog Saloon’s Hoxton Square and Clapham branches for two weeks only, at a cost of £12.99. Those who complete it will be added to a special A Million Ways to Die in the West Death By Food Wall of Fame with the first twenty to complete the challenge winning a copy of the film on DVD.
Are you brave enough to try it?
A Million Ways to Die in the West is out on DVD and Blu-Ray from 6 October.
