Homemade hot sauce recipes

Those look amazing.

Sadly, all my Carolina Reapers died this summer I do still have Jolokias and Thai Fire, along with some more moderate peppers like Jalapeno and Cayenne. Sucks, though; I was really looking forward to creating some sort of bio hazard sauce this year.

Tiber_Brew said:

Those look amazing.

Sadly, all my Carolina Reapers died this summer I do still have Jolokias and Thai Fire, along with some more moderate peppers like Jalapeno and Cayenne. Sucks, though; I was really looking forward to creating some sort of bio hazard sauce this year.

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Plenty of ways to get your hands on those reapers if you want. Check out The Hot Pepper forums. Great people, great resource for growing peppers, recipes...just about anything pepper related. A lot of good vendors on the site as well.

http://thehotpepper.com/

Smallest Carolina Reaper pod on the planet?

hoppydaze said:

smallest carolina reaper pod on the planet?

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Ugh. Shame my reaper plants died. My Ghost plant is huge, though, so at least I'll get some heat this year. Enjoy your Reaper, buddy!

You'd be surprised how much heat that little fella packed. I went for milk after about five minutes. Great flavor but amazing punch.

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ragertom said:

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FYI

Thanks for the insider tip

Do you guys age your hot sauce? I made a couple of bottles of cheap hot sauce using Japanese dried pepper pods re-hydrated in hot water, salt, garlic powder, white vinegar, and a little sugar. It sat in the bottles unused for months, because frankly it tasted kind of bland and uninspiring. I just tried it again, and aging really made it better, it was tangy and fiery, much better.

Dominic1920 said:

Do you guys age your hot sauce? I made a couple of bottles of cheap hot sauce using Japanese dried pepper pods re-hydrated in hot water, salt, garlic powder, white vinegar, and a little sugar. It sat in the bottles unused for months, because frankly it tasted kind of bland and uninspiring. I just tried it again, and aging really made it better, it was tangy and fiery, much better.

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I have had the same experience. I don't intentionally age but over the course of the severs months it takes me to finish a bottle of hot sauce most improve with age


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Dominic1920 said:

Do you guys age your hot sauce? I made a couple of bottles of cheap hot sauce using Japanese dried pepper pods re-hydrated in hot water, salt, garlic powder, white vinegar, and a little sugar. It sat in the bottles unused for months, because frankly it tasted kind of bland and uninspiring. I just tried it again, and aging really made it better, it was tangy and fiery, much better.

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Most of my sauces get aged for an average of 4-6 months. Some make it year before they're opened or finished. Fermented sauces age differently than others typically, too.

As per my instructional post here, all my sauces get better with age, but I couldn't say that there's any one single golden age. Be patient, make a few batches, and sample some periodically.

Tiber_Brew said:

Most of my sauces get aged for an average of 4-6 months. Some make it year before they're opened or finished. Fermented sauces age differently than others typically, too.

As per my instructional post here, all my sauces get better with age, but I couldn't say that there's any one single golden age. Be patient, make a few batches, and sample some periodically.

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Thanks, I'll give that a try. I just made some more using the Japanese pods, but this time I added one chipotle pod to the mix.

Reaper pods baby

Source on those?

Awesome, btw!

My garden



Different angle


Habs

Congrats on a good grow! My Reapers died, but my Ghost and Thai are going strong. Our grow season is very late up here, but I'll post harvest pics and recipe stats when I make my sauces.

Here too. The reaper plant was bought from a local grow shop that over wintered a big plant and cloned it. A great head start. I have a Moruga Scorpion that's just starting to spit pods, Trinidad scorp that has some pods but won't ripen! I germinated everything too late. Next year I'm germinating in January.

I'll send you some seeds if you're interested.

Trinidad scorpions starting to ripen... they are not my friend.

HoppyDaze said:

I'll send you some seeds if you're interested.

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That would be great. I spent a good amount of cash this year on seeds, so I'd certainly appreciate any that you don't mind parting with.

bottlebomber said:

Trinidad scorpions starting to ripen... they are not my friend.

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the chocolate ones are even nastier

Made a 8 quart batch at a buddy's place this morning. He has hundreds of Fatalii pods on his plant and dozens of ghost peppers. I brought some Carolina reapers and habaneros for variety sake. It turned out really good.

I canned three and a half quarts. This should last me a while!

HoppyDaze said:

Made a 8 quart batch at a buddy's place this morning. He has hundreds of Fatalii pods on his plant and dozens of ghost peppers. I brought some Carolina reapers and habaneros for variety sake. It turned out really good.

I canned three and a half quarts. This should last me a while!

View attachment 224045

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Fermented or raw?

Two hour simmer on stovetop with a bunch of other ingredients

That mango habanero hot sauce I made in May of 2013 is really coming around nicely.

It was too damn hot for awhile, but now it has a perfect heat/flavor balance.

Made another batch of fermented hot sauce using some fresh picks from my garden and some store bought peppers. Includes Bhut Jolokia, Cayenne, Habenero, Jalepeno, bell pepper, tomato, white onion, garlic, brown sugar, paprika, and salt. I'll check progress of this ferment to see when I'll strain it and package it.

Pepper porn

HoppyDaze said:

Pepper porn

View attachment 224183

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So...beautiful

Tiber_Brew said:

Made another batch of fermented hot sauce using some fresh picks from my garden and some store bought peppers. Includes Bhut Jolokia, Cayenne, Habenero, Jalepeno, bell pepper, tomato, white onion, garlic, brown sugar, paprika, and salt. I'll check progress of this ferment to see when I'll strain it and package it.

