Homemade hot sauce recipes

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Guess I'll jump in here. I just made my first batch of hot sauce using home grown, dried jalapenos and some store bought cayennes. I'm gonna let it chill in the fridge for a couple days before I strain and bottle it.

Hopefully it tastes good. Not looking for massive heat.
 
I need some help!

A couple of months ago, I took about three scorpion peppers, two ghost peppers, and a bunch of habaneros, along with a couple serranos. I blender-ized them, added some garlic and onion and a dab of honey.

Now that it's fermented out, it's HOT. Oh, I don't mean it's hot- I mean the military can use them as a nuclear weapon.

For one batch about a month ago, I fermented some tomatillo salsa (salsa verde) from tomatillos at the Mexican market in S. Texas, and added a tablespoon or so of this pepper paste, and it was fantastic.

I'm thinking now about fermenting some carrots and making a "Marie Sharp's" Belizean sauce (my favorite).

But I need help to know what to do with a quart of this fermented pepper mash. I haven't strained it yet, so I know there will be a lot less. But it's so HOT that a little will go a long way.

I'm back in the Northwoods and don't have access to things like mangoes, at least not yet, or cilantro but I want to get started on at least one or two hot sauces.

The paste (did I mention it is HOT????) has some distinct tartness from fermentation, and I don't want it overly vinegar-y, but am not opposed to adding some vinegar if needed.
 
Yea, I'd cut it with vinegar. It'll be a lot easier to strain that way too. The solution to pollution is dilution. I'm no expert though. Looking forward to other comments.

I use a pressure cooker and then immersion blender to make instant hot sauce. Might not produce nuances you get from fermentation, but you can go from raw peppers to a simple hot sauce in a bottle in about 15 minutes. Maybe for pilot batches :)

Add sliced peppers, cover with cider vinegar, about 3 minutes at 15psi, remove lid when pressure is gone, blend, strain.
 
@Tiber_Brew has told me to cut it with vinegar as well, and I'm good with that for some of it for sure.

I'm going to get a little batch of sauerkraut going today, and I use some of the liquid from sauerkraut to start pickles and pickled carrots. I love the flavor from these fermented veggies, and will also get some kimchee going again once my Korean pepper flakes come from Amazon.
 
make a monster 16 quart batch of hot sauce, can it and give away as gifts..I usually give away most of my sauce because I make so much
 
Yooper said:
I need some help!

A couple of months ago, I took about three scorpion peppers, two ghost peppers, and a bunch of habaneros, along with a couple serranos. I blender-ized them, added some garlic and onion and a dab of honey.

Now that it's fermented out, it's HOT. Oh, I don't mean it's hot- I mean the military can use them as a nuclear weapon.

For one batch about a month ago, I fermented some tomatillo salsa (salsa verde) from tomatillos at the Mexican market in S. Texas, and added a tablespoon or so of this pepper paste, and it was fantastic.

I'm thinking now about fermenting some carrots and making a "Marie Sharp's" Belizean sauce (my favorite).

But I need help to know what to do with a quart of this fermented pepper mash. I haven't strained it yet, so I know there will be a lot less. But it's so HOT that a little will go a long way.

I'm back in the Northwoods and don't have access to things like mangoes, at least not yet, or cilantro but I want to get started on at least one or two hot sauces.

The paste (did I mention it is HOT????) has some distinct tartness from fermentation, and I don't want it overly vinegar-y, but am not opposed to adding some vinegar if needed.
Click to expand...

I boil,up some sweet bell peppers ( red, orange or yellow) in some vinegar, blend that up and start adding you super hot sauce to taste. Works great. You can dial in the heat level you want.
 
Tiber_Brew said:
I can think of three options, Yoop.

1. Vinegar
2. Juice of some tropical-type fruit (pineapple, mango, etc.)
3. Tomato sauce

Or, bonus option #3: give it to Tiber :)
Click to expand...

Haha- come and get it. There is less than a quart, but since even opening the jar causes distress to the spouse, I assume a little will go a LONG way.

All great ideas- so I'm thinking some more and will continue to experiment. We are low on tropical fruit here, as you can imagine, but it's not going anywhere!
 
Catching up on posting. Lots of hot sauce action.

