The Swear Word

🎙️🔥 Welcome to The Swear Word Podcast! Episode 138, join your host Brandon Swear for a Blazin conversation with special guest Chris aka The Grumpy Gill🔥! Tonight we learn unique of how Chris got into the world of hot, how he got started into growing superhots, focus on quality, mentors and people who have inspired him and much more! ----more----🌶️🔥 Plus, Hot 🥵 or Not 🧊 1 Hot sauce from Savir Foods on deck gaining their official Swear Word rating!🤬 Get the scoop on flavor, spice, and why they deserve a spot in your hot sauce lineup. This hot sauce just was announced as the number 2 sauce in the Hot Ones Season 28 line up.----more----👀 Missed the episode? No worries! Hit play now and catch up on the spice-filled reviews. Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more spicy content – we're turning up the heat every week!----more----🔊 Join us for Episode 138 and be part of the spicy conversation. This isn't just a podcast; it's a community of chili enthusiasts sharing the love for all things hot. New Episodes Tuesdays & Thursdays at 8pm central! 🔥🌶️ ----more----Official The Swear Word website: https://theswearword.net/ Are you a citizen of the Swear Nation yet?Hey spicy product makers! Sponsorship is now open! Check out the monthly or annual sponsorships https://theswearword.net The Grumpy Gill links: Website: thegrumpygill.com YT: @thegrumpygillIG: Savir Foods links:Website: https://www.savirfoods.com/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/SAVIRFOODSatx IG: https://www.instagram.com/savirfoods? Direct Links: Crema Macha:https://heatonist.com/products/savir-foods-crema-macha-hot-sauce?_pos=1&_sid=fdf99b11f&_ss=r __________________________Sponsors:Podvision.io if you need help getting your brand started or don’t know how or where to start. Let’s go as you can contact me now directly about PodVision.io! In need of a website that is a good representation of you and your company? Want to streamline your business flow with automations, gain leads, nurture your potential clients and new ones? Check out Webdx.one let them know that Brandon sent you for discount!__________________________If you have read this far you are amazing! Much love,Brandon Swear🔥❤️‍🔥🔥🎥 #TheSwearWord 🔥🎙️ #SpicyWorldUnleashed #ChiliHeadsUnite #hotornot #EverythingFromTheWorldOfHot #hotsaucelover #hotsauceaddict #spicyfoodlover🔥#chilihead #spicyreviews #primoarmy #superhot #Saucegauntlet #pick5cut5 #the5 #smallbatchsauce #uniquesauces #podcasting #dfw #fortworth #hotsauce

Bringing Texas Clay Soil to Life + Cheap & Free Ways to Make Plants ThriveIf you garden in Texas, you know the struggle. Clay soil can be sticky when wet, hard when dry, drain poorly, and make it difficult for roots to thrive.The good news? Improving it doesn’t have to be expensive.In this episode of The Swear Word, Brandon Swear breaks down practical, affordable ways to improve Texas clay soil, including compost, wood chips, expanded shale, mulch, cover crops, watering techniques, and organic matter.You’ll learn: Why Texas clay behaves the way it does How free or inexpensive wood chips can help Using expanded shale and compost to improve heavy clay How mulch protects soil and conserves moisture Better watering practices for clay soil Why you shouldn’t work clay when it’s too wet How cover crops can improve soil over time Where gypsum can help and where it can’t How better soil can lead to healthier pepper plantsWe’ll also connect soil health back to growing peppers, hot sauce ingredients, and the plants behind the world of hot.The bigger lesson? Healthy soil is a process, not a quick fix. Improve the structure, feed the biology, protect the surface, manage your water, and give it time.Whether you’re growing peppers, vegetables, herbs, flowers, or simply trying to make your Texas yard easier to work with, there are plenty of practical ideas here to put to work.⸻🔥 THE SWEAR WORDThe Swear Word explores the world of hot from capsaicin, hot sauce, and chili peppers to spicy food, gardening, food science, competitions, challenges, producers, growers, entrepreneurs, and the people behind the industry.Hosted and produced by Brandon Swear, the podcast features conversations with pepper growers, hot sauce makers, competitors, hobbyists, co-packers, entrepreneurs, and other people helping shape the spicy food community.If you’re into hot sauce, peppers, capsaicin, spicy food, gardening, food science, or learning something new, subscribe and become part of Swear Nation.🌶️ JOIN SWEAR NATIONGet closer to The Swear Word with exclusive content, first looks, spicy product codes and opportunities, merch discounts, and access to the private Discord community where members can help shape future content.🛍️ REP THE SWEAR WORDSupport the independent podcast and grab official The Swear Word merchandise. Every purchase helps support the production, equipment, research, and resources behind the show.💼 SPONSOR THE SWEAR WORDSponsorship opportunities are available. If you’re a hot sauce company, pepper grower, spicy food brand, gardening business, food company, outdoor brand, kitchen product, or another business looking to reach an engaged audience around the world of hot, let’s talk.Opportunities can include podcast mentions, host-read ads, video branding, social promotion, dedicated content, and customized campaigns.🌐 Learn more, join Swear Nation, shop merch, or explore sponsorship opportunities at TheSwearWord.netSubscribe, follow, leave a review, and share this episode with another gardener, pepper grower, chilihead, or hot sauce fanatic.From soil and seeds to peppers, sauce, science, and the people behind the world of hot this is The Swear Word.

