I made “cowboy candy” one year - sliced jalapeños in vinegar & sugar. I loved the recipe because all I had to do for pepper prep work was slice the jalapenos. I gave a jar (8 oz) to my brother & my niece’s hubby who likes ‘hot’.
My brother called me to tell me how delicious they were (taco night), but after he got off the phone, he proceeded to eat the whole jar. My SIL said she thought she was going to have to take him to the ER - he had heartburn so bad, he thought he was having a heart attack, was lying on the sofa moaning & groaning. She tried all the remedies , even gave him some of her Prilosec. Eventually he recovered without a trip to the ER.
He & my SIL were visiting my niece when niece’s hubby told my brother to please tell me “ no more cowboy candy”. Evidently, he made the same mistake & ate the whole jar (yum yum, SO good!!) & suffered the consequences. He told my brother (too embarrassed to tell me personally) that he felt like “fire was shooting out of my butt and I think I got hemorrhoids!”
I must confess, I laughed, even though I know he had a painful experience. I have not made cowboy candy since.
I like sweet/hot when it’s cayenne in dark chocolate. I’m not crazy at all about cowboy candy, though I absolutely love jalapeno jelly. That doesn’t really track, but there’s no accounting for taste, right?
And this wasn’t a case of “ate the whole jar”. This was ate one popper, thought “dang that was hot I need another one to be sure” and then barely being able to finish the 2nd one.
These things were evil. PURE. EVIL.