British Journalists Hospitalized After Eating the 'XXX Hot Chilli Burger'

Recently two intrepid journalists found out exactly how hot, HOT can be.

hint: that's NOT barbeque sauce

The journalists from The Argus, assistant news editor Arron Hendy and reporter in training, Ruari Barratt, bravely partook of the burger earlier this week at a burger joint by the name of Burger Off. Both men only managed to take a single bite of the burger which costs £3.90 ($6.70 USD) and were later taken by ambulance to the Royal Sussex County Hospital for treatment.

The description of their ordeal is both horrifying and hilarious (my emphasis):

After taking one bite he decided the burger was too spicy to eat anymore and was physically ok after drinking lots of milk.

Mr Barratt took a bite and minutes later suffered severe stomach pains which increased. He lost the feeling in his hands, his legs were shaking and his eyes rolled back in his head.

And within two hours Mr Hendy was suffering similar problems, following his colleague to hospital.

Mr Barratt said: “It was hard to walk. I needed to drink milk to neutralise the burning, which was hard because I was hyperventilating so much my hands had seized up.”

Mr Hendy said: “I was in so much pain I was telling people I felt like I was dying.”

source - The Argus

So just how hot is the XXX Hot Chilli Burger?

According to the source, restaurant owner Nick Gambardella estimates the sauce on the burgers to be between 7,000,000 and 9,000,000 SHU (Scoville Heat Units) on the Scoville scale. For reference the Wikipedia page for the Scoville scale has a table which lists the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion and the Carolina Reaper at about 2,000,000 SHU and the familiar Habanero in the range of 100,000 to 350,000 SHU Popular Tobasco hot sauce, which is 95% water, runs somewhere between 2,500 and 5,000 measly SHU.

The sauce used on the burger is made in India from the Piri piri chili also known as the African bird's eye chili (50,000 - 100,000 SHU). The preparation involves concentrating 11,000 lb (~5,000 kg) into about 1 kg (2.2 lb) of finished product.

The restaurant, responsibly, will not serve the burger to anyone under the age of 18 or anyone who has been drinking and a waiver must be signed releasing Burger Off from liability from any injuries incurred.

What words of wisdom did Mr. Hendy have regarding his experience? From The Argus source linked above:

“It’s embarrassing but it felt that bad. If you’re thinking of trying this burger for a dare, just don’t.”

EDIT:

Added picture of the XXX Hot Chilli Burger from an article in the online magazine, EatOut.

a reply to: theantediluvian

I read this today and laughed and shook my head.....

I almost posted it to ask a few members whom were talking about a new pepper that was hotter than the ghost chili if they lived in the UK and had the cajones to try this burger!

Hopefully some members might have tried it and can tell us their experience?

I love heat, but I can barely get past the habanero.

originally posted by: seeker1963
a reply to: theantediluvian

I read this today and laughed and shook my head.....

I almost posted it to ask a few members whom were talking about a new pepper that was hotter than the ghost chili if they lived in the UK and had the cajones to try this burger!

Hopefully some members might have tried it and can tell us their experience?

I love heat, but I can barely get past the habanero.

I can't in good conscience encourage anyone to go try this beast lol.. but if they have, I'd certainly be interested in hearing about the experience as well! I'm with you, I like a little heat but I'm not eating anything that results in symptoms that sound like something from a chemical weapons attack.

a reply to: theantediluvian
I love this kind of story!
Why??
Because I know my limits and dare not venture away from them.
A jalapeno is just that side of too hot for me, but I still eat them as I really enjoy the flavor.
Now some other folks just don't understand their limits and in an attempt to be internet tough guys.
This compels some to make a video of their failures and some even post them to the web, and good for them.
This and other "tough guy" acts make for many hours of entertainment.
7-9 million SHU's....damn, that is chemical warfare not food!

There's quite a few videos on YouTube of people eating them. Here's a guy eating one as bet:



and this young lady handles three bites of one like a CHAMP.

I LOVE spicy food, 90% of my diet contains something with a kick. This ("restaurant owner Nick Gambardella estimates the sauce on the burgers to be between 7,000,000 and 9,000,000 SHU") is insane. Anyone who willingly puts this in their mouths has a mental deficiency.

a reply to: theantediluvian

I would probably die after eating this.

