Deathnuts / Blazing Foods – Hatch Green Chile Crack Balls
Blazing Foods (which confusingly also seems to run a parallel website called Deathnuts.com) makes a variety of spicy (or not so spicy) cheese balls that they call Crack Balls. I’ve samples all of their flavors and all are delicious, and will work on getting reviews up on each as I open new bags.
Hatch Green Chiles have something of a legendary status. Hailing from NM the city of Hatch has an annual chile festival that draws crowds of over 30,000 people and features competitions regarding the chiles in everything from growing to roasting to cooking.
Speaking of roasting, Hatch Chiles are a bit unique in that that they’re the only pepper I’m aware of that’s almost only ever sold or eaten roasted. Barrel roasters, essentially a giant cylindrical cage that spins over a gas or natural heat source, are common in New Mexico and surrounding areas and the most common way Hatch Chiles are roasted. The roasting process makes the flesh of the pepper more tender and also adds a smoky depth to the flavor profile.
These are the mildest flavor of the Crack Balls with barely any capsaicin heat, but they so have a great depth of flavor from the Hatch Chiles used. These have an earthy, slightly smoky, slightly fruity, and slightly grassy flavor from the Hatch Chiles used. While the heat level is very low there is a bit of a pleasant warmth that develops from eating these. While the front of the bag doesn’t indicate it as it does with the other varieties, these do still have some cheese flavor in addition to the chile. The combination of the two is complimentary with the earthy and smoky flavors of the roasted Hatch Green Chiles being balanced against the more piquant, salty, and cultured flavor of the cheese.
While these aren’t appreciably spicier than any spicy cheese balls or puffs you’d find in the grocery store, they do have an delicious flavor so I will happily recommend these, especially for those who like a more prominent pepper flavor without a ton of heat.
Ingredients: Cheese Balls (corn meal, vegetable oil (contains one or more of the following: cottonseed oil, corn oil, sunflower seed oil, canola oil), Whey, Maltodextrin, Cheese (Semisoft & Cheddar [pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes]), Milkfat, Salt, Whey Protein Concentrate, Buttermilk Solids, Natural Flavor, Sodium Phosphate, Lactic Acid, Yellow #6, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Yellow #5, Disodium Inosinate, Disodium Guanylate, Artificial Flavor), New Mexico Hatch Green Chile, Spices
Heat Level: 1/10. There’s some warmth here, but these are easily accessible to anyone regardless of tolerance
