Having brought innovation to drum ‘n’ bass since the ’90s, flamboyant DJ/producer/Beta Recordings head John B is focusing on a new side hustle: hot sauce.
After carefully fine-tuning his recipe, the revered junglist has launched Jungle Fire Hot Sauce, which is available for purchase on his online store.
With the launch of his limited-edition sauces, John joins the ranks of fellow musicians-turned-hot-sauce entrepreneurs including former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar, Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, and soul legend Patti LaBelle.
The seed of the idea for the line was inadvertently planted when John started dabbling with growing vegetables. “I love cooking, and the natural path to follow on from that is finding the tastiest ingredients. The best way to do that is to grow your own! So a few years ago I started growing vegetables in my back garden, just simple stuff, Tomatoes, Beetroot, some salads etc and of course Chillies! Before I knew it I had a gazillion chilli plants in pots all around the garden, and come harvest time, more hot peppers than I knew what to do with! So I started experimenting with hot sauces, salsas & drying the chillies for using in BBQ dry rubs & seasoning.”
According to John, a devout foodie, “The idea behind Jungle Fire is to make limited edition batches of wonderfully flavourful, exciting hot sauces, and to share them with enthusiasts all over the world, the same approach I take to my music! I’ll be making lots of different styles over the summer, some with the focus more on heat, some more fruity & suited to marinades, and some more smokey/BBQ oriented (you will know how much I’ve been getting into American-style ‘Low & Slow’ BBQing if you check my instagram!).”
John adds, “If things go well, and after listening to feedback on what you guys are enjoying the most I may refine certain popular recipes and eventually have a few ‘signature’ bottles that I can make in larger quantities – but for now, this is strictly limited underground Jungle Fire. Dub Plate sauces for those that know!”