Richie and Jeremy Lister
Growing up in central Mississippi, Richie and Jeremy Lister were exposed to all types of cooking — a lot of it hot. From spicy Cajun-inspired dishes that drifted up from New Orleans to amped-up Southern traditional offerings, the brothers got exposed early and often to all things spicy.
“We were the kids who were doing pickle-juice shots and challenging each other to drink hot sauce,” Jeremy recalls. “If it was salty and spicy, we liked it.”
After relocating to Nashville, Richie began growing peppers in his garden, which soon led to some stovetop tinkering. Experimenting with peppers and spices became a passion, all in service of that perfect balance of heat and flavor. He hit upon the idea of smoking peppers as part of the process, and soon the red and green versions of Blister’s hot sauce were born.
“I wanted to have a hot sauce that wasn’t just hot, but also included the complex and subtle flavors of the peppers,” he says. “There’s a blend of three types of peppers in each of our sauces, and because they’re all smoked, you get a quality that’s very unique. The jalapeños and poblanos give the green sauce a little kick and the habaneros definitely amp up the red sauce, but they aren't overpowering. They are meant to complement whatever you add them to, not take it over.”