Making hot pepper sauce

[GregLaROCHE]

I used to make my own hot sauce when I lived in the tropics. I’ve been trying to dry my peppers each year, but didn’t have good luck. They mostly got moldy inside. I resorted to freezing them. This year I was considering making sauce again. In the tropics you can buy peppers year round, so no need to make a big batch to worry about going bad.
Now when I grow my own, it’s a once a year thing.

I used to use to use vinegar or lime juice adding salt or sometimes Maggi cubes. Who makes their own hot sauce? What is your recipe? Can you keep it for a year without refrigeration? Maybe I need to consider some sort of canning process.

Thanks

[HWooldridge]

I make several types - but I live in Texas and am able to get chiles all year long. The easiest way to make salsa that will last for months is to make a big batch and put all of it into Mason jars. You don’t need vinegar unless you like the taste, but some salt is helpful.

Personally, I much prefer the roasted versions where some or most of the ingredients are put under a broiler to blacken then pureed in a blender. The best recipes are usually the simple ones - one of my favorites is to blacken one tomato (quartered), one serrano pepper, and one clove of garlic under the broiler. Roast until all ingredients are charred then puree with a dash of salt and black pepper. Serve hot, fresh out of the blender. You can upsize this basic recipe and make a big batch if needed. The local restaurants make their individual hot sauces in 5 gallon batches and often don’t have much left by the end of each day.

[Rapier]

Around here hot sauce and pepper sauce are two entirely different things.

Pepper sauce is made by putting the young green peppers in a glass container, with an acid resistive top, then you pour heated white vinegar compleatly over the top of the peppers, allow to cool, then put the sealing top on tight, set on a shelf to rest and make pepper sauce. Taste and heat depends on the peppers used. Many folks grow the medium heat and length green chili peppers for making pepper sauce. Same pepper that is used to make Tabasco Hot Sauce in LA, just picked green.

Hot sauce is normally made with ripe red peppers blended into a thick or creamy sauce, with white vinegar and salt added. Heat and taste is dependent on the peppers used to fuel the scovil scale. I have come across the Reaper sauce, locally and it can be stout.

Here, FL, with eons of pine trees and a fairly acidic soil, you find some very interesting peppers and sauces made from them.

First time the daughter brought her husband home....he asked me, what you got there? I had six Thai rat "ship" peppers laying by my plate. Can I have one, sure, but just cut the tip off one and eat it with a mouth full of food, they are very hot. I do not play games with hot. So being a yankee, you can not tell them anything, he grabs one and sticks the whole pepper in his mouth, chomp. The look on his face was priceless, he actually lost his breath, turned purple, grabbed a glass of water, which lit him up even worse, I got him a glass of milk, them little Thai peppers will do that.
Hard to grow, they do not like sunlight, grow under a triple canopy. I had a big bush I grew under the trees under the sprinklers. They are mean, tiny buggers, the hottest of the Thai peppers.

We have several locals around the area that grow and propagate exotic peppers, none of those peppers are remotely kind to your skin on any part of your body. Some really funny stories about watching a group of couples making pepper jelly while drinking beer and.....long picnic table under the trees, I just watched, no rubber gloves or face shields....

[skrapyard628]

A few years back I used to make a bunch of hot sauces and bottle them. Had a small grow tent in the spare bedroom where I would start my plants during the winter and then move them outside once it got warm enough to plant them. We grew a lot of types...red/orange/chocolate habanero, yellow/orange ahi, sugar rush peach, white/red ghost, carolina reaper, and a ton of others. We even successfully hybridized the white and red ghost peppers and made an orange ghost.

Taste-wise, the ghost peppers are my favorites. They have an almost fruity flavor that I love. And the second best was the chocolate hab. Although you need to watch out for the choc hab. Those things were waaaaaay spicier than I expected.

I did a bunch of experimenting with sauces, but the basic method was to slice the peppers open lengthwise and remove all the seeds and white membranes, then toss them in the food processor with any extra ingredients if I was using them for that sauce. Once everything was pureed to a fine paste I would bring the paste to a simmer in a pan with vinegar and salt. Then go straight to bottling the sauce.

Of course if I was using extra ingredients the prep methods changed slightly. If using onion or garlic I would usually steam the garlic and onion to pre-cook them and soften it up before blending with the peppers. One thing I loved experimenting with was using fruits. I find the ghost peppers to smell slightly fruity so I would pick fruit that somewhat matched the pepper smell. White ghost = pineapple, red ghost = raspberry, yellow ahi = apple...The chocolate habanero is perfect for making jerk or mole sauces IMO. One of my favorites was a sauce with the chocolate habanero made with dark chocolate and fresh raspberries.

