DurtyBurn Garlic Chili Oil (Mild & Ghost Pepper)

They make ghost pepper very nice — it doesn’t kill you.

DurtyBurn, out of San Diego (great logo: a guy in a gas mask), sent us two of their garlic chili oils: the Mild and the Ghost Pepper — reportedly their most popular. Both are built on sesame oil, which you smell the second the cap comes off.

Garlic Chili Oil — Mild

Made with dragon’s breath chili, which we’d never even heard of. Hefty on the crisp, moderately chunky, savory, with a burn so polite it takes a few seconds to introduce itself. The garlic shines here more than in the hot one. Really, really good.

Garlic Chili Oil — Ghost Pepper

Thicker, with a soy-sauce aroma and a mature vinegar note we genuinely loved — it adds brightness without making anything sour. The ghost pepper is a slow burner: about ten seconds before you feel it, then it settles in around a 6.5–7. We were braced for pain that never came. That’s craft.

Verdict

A tier. Sesame-forward, savory, with two smartly differentiated heat levels. If sesame oil is your thing (it’s ours), start with the Mild and let the garlic do the talking.

Thanks for bringing this to our kitchen, DurtyBurn. It’s very delicious.