Homemade hot sauce recipes

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I'll make one last batch of hot sauce this season (or until I run out), but this will be a fermented style and straining out the bulk material. Many habs and an unknown hotter pepper along with cayenne. It will only be about a pint.
 
I need advice on a basic recipe to turn a pint of pickled Serrano's into some hot sauce. It can't be too hot. I can adjust the heat, but I'm not sure what base recipe to start with. We don't like a LOT of heat, but I'm looking for something that is flavorful.

There are too many recipes out there to know what to start with.
 
Homercidal said:
I need advice on a basic recipe to turn a pint of pickled Serrano's into some hot sauce. It can't be too hot. I can adjust the heat, but I'm not sure what base recipe to start with. We don't like a LOT of heat, but I'm looking for something that is flavorful.

There are too many recipes out there to know what to start with.
Click to expand...

Normally i dont start with pickled peppers for a hot sauce but....Things that will pair well with serrano and lower the heat a tad.
Tomatillos
Green apples
Onion
Poblano or mild Anaheim peppers
Pineapple juice....sounds weird but a tiny bit goes well with jalas and serrano
Fresh lime juice...only add it after its cooled and just before bottling. Never cook lime juice if you want to retain the flavor.

Spices
Cumin and Coriander seed
Garlic
 
Homercidal said:
I need advice on a basic recipe to turn a pint of pickled Serrano's into some hot sauce. It can't be too hot. I can adjust the heat, but I'm not sure what base recipe to start with. We don't like a LOT of heat, but I'm looking for something that is flavorful.

There are too many recipes out there to know what to start with.
Click to expand...

I make a "green sauce" using serranos, jalepenos, other green chilis around (pablanos, aneheim, etc.), onion, garlic, and tomatillos. Nothing super special about it but it tastes great and give a good canvas to incorporate new flavors. I roast it all and have never used pickled peppers, I may this weekedend though since I have a half gallon that's been pickling for a few weeks. I think they may be used here to supplement a bit of lime juice or vinegar.

I don't do much by way of exact but here's an estimate.
~2 pounds tamatillos
1 large yellow/white onion
5-8 cloves of garlic (5 on the big side, 8 on the small side)
~1-2 pound of peppers
2 tbs olive oil
kosher salt
1 cup lime juice or 1/2 vinegar (white works but something with flavor is always better. May be able to reduce assuming your pickled pepper have a good bit of acidity)

Clean tomatillos, seed the peepers if you'd like, and put everything on a baking sheet (if using those pickled peppers, leave peppers out). Toss with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Throw it in the oven at 425 until everything is roasted (the tomatillos get soft and start turning brown, the peppers are blistered, the garlic and onions get some good color). Throw it in a blender with the lime juice or vinegar. If using lime juice throw in a tbs of chopped up lime zest. Add water if it seems too thick. I usually put in about 1/2-1 tbs salt depending on how much I made. Blend it as smooth as possible. You can eat it like that or push it throw a mesh strainer with a rubber spatula to remove any seeds or skins from roasting.
 
I freeze peppers for making hot sauce later. It does not hurt the flavor only the texture which is not important when making sauce. This year i bagged them up for each batch so if i needed say.......20 jalas but im waiting on some Scorpions to zip it up.....I got everything labeled (with pepper weight) just waiting in the freezer for the final ingredient.

Weigh and measure EVERYTHING so if you like the sauce its simple to reproduce again. Write it all down and save a couple copies on the net somewhere like here.
 
Evilgrin said:
I freeze peppers for making hot sauce later. It does not hurt the flavor only the texture which is not important when making sauce. This year i bagged them up for each batch so if i needed say.......20 jalas but im waiting on some Scorpions to zip it up.....I got everything labeled (with pepper weight) just waiting in the freezer for the final ingredient.

Weigh and measure EVERYTHING so if you like the sauce its simple to reproduce again. Write it all down and save a couple copies on the net somewhere like here.
Click to expand...

Interesting approach.

I have been trying something new this year. As groups of peppers are ready I am fermenting them in batches along with other vegetables (onions, carrot, garlic) from the garden. I love the flavor of fermenting provides and usually do it with my last big batch of peppers, but have never done them in multiple batches along with other vegetables.
 
Had a few thai chilies left over so decided to get a lacto ferment going...

IMG_20190921_142810_610.jpg
 
Homercidal said:
I need advice on a basic recipe to turn a pint of pickled Serrano's into some hot sauce. It can't be too hot. I can adjust the heat, but I'm not sure what base recipe to start with. We don't like a LOT of heat, but I'm looking for something that is flavorful.

There are too many recipes out there to know what to start with.
Click to expand...
Serrano (ripe/red) is my favorite sauce.....

Evilgrin had a lot of good suggestions if peppers are green.

