Townline BBQ Sets Off Ghost Pepper Gauntlet in Wings of Fire Challenge

Can you take the heat? Adventurous eaters and masochists can now test their spicy mettle against the mighty ghost pepper at Townline BBQ in Sagaponack. The restaurant’s new “Wings of Fire” challenge invites diners to eat seven of Townline’s unbearably hot ghost pepper wings in seven minutes, and then endure an additional seven-minute “burn period” without consuming any other food or beverage, except beer.

Anyone who can successfully get through the challenge will have his or her name and photo added to the Townline BBQ Wall of Fame, and the wings and beer will be complimentary.

To demonstrate the seriousness, difficulty and possible danger of this challenge—which is only at the bar, and for participants age 21 and older—ghost peppers (Bhut jolokia) were named the hottest pepper on the planet by Guinness World Records in 2007. The pepper lost its Guinness crown to the infinity chile in 2011, and eventually the still-reigning Carolina Reaper in 2013, but ghost chiles are still 400 times more spicy than Tabasco sauce. For a numeric comparison: Ghost peppers have a Scoville rating that has been calculated at over 1 million, while Tabasco rates between 5,000 and 10,000.

A Townline BBQ bartender will supervise and time the challenge while making sure participants adhere to the rules. Challengers may not use any napkins during the eating or burn period, and they must lick clean any sauce left on their hands before the seven-minute burn period concludes. No bathroom breaks are permitted and beer is the only additional food or beverage that may be consumed until the challenge ends. The restaurant also reserves the right to post embarrassing photos of your suffering on their social media.

The challenge is available any time during the restaurant’s regular business hours, Thursday–Monday starting at 11:30 a.m. Townline BBQ is located at 3593 Townline Road in Sagaponack. Call 631-537-2271 or visit townlinebbq.com.