Been gobbling my cayenne hot sauce. Its super delicious on EVERYTHING. Just puree all the peppers in food processor, add to pressure cooker, add cider vinegar until saturated, cook 5 min, liquify with immersion blender, strain, eat. Made 3+ pints. I have a batch of deer chili that this tastes great on (had some today).

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Habaneros are going CRAZY! I must get 20 or 30 peppers every week. It's out of control.

I did the same thing as above: food processor, pressure cooker, some vinegar, strain, into jars. Seven pints of PURE heat. pH is 3.7, so it doesn't need to be in fridge. Not sure what Imma gonna do with it all, but at least it's shelf stable now. It's really too hot to just put on chips and stuff. Well, I did just that, but you need a sweat band around your head.

_mg_1479-67303.jpg

_mg_1486-67304.jpg

_mg_1496-67305.jpg
 
So, as recommended by others on this forum, I'm also fermenting a couple of pounds of cayennes and also a couple pounds of habaneros. I did NOT add any vinegar to any of this because I didn't want the acid to inhibit the bacteria.

It's definitely been doing something over the last 4 weeks. Not sure what's going on in there, but for a while I'd go in and stir, then I don't, then I do... it's breaking down in there for sure. I can see bubbles in the body of the mash due to fermentation gasses. It's getting thinner. We'll see how this tastes compared to the ultra-fast/simple process of just using the pressure cooker.

Habs on left, cayennes on right.

_mg_14831-67309.jpg

_mg_14811-67310.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
passedpawn said:
Habaneros are going CRAZY! I must get 20 or 30 peppers every week. It's out of control.

I did the same thing as above: food processor, pressure cooker, some vinegar, strain, into jars. Seven pints of PURE heat. pH is 3.7, so it doesn't need to be in fridge. Not sure what Imma gonna do with it all, but at least it's shelf stable now. It's really too hot to just put on chips and stuff. Well, I did just that, but you need a sweat band around your head.
Click to expand...

Holy Crap Andrew!! What an awesome crop of chilies! :mug:
 
Code:
passedpawn said:
Silicone "Pickle Pipes". They're made for fermenting stuff in wide-mouth mason jars. Pretty nifty for kraut, fermenting kimchee, and hot sauce. They're also great for topping a jar of stored yeast slurry(I jar a ton of yeast slurry).

They are more expensive than they should be. I like them regardless.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01726CJ9Y/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
Click to expand...

Cool! I've never seen those before. Good idea.

I need to get some more jars this year too. I have most of them filled with starter wort.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
passedpawn said:
So, as recommended by others on this forum, I'm also fermenting a couple of pounds of cayennes and also a couple pounds of habaneros. I did NOT add any vinegar to any of this because I didn't want the acid to inhibit the bacteria.

It's definitely been doing something over the last 4 weeks. Not sure what's going on in there, but for a while I'd go in and stir, then I don't, then I do... it's breaking down in there for sure. I can see bubbles in the body of the mash due to fermentation gasses. It's getting thinner. We'll see how this tastes compared to the ultra-fast/simple process of just using the pressure cooker.

Habs on left, cayennes on right.

_mg_14831-67309.jpg

_mg_14811-67310.jpg
Click to expand...


Should post that in one of the "show your pellicle" threads! Do you just scrape it off the top before straining?
 
BrewinBromanite said:
Should post that in one of the "show your pellicle" threads! Do you just scrape it off the top before straining?
Click to expand...

I don't have a good plan yet. Once a week i just mix the mold back into the hot sauce. It's still not thin enough to strain yet I don't think.

Using the immersion blender, as I described above, works so well, I will probably do that to these fermented sauces before straining. Probably this weekend.
 
BrewinBromanite said:
passedpawn said:
I don't have a good plan yet. Once a week i just mix the mold back into the hot sauce. It's still not thin enough to strain yet I don't think. ... QUOTE]

Interesting! Wasn't really expecting that. Lol. About how long will you let it ferment?
Click to expand...

It's been like that for a month. I'd say that's enough. I don't have map, so I'm just making this up as I go along.
Click to expand...
 
HoppyDaze said:
Some Datils and a fatty Lemon Habanero. Enough heat for a pint of hot sauce. Not bad for a Pacific Northwest gardener early June. Quite a few more ripening.