For the red ones, I simply ferment the peppers, drain off most of the brine, and then run them through a juicer. Add a bit of vinegar/salt for taste pH. I boil it and bottle it. It ends up almost as thick as ketchup. It has some heat to it, but not crazy. Generally, when I want to cancel out some heat in a red pepper sauce, I use carrots. Can shred them and ferment then juice them, adding to the pepper sauce and boiling.
Or, you could just run some carrots through a juicer or buy carrot juice and add to taste. Would want to boil well and or refrigerate as you would have sugars in the carrot juice.....
 
Tis the season.... 1/2 gallon jars. Three are Fresno and two are Serrano. Looking forward to the Fresno.... first year growing them. They have a nice flavor and should make a great sauce. Lots more on their way as well - more Serrano, more Fresno.... Plus, Peach Ghost, Lemon Drop, Sugar Rush, Cayenne, Datil and Tobasco.
Also, @AZ_IPA You posted earlier about your dilemma with the brine..... these lids are spectacular..... as they ferment, all 02 is pushed out, and none gets back in. even when my ferments get above the brine, I have never had mold or kham yeast using them.... I don't even use weights. Just leave the lid on once it starts. I have tried everything from crocks, to glass weights, to airlocks, to pickle pipes, to stainless spring loaded lids.... these are better than all of them combined in my experience. Worth looking into if you are interested - you can get the same thing on Amazon as well. https://nourishedessentials.com/products/the-easy-fermenter


70904649_2524134024309728_1371262076974006272_n.jpg
 
Evilgrin said:
I freeze peppers for making hot sauce later. It does not hurt the flavor only the texture which is not important when making sauce. This year i bagged them up for each batch so if i needed say.......20 jalas but im waiting on some Scorpions to zip it up.....I got everything labeled (with pepper weight) just waiting in the freezer for the final ingredient.

Weigh and measure EVERYTHING so if you like the sauce its simple to reproduce again. Write it all down and save a couple copies on the net somewhere like here.
Click to expand...

I do the same..... I freeze them in zip locks as I harvest until I get large amounts of specific peppers. I prefer to ferment everything solo and then blend together later if I want to. Lets you do bigger batches, and lets you do them when you might have more time, or over the course of the year.

I do prefer to use lacto starters with my pepper ferments. I know some don't. Just seems to give me faster, more consistent results. I use about a half packet of starter to 1/2 gallon jar of peppers. 2-3 % brine. This is the starter I use. Can get at various sources including amazon too.

https://cuttingedgecultures.com/product/starter-culture-for-making-raw-fermented-vegetables/
 
When using sugars in a hot sauce you can prevent a reoccurring fermentation by getting the pH down more. Once you hit around 3ph pretty much nothing is gunna grow in it. Not even lacto will be active but it might still be alive if you did not pasteurize.

I like probiotic foods BUT when it comes to sauce i dont really see any point it letting it remain "alive" unless you just want it to age. Ive had hot sauce bottle bombs go off. It makes a huge mess. Eat some uncooked kraut or fermented veggies instead if you want your probiotics. :p
 
Evilgrin said:
When using sugars in a hot sauce you can prevent a reoccurring fermentation by getting the pH down more. Once you hit around 3ph pretty much nothing is gunna grow in it. Not even lacto will be active but it might still be alive if you did not pasteurize.

I like probiotic foods BUT when it comes to sauce i dont really see any point it letting it remain "alive" unless you just want it to age. Ive had hot sauce bottle bombs go off. It makes a huge mess. Eat some uncooked kraut or fermented veggies instead if you want your probiotics. :p
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Agreed - I don't see hot sauce as a "pro-biotic" source. Generally, just not using very much of it. I do kraut and other fermented veggies. Plenty of pro biotics in those. I always heat my hot sauce and generally add some vinegar if needed. I make a lot when I make it, and give away most of it, so, I like to make sure it is not a potential bomb.... god, I can't imagine an exploded bottle of ghost pepper sauce o_O
 
I used Cutting Edge culture starter on my last cayenne ferment. It took off fast. Im 11 days in and its quite sour already. I only had 1 plant and a limited harvest of long cayenne so i wasn't going to risk it.

I like those lids but ive got weights, lids and air locks. Plus the E-Jen type fermenter. Might get some kahm yeast occasionally but mold has little chance of growing on just the surface of very salty water. If using a ground mash though its a whole other ball game. Those lids would be the best choice. Keeping a ground up mash under a brine line is nearly impossible and it molds easily.
 