[GregLaROCHE]

You are lucky that you were able to start your peppers inside and move them outside. I had over a hundred plants of many different varieties that started great inside under a grow lamp. I tried at several times to move some outside, but not survived. I was full of anticipation, but it didn’t work. I’m normally a pretty good gardener when I put my mind to it. I found out latter, that I you have a small fan blowing on them as they start growing, they become stronger.

[MaryB]

You are lucky that you were able to start your peppers inside and move them outside. I had over a hundred plants of many different varieties that started great inside under a grow lamp. I tried at several times to move some outside, but not survived. I was full of anticipation, but it didn’t work. I’m normally a pretty good gardener when I put my mind to it. I found out latter, that I you have a small fan blowing on them as they start growing, they become stronger.

Did you harden them off by exposure to sun/outside a couple hours a day at first then longer until they stay out all day? If not the shock of full sun can kill them.

[Char-Gar]

I starting using this stuff many years ago and never looked back. Nothing but aged Cayenne Peppers, distilled vinegar and salt. I keep a bottle of this and a 1911 pistol within reach at all times.

https://louisianahotsauce.com/hot-sauces/louisiana-hot-sauce-original/

[HWooldridge]

We might also make the distinction between salsa for chips and hot sauce. I define the latter as products like Tabasco or homemade recipes in shaker bottles - those get added to tacos, chili, gumbo, etc.

Chip salsa is a different animal, usually milder and capable of being consumed over an entire afternoon with beer and corn tostada chips. 90% of what my wife and I eat falls into this category - although I make both types.

[Jim22]

I don't much like Tabasco. I think the vinegar taste ruins it. I prefer Mexican 'Salsa Picante'. Their stuff is less vinagery and a bit thicker. HW has a point as well. In Mexico it's all called Salsa, meaning, of course, sauce. But salsa that is chunky or blended without cooking is for tacos and chips. Salsa picante is for adding if the meal needs a bit more 'Picante'. The chunky salsa is used in Huevos Rancheros and other recipes. I love it all but am not crazy about vinagery.

Jim

[SciFiJim]

You might try making fermented hot sauce. I pick them and freeze them as they ripen all year and then strip the plants just before the first frost. Then make hot sauce once a year.

There are many recipe videos on YouTube about it. Basically, remove the stems, grind them up in a blender, place in a glass jar and cover with a three percent solution of kosher salt and filtered water (no chlorine). After the bubbling stops, the fermentation is complete. At that point, I run it through a blender again and then through a mesh sieve, and then heat it to simmering to sterilize. I bottle some to keep in the fridge and freeze the rest in jars until needed. Adding a bit of vinegar helps to lower the Ph factor for stabilization. I am not partial to vinegary hot sauce, so use as little as possible. The recipes are all over the internet.

Several sites say that freezing the whole peppers before fermenting kills the Lactobacillus bacteria (the good stuff that makes it ferment) but I haven't had any problems. If you are worried about that, add a leaf of raw cabbage to the fermentation jar.

[GregLaROCHE]

Fermentation is a good idea. I am going to look into it. Thanks.

[William Yanda]

I used to make my own hot sauce when I lived in the tropics. I’ve been trying to dry my peppers each year, but didn’t have good luck. They mostly got moldy inside. I resorted to freezing them. This year I was considering making sauce again. In the tropics you can buy peppers year round, so no need to make a big batch to worry about going bad.
Now when I grow my own, it’s a once a year thing.

I used to use to use vinegar or lime juice adding salt or sometimes Maggi cubes. Who makes their own hot sauce? What is your recipe? Can you keep it for a year without refrigeration? Maybe I need to consider some sort of canning process.

Thanks

Not recognizing Maggi cubes, I googled it. What flavor do you use, Vegetable? With regard to preserving, would freezing be appropriate?
Bill

[GregLaROCHE]

I used to use chicken, because that was what was mainly available where I was. I don’t use them now, because they are full of MSG. I knew it at the time, but now I am more careful of what I put into my body. The flavor should be there to begin with and not need enhancing.

[Rapier]

One thing seen here is a well worn hot sauce leather holster on a belt. That is a sure sign of a serious hot sauce lover. See then near the docks often.