I remember when my girlfriend and I started dating(Mexican) and ate some of her food for first time. Let's just say the impending toilet doom was manifested in the worst ways.

originally posted by: theantediluvian

After taking one bite he decided the burger was too spicy to eat anymore and was physically ok after drinking lots of milk.
Mr Barratt took a bite and minutes later suffered severe stomach pains which increased. He lost the feeling in his hands, his legs were shaking and his eyes rolled back in his head.
And within two hours Mr Hendy was suffering similar problems, following his colleague to hospital.
Mr Barratt said: “It was hard to walk. I needed to drink milk to neutralise the burning, which was hard because I was hyperventilating so much my hands had seized up.”
Mr Hendy said: “I was in so much pain I was telling people I felt like I was dying.”

Sissies.

After watching Man versus Food with my Indian buddy we and our wives went to Brick Lane in Manhattan, home of the world's hottest curry, Phaal, which is prepared with a gas mask.

If you finish it you get a free beer and a certificate.

I ate mine, and when my friend got half way through and bombed out, I ate his. I demanded, and got, two free beers.

He is forever known by his wife as a phaal-ure.

There's no way I'll ever get there. I can just take Tobasco like it actually is water, and I've had to work up to that.

Sounds horrible.
I wish Anthony Bordain would eat a couple of them.

originally posted by: seeker1963
a reply to: theantediluvian

I love heat, but I can barely get past the habanero.

Im the same, a few splashes of habinero Tabasco is plenty for most dishes. I can go a bit hotter with a curry, but not a lot (due to the cooling side dishes).

Things like ghost pepper, i tryed a tiny nibble of and my face was on fire - so hell no to a proper dish made with them.

Im sure that owner is incorrect about the 9,000,000, thats pure Capsaicin aka might as well be just spraying pepper spray in your face willingly. Particularly stupid heat for a burger if that is a correct SHU.

I used to live in Hove!! This place must be new? I LOVE Peri Peri sauce, it's soooo nice.... but this is just insanity?
Any food that puts you in hospital because it's so hot is just not food you want to be eating.

I'd certainly sit and watch people giving it a go though, ya know... out of curiosity.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

He is forever known by his wife as a phaal-ure.

That is AWESOME!

originally posted by: theantediluvian
That is AWESOME!

The best part was he 'prepped' ahead of time.

Drank milk. Ate some bread. Stayed away from spicy food.

Then he made sure to mix it properly with his rice and squeeze lemon over it since his father said it would help cut the heat.

His throat closed up halfway through and that was that. No peristalsis, no eatey.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

So i guess the ghost chili eating contest is a no go for him huh?

originally posted by: EyesOpenMouthShut
So i guess the ghost chili eating contest is a no go for him huh?

No, I grow them and he refuses to eat them. The hottest he goes now is my habaneros and scotch bonnets.

originally posted by: EyesOpenMouthShut
I LOVE spicy food, 90% of my diet contains something with a kick. This ("restaurant owner Nick Gambardella estimates the sauce on the burgers to be between 7,000,000 and 9,000,000 SHU") is insane. Anyone who willingly puts this in their mouths has a mental deficiency.

yes what is it made for a weapon! bug killer? It certainly is not a food.

originally posted by: Biigs

originally posted by: seeker1963
a reply to: theantediluvian

I love heat, but I can barely get past the habanero.

Im the same, a few splashes of habinero Tabasco is plenty for most dishes. I can go a bit hotter with a curry, but not a lot (due to the cooling side dishes).

Things like ghost pepper, i tryed a tiny nibble of and my face was on fire - so hell no to a proper dish made with them.

Im sure that owner is incorrect about the 9,000,000, thats pure Capsaicin aka might as well be just spraying pepper spray in your face willingly. Particularly stupid heat for a burger if that is a correct SHU.

Capsaicin ( Typical relative amount 69%) 16,000,000

en.wikipedia.org...

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Thats too bad, ghosties are good but its as hot as i will go

originally posted by: EyesOpenMouthShut
Thats too bad, ghosties are good but its as hot as i will go

Yeah. I usually make homemade hot sauce for myself and friends. Depending on how hot they like it I will add one or two of those badboys.