Competitive chili eating is growing and as any sport grows, the rules become increasingly important.In this episode of The Swear Word, Brandon Swear takes a detailed look at the League of Fire contestant rules for competitive pepper eating competitions, breaking down the rules contestants need to understand before stepping onto the stage.From age requirements, waivers, sobriety, gloves, milk, sunglasses, earbuds and what contestants can bring with them, to pepper preparation, chewing requirements, time limits, vomiting, spitting, accidental pepper expulsion and the rules surrounding withdrawal, we go through the regulations that help create a fair and consistent competition.Brandon also breaks down the League of Fire Speed Round, including how multiple peppers are handled, weighing the peppers, the five-minute time limit, what happens if nobody finishes, and why contestants are prohibited from crushing, squeezing, flattening, tearing or otherwise manipulating peppers during the race.But this episode isn’t just a rule-by-rule reading.It’s also a conversation about why rules matter when a new sport is developing.Competitive chili eating combines extreme peppers, capsaicin, endurance, strategy, spectators, judges, event organizers and increasingly large audiences. As the sport expands, clear rules and consistent expectations become important not only for contestants, but also for event organizers, sponsors, spectators and the future credibility of competitive pepper eating.Brandon shares his thoughts on which rules are straightforward, which ones have interesting implications for competition, and why having clearly defined standards can help protect the integrity and growth of the sport.We also look at the balance between competition, entertainment, fairness and safety. Competitive chili eating is supposed to be entertaining, but when contestants are pushing their bodies through increasingly intense pepper challenges, having clear boundaries matters.If you’re a League of Fire contestant, competitive chili eater, pepper enthusiast, hot sauce fan, event organizer, chilihead, or simply someone curious about what actually happens during a professional pepper eating competition, this episode gives you a practical look at the rules behind the spectacle.And because rules can change, make sure you check the official League of Fire website and Facebook page for the most current version of the contestant rules. This episode reflects the rules available at the time of recording, and contestants should always review the current official rules before competing.Then the conversation turns back to the community:What rules do you think competitive chili eating needs as the sport continues to grow?Are the current rules fair?Are there rules you would change?Are there rules you think should be added?And what would it take for competitive pepper eating to continue developing into a recognized, organized and sustainable sport?Join the conversation and let me know what you think.🌶️ THE SWEAR WORDHosted by Brandon Swear🔥 Hot Sauce • Peppers • Competitive Eating • Food Science • Chilihead Culture • Community • CuriositySubscribe, follow, rate and review The Swear Word, and help more people discover the conversations happening around the world of hot.📰 Join the newsletter: TheSwearWord.net👕 Grab official merch and support the show🔥 Become part of Swear Nation🤝 Sponsorship opportunities are available for brands looking to connect with a passionate spicy-food and chilihead audience.And a huge thank you to the current sponsors supporting The Swear Word and helping make these conversations possible.Keep asking questions. Keep pushing boundaries. And keep bringing the heat.I’m Brandon Swear, and from everything from the world of hot… this has been The Swear Word.