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I've never fermented peppers or any other veggies. What do you do after it's done fermenting, long term storage wise? Can it?

HoppyDaze said:

I've never fermented pepper or any other veggies. What do you do after it's done fermenting, long term storage wise? Can it?

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I strain it through a coarse strainer and simmer it for 20 minutes as usual. That pasteurizes the sauce. If the pH is above 3.5, I add vinegar to bring it down.

Fermenting the sauce tends to calm the heat a bit, but has a fantastic flavor. I usually don't ferment my sauces, but it's a nice treat once in a while.

Tiber_Brew said:

I strain it through a coarse strainer and simmer it for 20 minutes as usual. That pasteurizes the sauce. If the pH is above 3.5, I add vinegar to bring it down.

Fermenting the sauce tends to calm the heat a bit, but has a fantastic flavor. I usually don't ferment my sauces, but it's a nice treat once in a while.

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Have you tried it with just vinegar instead of the heat pasteurizing? I've noticed that cooking really changes the flavor. I like a good tart vinegar based hot sauce, and just preserving it with vinegar instead of heat to stop the fermentation really gives it a good 'twang'. If you know what I mean, I can't describe it, but heat pasteurizing doesn't give me the same flavor profile.

Dominic1920 said:

Have you tried it with just vinegar instead of the heat pasteurizing? I've noticed that cooking really changes the flavor. I like a good tart vinegar based hot sauce, and just preserving it with vinegar instead of heat to stop the fermentation really gives it a good 'twang'. If you know what I mean, I can't describe it, but heat pasteurizing doesn't give me the same flavor profile.

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I've never tried that. What pH do you bring the sauce down to when you do that? I've always just simmered it and it comes out great, but I'd be willing to try a small portion with just vinegar to see how it comes out.

Tiber_Brew said:

I've never tried that. What pH do you bring the sauce down to when you do that? I've always just simmered it and it comes out great, but I'd be willing to try a small portion with just vinegar to see how it comes out.

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I don't know what the pH is. I never tested it. Do you just use pH testing strips or what? I add as much as a quarter to a third white distilled vinegar (5%, I think) by volume. My fermented sauces start out pretty thick, a paste really. So the vinegar makes it a perfect pouring consistency.

Dominic1920 said:

I don't know what the pH is. I never tested it. Do you just use pH testing strips or what? I add as much as a quarter to a third white distilled vinegar (5%, I think) by volume. My fermented sauces start out pretty thick, a paste really. So the vinegar makes it a perfect pouring consistency.

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You could use strips or a meter, yes. It is important to keep the pH under 4.0, but better yet 3.0 - 3.5 for safe keeping if unpasteurized. You'd also need to refrigerate it.

I'm going to make a fermented paste with the super hots I have. I think I will just add vinegar and pressure can it when I'm done to save room in the fridge. It will be like a concentrate I'd imagine. Thinking of using this recipe. What do you think?

Tiber_Brew said:

Made another batch of fermented hot sauce using some fresh picks from my garden and some store bought peppers. Includes Bhut Jolokia, Cayenne, Habenero, Jalepeno, bell pepper, tomato, white onion, garlic, brown sugar, paprika, and salt. I'll check progress of this ferment to see when I'll strain it and package it.

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How do you sanitize the cheese cloth, if you bother to at all?

HoppyDaze said:

I'm going to make a fermented paste with the super hots I have. I think I will just add vinegar and pressure can it when I'm done to save room in the fridge. It will be like a concentrate I'd imagine. Thinking of using this recipe. What do you think?

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Just my .02, but I'm not a fan of how the flavor of canned garlic holds up to aging after being cooked. I can dozens of pints of salsa each year, and I eventually learned to use only the tomatoes, peppers, and salt, and I add the onions and garlic fresh when I open a jar. It only takes a minute, and it's just better.

I won't be cooking anything...unless that's what your calling the fermentation.

HoppyDaze said:

I'm going to make a fermented paste with the super hots I have. I think I will just add vinegar and pressure can it when I'm done to save room in the fridge. It will be like a concentrate I'd imagine. Thinking of using this recipe. What do you think?

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That's a bit different than the method I use, but I'm sure it works out fine. I start out similarly by putting all my ingredients in the food processor, but I add salt brine to the paste when I put it in the jars to ferment. You want to keep the peppers covered in salt water to prevent mold. Alternatively, you could stir the paste (very) frequently to avoid mold, but that's kind of a pain.

bottlebomber said:

Just my .02, but I'm not a fan of how the flavor of canned garlic holds up to aging after being cooked. I can dozens of pints of salsa each year, and I eventually learned to use only the tomatoes, peppers, and salt, and I add the onions and garlic fresh when I open a jar. It only takes a minute, and it's just better.

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I'll add my $0.02 as well: I simmer all my hot sauces, and they all contain garlic and onion, although (usually) in less proportions than a salsa. I have to say my sauces turn out quite tasty (in fact, there are a few members of this forum who have tasted some of my sauces). I'm not saying that the flavor of garlic or onion doesn't change when cooked, but that as part of a necessary part of my process, it doesn't negatively affect the flavor either. My advice would be to keep it as simple as possible at first, then experiment when you're comfortable with the process.

HoppyDaze said:

I won't be cooking anything...unless that's what your calling the fermentation.

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I think he's referring to your mention of "pressure canning," which implies high heat in a pressure cooker.