Michael Phelps Foods

Michael Phelps Foods What started as a passion for peppers turned into Mike’s Hot Sauces — bold, handcrafted, and made to turn every bite into an inferno of flavor.

Now bringing that same bold flavor to cowboy candy and BBQ sauce — from sweet heat to smoky fire.

Velvet Venom — Tamarind, Date & Black Garlic Hot Sauce - Unique Gift Idea - 2 x 5-oz., 1 x 1 x 1-oz. bottles availableSm...
10/11/2026

Velvet Venom — Tamarind, Date & Black Garlic Hot Sauce - Unique Gift Idea - 2 x 5-oz., 1 x 1 x 1-oz. bottles available

Smooth on the tongue. Wicked in the finish.

My most unique sauce to date: tangy tamarind, mellow date sweetness, savory black garlic, and serious pepper heat.

All organic peppers grown in central IL.

Peppers include:
• Apocalypse Scorpions
• Carolina Reaper
• Cayenne/Hybrid Thai
• Sugar Rush Stripy
• Jalapeños
• Tabasco
• Poblano

Other Ingredients:
• Dates
• Black garlic cloves
• Unsweetened tamarind paste/purée
• Apple c***r vinegar
• Lime juice
• Ground coriander
• Onion powder
• Ground ginger
• Fine salt

Taste Profile
A dark, decadent blend of tangy tamarind, rich dates, and savory black garlic delivers layers of sweet, tart, and smoky-earthy flavor. Then comes the venom: an intense wave of superhot pepper heat that builds relentlessly and lingers long after the sweetness fades.
Best food pairings

Grilled steak, smoked brisket, pork ribs, burgers, sharp cheddar, or even as a small addition to a BBQ glaze.

$10/ea. per 5-oz. bottle
$4/ea. per 1-oz. sample bottle

Coming soon...my most daring hot sauce adventure to date! Tamarind, Black Garlic and Dates. Gonna be great or horrible!...
10/04/2026

Coming soon...my most daring hot sauce adventure to date! Tamarind, Black Garlic and Dates. Gonna be great or horrible! 😆

Pit Viper Hot Cherry-Bourbon BBQ Sauce - Unique Gift Idea - 2 x 5-oz., 1 x 2-oz. & 1 x 1-oz. bottles availableSweet frui...
10/02/2026

Pit Viper Hot Cherry-Bourbon BBQ Sauce - Unique Gift Idea - 2 x 5-oz., 1 x 2-oz. & 1 x 1-oz. bottles available

Sweet fruit. Mean bite.

Continuing my experimenting now… This is my second attempt at making a BBQ sauce, and this one was inspired by Muse (by Meta). This one is sweeter, less tangy, and hotter than the ChatGPT-inspired version.

All organic peppers grown in central IL.

Peppers include:
• Carolina Reaper
• Lemon Drop
• Habanero

Other Ingredients:
• Dark Sweet Cherries
• Apple C***r Vinegar
• Tomato Sauce
• Tomato Paste
• Honey
• Bourbon
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Smoked Paprika
• Onion Powder
• Garlic Powder
• Sea Salt
• Mustard Powder
• Black Pepper
• Allspice
• Cumin

Taste Profile
The first impression should be deep, jammy dark cherry, with honey rounding out the fruit. It shouldn't taste like cherry pie filling; the apple c***r vinegar and tomato base pull it firmly into BBQ territory.

Next comes a smoky, savory middle — tomato, smoked paprika, Worcestershire, and a whisper of bourbon warmth that reads more as oak-and-caramel depth than outright wh***ey.

The heat arrives in layers:
• Lemon drop gives a quick, bright citrusy prickle up front.
• Habanero builds into a full, fruity mid-palate burn.
• The Carolina Reaper extends the finish — slower, deeper, and longer than the habanero alone.
• Cherry sweetness softens each wave just enough to invite another bite before the heat stacks up.

Overall, a sweet-smoky-fruity BBQ sauce with genuine heat — built for ribs, pulled pork, brisket, grilled chicken, and burgers. It would also work as a glaze for meatballs or a dipping sauce for smoked wings.

$10/ea. per 5-oz. bottle
$6/ea. per 2-oz. sample bottle
$4/ea. per 1-oz. sample bottle

Cherry Barrel Burn Cherry-Bourbon BBQ Sauce - Unique Gift Idea - 4 x 5-oz. & 3 x 1-oz. bottles availableSweet cherry. Bo...
10/02/2026

Cherry Barrel Burn Cherry-Bourbon BBQ Sauce - Unique Gift Idea - 4 x 5-oz. & 3 x 1-oz. bottles available

Sweet cherry. Bourbon soul. Pepper bite.

I’m doing to experimenting now, moving outside of strict hot sauce. This is my first attempt at making a BBQ sauce, and this one was inspired by ChatGPT. I also made a Muse-inspired version, but this one is lest hot and more tangy, a little like a Carolina style.

All organic peppers grown in Washington, IL.

Peppers include:
• Cayenne/Hybrid Thai
• Ornamental Thai
• Banana

Other Ingredients:
• Dark Sweet Cherries
• Ketchup
• Apple C***r Vinegar
• Bourbon
• Brown Sugar
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Yellow Mustard
• Molasses
• Onion Powder
• Smoked Paprika
• Garlic Powder
• Black Pepper
• Salt

Taste profile:
Rich cherry flavor, tangy sweetness, a little smoke, and medium-hot heat.

