The ‘World’s Hottest Chili’ Made with the Spiciest Peppers on Earth Is Coming to Target—and We Tried It

Just when I thought ghost peppers had officially jumped the shark with the recent announcement of Dunkin’s new ghost pepper doughnut, the ultra-spicy, omnipresent ingredient is yet again making headlines: this time for its co-starring role in Hormel’s new Ghost Reaper chili, which they are boldly declaring as the “world’s hottest chili.”

The limited-edition product, which will be available exclusively on Target’s website, consists of a beef and bean chili made with a blend of ghost peppers and Carolina Reapers, which are currently considered to be the spiciest chiles in the world.

The Carolina Reapers clock in around 1.6 million units on the Scolville scale, and together with the ghost peppers exceed 3 million units, according to Hormel’s press release. (For context, jalapeño peppers typically register at 2,500–8,000 units on this scale.)

I got one of the first cans of the chili to taste test, and as a Texan who takes his chili very seriously, I came in both intrigued and heavily skeptical. First off, I generally always make my chili from scratch, and never with beans—but in this case I’m willing to concede that the starch from the beans is necessary to tame the heat a little bit.