How a Recovering Addict Created the World's Hottest Pepper episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 11, 2026 · 38 MIN

How a Recovering Addict Created the World's Hottest Pepper

from Our American Stories · host iHeartPodcasts

On this episode of Our American Stories, before "Smokin' Ed" Currie created the Carolina Reaper and Pepper X, two of the hottest peppers the world has ever known, his life was being consumed by drugs and alcohol. After hitting rock bottom, an experience during a Michigan blizzard led him to a rehabilitation hospital and began a journey through recovery, faith, family, and an obsession with peppers that stretched back to his childhood.Ed Currie, founder of South Carolina's PuckerButt Pepper Company, shares the remarkable story of how a recovering addict turned his fascination with capsaicin into a business that continues to spice up our lives today. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 11, 2026

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How a Recovering Addict Created the World's Hottest Pepper

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