Texas Pete

This article is about the hot sauce. For the cartoon character, see SuperTed.

Texas Pete is a Louisiana-style hot sauce in the United States manufactured by the TW Garner Food Company in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The brand has 6.0 oz bottles with bright red sauce, shaker top, and white and yellow label featuring the name in red and "Texas Pete", a red silhouette cowboy. Texas Pete is fairly mild, registering 747 on the Scoville heat scale.Texas Pete on the ChilliWorld Scoville Scale

Texas Pete hot sauce was introduced in 1929 by Thad Gardner, operator of the Dixie Pig barbecue stand in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Customers asked for a spicier sauce, and the Garners concocted one with cayenne peppers.

Developing a product name, a marketing adviser suggested "Mexican Joe" to connote the spicy cuisine of Mexico. However, Thad's father Sam Gardner opposed this, saying that the name should be American. Texas is known for its spicy food; this was combined with Pete, the nickname of Thad's brother Harold Gardner."Texas Pete Legend". Texas Pete. August 12, 2009

Texas Pete is the third best selling hot sauce in the United States as of 2004.Gray, Tim (December 4, 2004). "Selling the sizzle: our 2004 small business of the year has been making hot stuff a family affair for three-quarters of a century.". Business North Carolina

"Texas Pete's Hotter Hot Sauce" is three times the heat of the original. The yellow and white on the logo are replaced with red and black and the word Hotter appears above "Hot Sauce" on the label.
"Texas Pete's Garlic Hot Sauce", Texas Pete Original Hot Sauce with garlic. The yellow on the label is replaced with a light color red, and the word "Garlic" is above the word Hot Sauce.
"Texas Pete Pepper Sauce". Whole green peppers soaked in vinegar. Used as a condiment.

The company also produces "Texas Pete Honey Mustard Sauce", "Texas Pete Hot Dog Chili Sauce", "Texas Pete Buffalo Style Wing Sauce", and "Texas Pete Seafood Cocktail Sauce".