The Thai's say that if you eat real hot often enough you get to the point that you must put hot pepper on everything you eat, just to be able taste anything. Do not know that it is true, but I carry a small pill bottle in my pocket with dried and ground Thai bird peppers, I grow, I do sprinkle the ground pepper on my food.;-)

[elmacgyver0]

I starting using this stuff many years ago and never looked back. Nothing but aged Cayenne Peppers, distilled vinegar and salt. I keep a bottle of this and a 1911 pistol within reach at all times.

https://louisianahotsauce.com/hot-sauces/louisiana-hot-sauce-original/

Is the 1911 pistol to put yourself out of your misery in case you get too much hot sauce?
:kidding:

[Eddie Southgate]

No such thing as too much hot sauce.

[WRideout]

No such thing as too much hot sauce.

Quite true. In some states it is illegal to serve biscuits and gravy without hot sauce.

Wayne

[MaryB]

Is the 1911 pistol to put yourself out of your misery in case you get too much hot sauce?
:kidding:

It is like Franks Hot Sauce, mild... I can eat spoonfuls of it...

[Oily]

chilipeppermadness.com will give you tons of information and recipes.

[WILCO]

No such thing as too much hot sauce.

Ain't that the truth!

[gwpercle]

We use a lot of "Pickled Peppers" around here because they so easy to grow and so danged easy to pickle . To make a pint jar :
Sterilize mason jar and lid w/ band .
Stuff a sterilized jar tightly with sliced peppers , fill it up well .
Heat to boiling 1 cup white vinegar , 1 Tablespoon white sugar and 1 tablespoon salt.
Pour boiling liquid over peppers and fill jar , wipe rim and cap .
No need to process jars ... the peppers get too soft .
Let cool . will keep on shelf or in refrig.

We do jalapeno's and (my favorite) Gypsy Peppers . I put these things on everything , plate of beans , on pizza , chopped into tuna and chicken salad ...Taco's !

Gary

[gwpercle]

chilipeppermadness.com will give you tons of information and recipes.

:goodpost:
Thanks for Link !
Gary

[Good Cheer]

Something I experimented with was putting a green tomato in with the peppers in the blender to keep the pepper pulp from settling out so much when the sauce is in the bottle. It worked for me.

[Polymath]

If you just cook for yourself, you can eat whatever you want, but cooking for others requires some compassion.
I like "some" heat but not stupid hot.
I've been making this for a year or so. I adjust the heat to where I like it.
I have some Tai Sambal sauce that I add a dab of to my homemade kimchee.

I make a quart of Cajun Spice sauce at a time. Reminds me of Frank's or Louisiana Hot sauce.

Home made Cajun spice mix and for hot sauce.
Recipes vary, but this recipe came to me from a professional chef who shared this and stated that these ingredients and proportions are fairly standard in Creole-Cajun cooking and are used in his well-known Washington, DC Soul Food restaurant:

2 teaspoons smoked paprika, (It's OK to use regular paprika if you want less “heat”)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

It's perfectly OK to leave out the salt if you are watching your sodium intake.

If you don't want lots of heat, reduce the cayenne to 1/2 teaspoon and use the regular paprika.

For home made hot sauce combine the above ingredients with 6 ozs. of tomato paste and 1 quart of vinegar in a blender.

[imashooter2]

Fermentation is a good idea. I am going to look into it. Thanks.

When you freeze pepppers, you kill the bacteria required for lacto fermentation. Stick with vinegar recipes for frozen peppers, ferment fresh peppers only.

[SciFiJim]

When you freeze pepppers, you kill the bacteria required for lacto fermentation. Stick with vinegar recipes for frozen peppers, ferment fresh peppers only.

I've made fermented pepper sauce from frozen peppers before without a problem. If you are not sure, add a fresh cabbage leaf to your mash. That alone has plenty of lactobacillus bacteria. I've used that method as well.

[fourarmed]

Last year I grew lots of jalapeños, so I came up with a really good sauce. I fire up the Weber kettle charcoal grill and cover it with peppers, turning them until they are fully blackened. Then they go into a paper sack until cool. I de-stem and de-seed them but leave the black skin on. Then they go in the food processor with apple cider vinegar, salt and sugar. My wife water-baths them in half-pints.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

I'm in the group that dislikes the vinegar based hot sauces. I agree that the Mexican salsa and picante taste better. I don't make my own, but do like the Pace Picante with the red lid (hot) and La Victoria Salsa Brava (hot).

DG

[Good Cheer]

Some peppers have a muddy taste (for lack of a better term) that makes the sauce unattractive but most everything else I like, vinegar based or fermented salty.