By Amber Plante, web and author of Byte-Sized

The chefs at East Coast Grill in Boston, Mass., are kicking up the heat notch on frigid New England nights with their multi-annual Hell Night, so dubbed for offering its patrons (all of whom booked reservations months in advance) some of the spiciest food on the planet.

For this ultra-cool, tropics-themed BBQ restaurant and raw bar, which has been in business for 25 years, the three-day event that is Hell Night began in response to naysayers complaining that their fusion spice wasn’t spicy enough. Well, never tickle a sleeping dragon. The resultant craze brought on by these now-numb-mouthed critics was atomic food that celebrates – nay, worships – scotch bonnets, habaneras and the king of them all and hottest pepper on the planet, the ghost chile.

Don’t worry, wimps. If you can’t handle the heat, you can call for the ‘antidote’ – an orange creamsicle – but beware: You will be taunted at full volume by a chile-wearing MC known only to the adoring crowds as Dr. Pepper.

I’m addicted to the ‘atomic’ cuisine offered by the East Coast Grill. The menu’s heat scale, measured in ‘bombs,’ shocked my taste buds and left my screaming into my napkin. When you can literally gargle milk in front of your waiter and fellow diners without shame, that’s when you know ‘Hell Night’ has both taken another victim and made a fan for life.

‘Hell Night’ is a unique event, but if you want to try to recreate your own dinner party in effigy, here is the recipe for the East Coast Grill’s famous ‘Inner Beauty Hot Sauce’ – a key ingredient in their super-hot dishes. Enjoy, and don’t say I didn’t warn you.

The Historic Original Inner Beauty Hot Sauce Recipe
(courtesy Chris Schlesinger, East Coast Grill and Geoff at the ‘PigTrip’ blog)

• 5 lb scotch bonnet or habanero peppers


• 1 gallon yellow mustard


• 1/2 lb brown sugar


• 1 quart orange juice


• 1/2 gallon white vinegar


• 1 cup honey1 cup molasses


• 46 oz. papaya juice


• 46 oz. pineapple juice


• 1/2 gallon peanut oil


• 6 oz. each of cumin, chili, curry, tumeric


• 2 oz. all spice


• salt and pepper