Sweet heat sauce - heat disappears

[Steve M.]

I have been trying to find the right ingredients for a "sweet heat" sauce. For the record, I define that as a sauce that with the initial taste, has a traditional BBQ sauce flavor and sweetness. It then provides a nice zing of heat for a lasting sensation.

The problem I'm having is the heat "disappears" after I prepare the sauce. I cook my sauces to blend the favors and thicken them. The heat factor is noticeably present at the finish of the cooking phase (still warm, before refrigeration). When using the sauce later, much of that zing has gone away.

I have tried multiple sources of heat: cayenne, redhot chili powder from the Indian grocery, a Carolina Reaper pepper powder that my son makes ("Dragon's Breath"), various hot sauces. None of them seem to last after the initial cooking. I have tried adding the heat source before, during and after the cooking process. Nothing seems to work.

Any ideas on how to create a sweet heat sauce and have the "heat" stay prominent?

 

[Bob Bailey]

Use more of the heat component(s). I like red chili flakes and Louisiana hot sauce.

 

[timothy]

Try some chili paste. I know when I cook with it the flavor stays put.
There's asian, latin and Italian brands.

 

[TonyUK]

I've used scotch-bonnet sauce after the cooking phase, & the sauce has cooled. And the zing is always there.
Heat can reduce the capsaicin's potency, & fats bind to it making it less zingy.
[Indian restaurants here will serve a small dish of plain yoghurt on the side with a hot curry, in case the heat gets a bit out of control).