For those looking for something different..... This was my favorite "new" sauce I made last year. Making more this year for sure. Great base recipe that you can tweak to your own tastes. I scaled back the peppers quite a bit.... that is A LOT of heat in my opinion as is. I boiled it down to a thick ketchup consistency. It essentially ended up reminding me of a spicy, thick Bloody Mary . That was actually one of its best uses.... a spoonful into a Bloody Mary was awesome. Great on anything where ketchup might be used - but you want something more. I am sure you could sub in something other than the Datil if needed. Recipe is at the bottom when you scroll down. https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/datil-pepper-sauce/
 
Evilgrin said:
While not quite a hot sauce i love doing this with end of season peppers, especially ones that dont have time to ripen. I dont care for many peppers until they are ripe but they rock like this.

Green Sichuan, green and ripe Fresno/jalapeno, a couple bonnets and ghosts. ACV seasoned only with some garlic. Pour over the peppers hot and seal the bottle. Forget about it for at least a month.
pKiuBf1.jpg
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I have this on my "to do" list this fall. Is the vinegar good enough to stop any fermentation of the fresh peppers/garlic etc?
 
That recipe looks really good. Only thing i would change is dont add the lemon juice to the cook down. Use fresh lime or lemon juice to finish. Might be a tad "tomato-eee" too. I use just a couple cherry maters for stuff like that. That adds just a hint of mater flavor.

My next experiment is a Naglah Brown sauce seasoned with some Pickapeppa original. Probably maple vinegar and Mexican Piloncillo sugar. Love Pickapeppa but the hot version just dont taste the same. It has more mango added. I want something that tastes more like the original but with some good heat. My Naglahs are almost as hot as ghosts.
 
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Freeze them till you get enough is a tip I have been needing.

Also, I dont have enough hot. Was thinking about rounding out my recipe with poblanos, bell and or cubaneca. Any thoughts on that? I know it wont be spicey but taste is more important than spicey for me
 
Poblano pairs well with jalapeno and serrano. Might want to try roasted and peeled first also. They freeze fine roasted. I use bells occasionally as well but normally ripe red, orange or yellow to go in a red or orange sauce. I dont use them often green in sauces.

Just a FYI, carrots are not just orange. There are others too if maintaining a certain color is the goal. Beets can add sugars and color to a sauce. It only takes a tiny bit for the color. I get these cooked beets that are just beets. Nothing else is in them. No salt no additional sugar or vinegar.

Annatto powder adds a nice color naturally plus adds a hint of flavor. The flavor pairs really well with many ripe annuums and some chinense too.
 
Braufessor said:
I have this on my "to do" list this fall. Is the vinegar good enough to stop any fermentation of the fresh peppers/garlic etc?
Click to expand...

Almost nothing is gunna grow in straight vinegar poured in hot. Not much on the pepper can survive it. I got bottles going on a couple years old. Vinegar (5% acidity) is well under 3pH and you can get 7%-8% if you really want. Many of the wine type vinegars are 7% or higher. I just use ACV most of the time.

Another method ive tried is partially drying pepper first in my dehydrator and then cover them in hot vinegar. Seal the bottle and forget about it for a month. I actually have one bottle i did as ornamental so long ago ive forgotten how old it is. I gave it a taste a few months ago....It was awesome.
 
guys...I have a million hot peppers. Anyone who needs some can have them..just pay for a small flat rate box and I'll fill it up and send it.

Evilgrin...I'd like to swap some pods with you if you're interested.
 
Im between waves atm and running out of time actually. Most of what i got fresh has been in the fridge for a week. If they bounce back from the hornworms i will have a bunch of brown bhut hybrids from Pepperlover seed stock. I got a few green Dragons Breath, Zapotec and Jays Peach Ghost Scorpions. Probably some more CCN strain of Reapers too.

Lot of the pods outside are getting a bit old. I planted way too many for me to deal with this year. Good for open pollinated seed stock but past their prime for eating. I gave everything a final good shot of nutrients a few days ago.

Im drying stuff as fast as i can tolerate it now.
 
Evilgrin said:
Poblano pairs well with jalapeno and serrano. Might want to try roasted and peeled first also. They freeze fine roasted. I use bells occasionally as well but normally ripe red, orange or yellow to go in a red or orange sauce. I dont use them often green in sauces.

Just a FYI, carrots are not just orange. There are others too if maintaining a certain color is the goal. Beets can add sugars and color to a sauce. It only takes a tiny bit for the color. I get these cooked beets that are just beets. Nothing else is in them. No salt no additional sugar or vinegar.

Annatto powder adds a nice color naturally plus adds a hint of flavor. The flavor pairs really well with many ripe annuums and some chinense too.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the quick response. I Figured poblanos would pair well. Roasted polano's would add an amazing taste. I got some jalapenos So no worries. I got white wine vinegar but I feel like the better the vinegar the better the sauce. Champagne vinegar for example has a better taste than cheap wine vinegar. Anyone else consider vinegar quality?
 
Ive had a roasted poblano and jalapeno sauce before...LOVED IT.