View attachment 357875
Click to expand...

Those look great. I'll be getting seeds from Pepper Joes this summer to get some more varieties in the ground in the winter. I might try out the Datils.
 
I based it off of this recipe linked below, but changed it a fair amount - the picture is what I did today...... This is more of a BBQ sauce. I made a milder version of it this time - moderate, lingering heat. But not screaming hot in any way. Wife wanted this one toned down. Only used 5 large Habanero's today.
I mix all the liquid/fruit ingredients together and simmer. Then I mix dry ingredients separate and add those, and Habenaro's to the point I like the taste. (the garlic goes in with liquid ingredients, minced). I use a hand blender to liquify the sauce.
Great on chicken and ribs in particular.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/57326/bobs-habanero-hot-sauce---liquid-fire/

recipe.jpg.png.jpeg


recipe 2.jpg.png.jpeg
 
BrewinBromanite said:
passedpawn said:
I don't have a good plan yet. Once a week i just mix the mold back into the hot sauce. It's still not thin enough to strain yet I don't think. ... QUOTE]

Interesting! Wasn't really expecting that. Lol. About how long will you let it ferment?
Click to expand...

I blended my fermenting habs and cayennes tonight. Made the mistake of tasting the habanero sauce. Military grade heat.
Click to expand...
 
passedpawn said:
Habaneros are going CRAZY! I must get 20 or 30 peppers every week. It's out of control.

I did the same thing as above: food processor, pressure cooker, some vinegar, strain, into jars. Seven pints of PURE heat. pH is 3.7, so it doesn't need to be in fridge. Not sure what Imma gonna do with it all, but at least it's shelf stable now. It's really too hot to just put on chips and stuff. Well, I did just that, but you need a sweat band around your head.

_mg_1479-67303.jpg

_mg_1486-67304.jpg

_mg_1496-67305.jpg
Click to expand...

@passedpawn -

I have a bunch of whole, frozen Habanero's and scotch bonnets.... I know I won't use them in anything in the near future. And, by then, I will have new ones ripening. So, I am thinking about doing something like this with them..... food processor, pressure cooker, vinegar, etc. My wife always wants me to make my BBQ sauce mild. So, figured this would be a way to add some heat to it and kick it up when needed, or add to other sauces, etc. to get some heat.

Couple quick questions -

Vinegar - White or Apple Cider do you think is best?
Vinegar - How much are you adding?
Pressure cooker..... when you say 5 minutes, are you basically going with 5 minutes once the weight starts rocking and then shutting it down at that point?
Canning - did you "can/Water bath" the jars after to seal them. Or, just put lids on because pH was low enough?

How bad are the fumes on this? Wondering if I should do the food processor and blending outside??

Thanks!
 
Braufessor said:
Couple quick questions -

Vinegar - White or Apple Cider do you think is best?
Vinegar - How much are you adding?
Pressure cooker..... when you say 5 minutes, are you basically going with 5 minutes once the weight starts rocking and then shutting it down at that point?
Canning - did you "can/Water bath" the jars after to seal them. Or, just put lids on because pH was low enough?

How bad are the fumes on this? Wondering if I should do the food processor and blending outside??

Thanks!
Click to expand...

  • I've used both cider and distilled. I prefer cider.
  • I did measure the vinegar I added the first time, but I didn't write it down :( Just puree the peppers, add to pressure cooker, and add enough vinegar to saturate them. I've done this several times and the sauce always comes out just right.
  • Yea, the pressure cooker time is after pressure is achieved and the weight starts rattling.
  • I just put the lids on - did not process. I think there's enough vinegar to reduce the pH enough to make them shelf stable without processing. I'm not positive on any of this though. I considered that I've been leaving tobasco on the counter my whole life without any issue. Tobasco is just cayennes, vinegar, and salt - so that's what I use. If you add any sort of fruit (mango, etc), you'll want to process, regardless of the pH.
  • Fumes are pretty bad, both from the food processor and the pressure cooker. I had to wait for my wife to leave the house to do it. They dissipate quickly though. For the really hot peppers, consider wearing gloves, or at least be careful about washing afterwards.
 

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