$10/ea. per 5-oz. bottle
$6/ea. per 2-oz. sample bottle
$4/ea. per 1-oz. sample bottle

Has anyone checked out Meta Muse yet? It's pretty amazing! I decided to see how it does with hot sauce. I can always ...
10/01/2026

Has anyone checked out Meta Muse yet? It's pretty amazing! I decided to see how it does with hot sauce. I can always use a 2nd assistant! lol

I have a TON of peppers, so I'm going to experiment. I'm creating 3 different types of recipes, and I'm letting both ChatGPT and Muse show me who can create the best end-results. So 6 recipes in total.

I'm doing a cherry-BBQ sauce, a HOT sauce (ChatGPT picked a tamarind/date/black garlic recipe I'm excited about), and then a milder sauce, but 2 of each to see which I like better. This should be fun!

But to be honest...ChatGPT is doing all of the images, as Muse's images are pretty sad. lol

Grapes of Wrath Superhot Grape Sauce - Unique Gift Idea - 12 x 5-oz. & 3 x 1-oz. bottles availableA crushing finish.This...
09/18/2026

Grapes of Wrath Superhot Grape Sauce - Unique Gift Idea - 12 x 5-oz. & 3 x 1-oz. bottles available

A crushing finish.

This is one of my biggest and best batches I have ever made; maybe my all-time favorite!

All organic peppers and honey grown on S. Cummings Ln. in Washington, IL.

Peppers include:
• Apocalypse Scorpions
• 7-Pot Douglah
• Cayennes
• Ornamental Thai
• Hybrid Thai
• Santakas
• Serranos
• Sugar Rush
• Lemon Drop

Other Ingredients:
• Dark seedless grapes
• Red-wine vinegar
• Balsamic vinegar
• Dark brown sugar
• Honey
• Onion powder
• Garlic powder
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• Finely ground rosemary

Taste profile:

The first impression is a deep, jammy dark grape, with brown sugar and honey rounding out the natural fruitiness. It doesn’t taste like grape jelly; the red-wine vinegar and balsamic push it toward a rich, savory grape reduction.

Next comes a slightly tangy, wine-like middle with subtle notes of black pepper and rosemary. The rosemary remains in the background—just enough to give the sauce a sophisticated herbal edge without making it taste medicinal.

The heat will arrive in layers:
• Cayenne, Thai, and Santaka peppers provide an immediate, sharp tongue burn.
• Serranos contribute a fresh, green-red chile bite.
• Apocalypse Scorpions build more slowly into a massive, penetrating heat.
• The grape sweetness briefly softens the impact before the Scorpion burn takes over.
• The finish will be extremely hot, lingering, slightly fruity, and faintly smoky-earthy from the superhots.

Overall, expect a sweet, tart, savory and wine-like superhot sauce with enough genuine flavor to use on steak, pork, burgers, wings, meatballs, sharp cheese, or even vanilla ice cream—although only a few drops will be necessary.

AI expects this to be around 300,000–400,000 SHU.

$10/ea. per 5-oz. bottle
$4/ea. per 1-oz. sample bottle

Backyard Burn All-Purpose Pepper Sauce - Unique Gift Idea - 4 x 5-oz. & 2 x 1-oz. bottles availableGarden grown. Trouble...
09/14/2026

Backyard Burn All-Purpose Pepper Sauce - Unique Gift Idea - 4 x 5-oz. & 2 x 1-oz. bottles available

Garden grown. Trouble bottled.

This is my first every "mild" hot sauce. If people like it, I might make more.

All organic peppers grown in Washington, IL, including:
• Poblano
• Jalapeño
• Banana pepper
• Spicy red bell-pepper hybrid
• Sugar Rush
• Serrano
• Cayenne

Other Ingredients:
• Apple-c***r vinegar
• White vinegar
• Tomato paste
• Dark brown sugar
• Onion powder
• Garlic powder
• Sea salt
• Smoked paprika
• Black pepper
• Cumin

Savory and pepper-forward, with earthy poblano, familiar jalapeño flavor, mild sweetness from the banana and bell hybrid, and a slightly fruity note from the Sugar Rush. Tomato paste provides body without making it taste like ketchup. Serrano and cayenne give it a clean, immediate heat.

AI expects this to be around 5,000–15,000 SHU—mild enough to pour onto tacos, eggs, pizza, burgers and wings.

$10/ea. per 5-oz. bottle
$4/ea. per 1-oz. sample bottle

Two new sauces in the works: One will be a milder hot-sauce, different then I usually make and more simple, but the oth...
09/13/2026

Two new sauces in the works: One will be a milder hot-sauce, different then I usually make and more simple, but the other should be smoking hot! This will be only my 2nd time using grapes, but the last one was one of my best.

Coming soon...

Address

Washington, IL
61571

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Monday 8am - 10pm
Tuesday 8am - 10pm
Wednesday 8am - 10pm
Thursday 8am - 10pm
Friday 8am - 10pm
Saturday 8am - 10pm
Sunday 12pm - 9pm

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