How hot is Mad Dog 357?
Mad Dog 357 Hot Sauce is rated 357,000 SHU by its maker, Mad Dog 357. The highest published figure (357,000 SHU) is about 71× a typical jalapeño pepper (5,000 SHU).
Checked October 20, 2026 · How we source facts
357,000SHU, maker’s figure
2published figures
71×vs a typical jalapeño
United Statesmade in
Every published figure
What’s inside
Habanero and cayenne, plus chile extract. Made by Ashley Food Company (Mad Dog 357), Sudbury, Massachusetts.
A sauce is always milder than its hottest pepper, because the pepper is diluted with vinegar, salt and other ingredients. For comparison, the peppers themselves:
Facts
- The name comes from the figure: the maker says the original sauce has a heat level of 357,000 SHU.[1]
- Mad Dog 357 was a Hot Ones sauce in Seasons 1–3 and 5.[2]
- The founding date differs by source: a 2007 profile says David Ashley began making sauces in his kitchen in 1985, while the maker says 'family-owned since 1991'.[3]
- The same maker sells Plutonium No. 9, a pepper extract sold as 9 million SHU.[1]
Questions
How many Scoville units is Mad Dog 357?
357,000 SHU (Mad Dog 357 (maker)); 357,000 SHU (The Takeout, Hot Ones sauce list). None of these is a published lab test of the sauce.
Is Mad Dog 357 hotter than a jalapeño?
The highest published figure (357,000 SHU) is about 71× a typical jalapeño pepper (5,000 SHU).
More hot sauces
- How hot is Tabasco?2,500–5,000 SHU
- How hot is Sriracha (Huy Fong)?2,200 SHU
- How hot is Cholula?1,000–2,000 SHU
- How hot is Frank's RedHot?450 SHU
- How hot is Da' Bomb Beyond Insanity?135,600 SHU
- How hot is The Last Dab: Xperience?2,693,000 SHU
- How hot is El Yucateco Red Habanero?7,600–9,500 SHU
- How hot is Valentina?900 SHU
- How hot is Tapatío?3,000 SHU
- All 30 sauces, with sources
Sources
- Mad Dog 357 (maker): Mad Dog 357: 357,000 SHU (secondary source)
- The Takeout, Hot Ones sauce list: Mad Dog 357: 357,000 SHU (secondary source)
- The Christian Science Monitor (2007): Mad Dog 357 (secondary source)