How North Carolina Became Home To An Iconic Cowboy Hot Sauce

Texas looms large as a symbol of everything big and bold about America. Everything's bigger there, and we're implored not to mess with it — and, of course, we ought to remember the Alamo. It's such a potent symbol that there's a whole chain of steakhouses themed after it, even though said steakhouse was founded in Indiana by a guy from Kentucky. And one of the most notable foodstuffs named after Texas, one you can find in the sauce aisle of just about any supermarket, was in fact formulated in North Carolina.

Texas Pete, one of the ten most popular hot sauces in America, is easy to recognize: it's the fire truck red sauce that has a label with a cowboy throwing a lasso. As hot sauces go, it's pretty tame, only registering about 750 on the Scoville scale. But that didn't stop it from being named after a state known for its spice.

The Dixie Pig, a barbecue stand in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, had a new hot sauce. The Garners, the family who ran the joint, formulated a new sauce out of cayenne peppers in 1929, and planned on selling it along with their more traditional barbecue sauce. (Considering the North Carolina location, we can assume it was rich in vinegar.) But what would they call it? Sam Garner and his sons, Thad, Ralph, and Harold, put their heads together.

An advisor suggested the name "Mexico Joe", but Sam nixed that immediately. This was an American sauce, after all, and it needed an American name. And, well, Texas was just across the Rio Grande from Mexico, and just as famous for its spicy food — especially "TexMex" cuisine. But "Texas Joe" didn't quite work, either, so the Garners used Harold's nickname, "Pete", instead. The branding was born from the booming popularity of cowboy movies at the time. By putting it all together, this Tar Heel family created a brand that thrives to this day.