Ive tried a few vinegars for jalapeno sauces and 2 standout IMO. Cider vinegar and red wine vinegar. Adjust final acidity/pH after cooking with fresh lime juice. I have a very large vinegar collection too btw. :p Some well over 20yrs old.
 
I made Alton Brown's Silky Salsa Verde recipe - https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/silky-salsa-verde-7415725 - a couple weeks back and we LOVED it. Delicious on grilled fish, chicken, pork belly, veggies - I used a roasted Poblano because I had one instead of the pepper he called for; otherwise made it pretty much as written. I have a bunch more tomatillos now and am gonna make it again and can it. I know it will change things a bit with the cooking but I think it's still gonna be great.

Also have a FarmSteady recipe going for fermented tomatillos/peppers/onions/cilantro - once it's fermented you blend it up with some vinegar, gonna use our home-brewed apple cider vinegar. Hope that one is tasty too.
 
Not sure if I posted this last year. I had a CRAZY amount of Chocolate Habaneros I grew from seed. The sauce I made had a base of canned peaches. It really made a nice sauce that everyone raves about and balanced out the intense heat of the habaneros. Here is the recipe if anyone is interested.

https://allourway.com/light-my-fire-habanero-pepper-sauce/
 
Thanks for all the sage advice! I made the sauce. Roasted 5 or 6 garden poblanos and two bell peppers. Peeled the skins, seeded mostly, and threw in the boil. Here is one roasted and one peeled. A quarter onion and a tsp or so of jar garlic. Also 4 garden salsa hot peppers, which I think were hot and xanthan gum. Anyways thanks the sauce is amazing. Best ever tasted by me for sure.
Screenshot_20190926-211048_Messages.jpeg
20190926_200835.jpeg
 
Applescrap.....REALLY nice sauce there!!!!

Im working on a black sauce atm. Still putting the list together.
 
Temptd2 said:
I made Alton Brown's Silky Salsa Verde recipe - https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/silky-salsa-verde-7415725 - a couple weeks back and we LOVED it. Delicious on grilled fish, chicken, pork belly, veggies - I used a roasted Poblano because I had one instead of the pepper he called for; otherwise made it pretty much as written. I have a bunch more tomatillos now and am gonna make it again and can it. I know it will change things a bit with the cooking but I think it's still gonna be great.

Also have a FarmSteady recipe going for fermented tomatillos/peppers/onions/cilantro - once it's fermented you blend it up with some vinegar, gonna use our home-brewed apple cider vinegar. Hope that one is tasty too.
Click to expand...

A storm destroyed most of my tomatillos this year, but I gave a lady at my church 4 extra tomatillo plants in early June and she got a bumper crop; she gave me 10 pounds of 'em Sunday. I've used half of those to can some salsa verde, and it turned out really good. I'll make more with the rest of them this weekend. I think I posted my USDA salsa recipe here earlier: 5 pounds tomatoes, 2 pounds jalapenos, 1 pound onions, 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1/2 cup bottled lemon juice, 3 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper. I just substituted tomatillos for the tomatoes. Simmered until the peppers and onions were soft, and blenderized it all with a stick blender until mostly smooth. Processed in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. I got 8 pints, with a little left over.
 
Just got this cooked down. Im shooting for a almost black sauce with mid to upper heat. Nice amount of sweetness too.

3 Aji Panca deseeded
3 Big Brown Bhuts mostly deseeded
1 Dragons Breath mostly deseeded
3 Tbs Minced red shallot.
2 Tbs PickaPeppa
2 Tsp Maple Syrup
1 Tsp Molasses
2 fancy cloves crushed
3 All Spice crushed
Pinch of thyme from the garden
Dash of ginga powda
1/2 Tsp sea salt
2/3 cup Water
1/3 Cup Red cane vinegar

Added 3 pealed black garlic cloves at the very end to minimize cooking it as much and kill the heat.

Allow to cool, blend and set in the fridge for a few days.
Adjust acidity with Chinese Shanxi (Shuita brand) black vinegar.
Blend again, strain and bottle.

Come up with a name
Abyss?

And yeah it seems pretty hot but the sweetness fools you for a moment. Its not cooled or blended yet. Just got done with a pretty hard simmer to get it all nice and soft.
 
Even without the Pickapeppa, i think the rest of the recipe would be great with lots of supers and chinenses. I think black garlic is my new favorite item for hot sauce. I got a pound of peeled 120 day for around $25 on Amazon. Flavor is sorta like a garlic flavored raisin or date. Cloves are quite sweet and chewy.
https://www.amazon.com/Peeled-Black-Garlic-Kosher-Certified/dp/B00NR6ZJIM

You can probably do this without the Shanxi vinegar. Black rice vinegar is common but this is not made from rice. I had to go to one of the hard core Chinese markets to find it. Shuita brand 5yr aged. Not too expensive at markets but it is on Amazon.
 
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