Does hot sauce actually need to be refrigerated, or is the fridge just taking up valuable space for no reason?In this episode of The Swear Word, Brandon Swear breaks down one of the most common questions in the hot sauce and spicy food community: how should you store hot sauce after opening it?The answer isn’t as simple as “yes” or “no.”Different sauces have different storage needs depending on acidity, pH, water activity, sugar content, fresh ingredients, fermentation, processing, packaging, and whether the bottle has been opened.We’ll look at what really happens to hot sauce when it lives in your pantry versus your refrigerator... and why refrigeration can affect more than just food safety.🌶️ In this episode, heres whats covered:• Why many high-acid, vinegar-based hot sauces can be shelf-stable• The role of pH and acidity in hot sauce safety• Why pH 4.6 is an important food-safety threshold• What refrigeration actually does to flavor, color, aroma, and shelf life• The difference between vinegar-based, fermented, fresh, fruit-based, thick, high-sugar, oil-based, and creamy sauces• Why homemade hot sauce deserves different consideration than commercially produced sauce• What happens to live fermented hot sauce at room temperature• Why garlic, fruit, vegetables, sugar, and oil can change the storage equation• Whether refrigeration actually protects capsaicin and heat• How contamination from utensils and repeated bottle use can affect your sauce• How to store a hot sauce collection for the long term• Warning signs that your sauce may no longer be safe or enjoyable• When the best answer is simply: follow the manufacturer’s instructionsOne of the biggest takeaways is that “safe” and “best quality” aren’t always the same thing.A classic vinegar-heavy sauce may be perfectly capable of sitting on the counter after opening, while refrigeration can help preserve its color and flavor for longer. A fresh, low-acid, fruit-heavy, oil-based, or homemade sauce may require much more caution.And if you’re a hot sauce collector, sauce maker, pepper grower, or just someone who has accumulated an unreasonable number of bottles in the refrigerator…this episode is for you.We’ll separate food-safety science from internet myths, look at the different categories of hot sauce, and give you practical guidelines you can actually use.So…Are you a counter person or a refrigerator person?Do you refrigerate everything?Or do you believe hot sauce belongs on the counter where it can be grabbed whenever the craving strikes?Let Brandon know what you do and why.🌶️ Keep the heat. Store it smart.🔥 Visit The Swear Wordhttps://theswearword.netBecome part of Swear Nation by subscribing, joining the newsletter, checking out merchandise, recommending future guests, and exploring previous episodes.⸻SponsorsPodVision.ioHelping creators, businesses, and brands launch professional podcasts and video content. Website: Podvision.io WebDXNeed a website, marketing automation, lead generation, CRM integration, SEO, or digital marketing strategy? Visit WebDX to learn more. Website: Webex.oneInterested in sponsoring The Swear Word? Sponsorship opportunities are currently available through our website.I’m Brandon Swear, and from everything from the world of hot, this has been The Swear Word.#HotSauce #HotSauceStorage #FoodSafety #SpicyFood #Chilihead #HotSauceLovers #FermentedHotSauce #PepperCommunity #FoodScience #TheSwearWord

Episode SEO Summary:In this episode of The Swear Word, Brandon Swear explores the science behind MSG, umami, food additives, flavor enhancers and the growing concept of food craveability. The conversation examines how food science has transformed the way manufacturers create flavor, consistency and consumer appeal — and what that means for the foods we eat.The episode breaks down monosodium glutamate (MSG), how it interacts with umami taste receptors, the history of its discovery, common misconceptions surrounding MSG safety, and why ingredients such as yeast extract, disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate are used in modern food products.Brandon then brings the conversation into the world of hot sauce, capsaicin and spicy food, examining how flavor enhancement intersects with heat, savory flavor, snack foods and the sensory experience of eating spicy products.The deeper question isn’t simply whether MSG or other flavor enhancers are “good” or “bad.” It’s whether modern food science is simply improving flavor or increasingly optimizing food for maximum palatability and repeat consumption.The episode explores the difference between natural ingredients, food science, clean-label products and engineered craveability, while considering where consumers and food producers might reasonably draw the line.This is a conversation about MSG, umami, food science, flavor engineering, processed foods, ultra-processed foods, hot sauce ingredients, spicy snacks, capsaicin, food cravings and the future of flavor — with plenty of room for listeners to form their own conclusions.Key topics: MSG, monosodium glutamate, umami, flavor science, food additives, flavor enhancers, food cravings, craveability, hot sauce, spicy food, capsaicin, spicy snacks, processed food, ultra-processed food, clean-label products and food manufacturing.