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Using hot pepper powder in liquid sauces... taboo?

Sam & Oliver

Sam & Oliver

Out of the 12 recipes I've tried so far, the only two that have even been 'wow' factor are the two that I used virtually no dry spice ingredients.

I am not curious as to thoughts about even using dry spices other than salt in a finished product... is it considered bad form? Does it have an adverse effect other than the perceived result?

Take this example:
One of my hab sauces, "Wild Fire" started out with 3 pounds of red habs. I then went on to add hot cayenne pepper powder, powdered Dundicut peppers, chilli powder, and a few other 'heat' spices in... Not in great quantities either. The result I was expecting was a flavorful heat. Especially since I tried the habs before cooking and it was normal hab hot.
The result was more of a mild-medium pepper sauce that had somewhat clashing spice notes, but a disappointing lack of heat. Any heat that was there lasted about 15 seconds and was warmer than anything else.

I have about 6 other recipes of similar situations. Peppers are red or orange habs, with great heat in themselves. But once I added all the dry spices and cooked everything, the heat is absent.
What gives? Any insight?
 
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I myself haven't tried to make any sauce but I have read that others make some type of mash and something about fermentation. You probably already knew this, if not then I hope it helps.
 
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Remember that the more you add, volume wise, to a sauce the more the capsacine is going to be diluted.In other words, 3 pounds of peppers in 1 gallon of sauce is going to be hot but in 2 gallons, not so hot. Also, and maybe Salsa Lady or LDHS will chime in, I'm not sure how the addiditon of lower heat peppers affects the overall level of heat. Say combining Habs which are hot with the Cayennes which are not as hot. JMHO :)

EDIT: i have made a sauce with nothi8ng but dried whole peppers before and it came out great. So I don't think it's teh dried ingredients.
 
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Lower heat peppers will still bring some flavor to the table and possibly some burn in a different part of the mouth depending on the capsaisinoids in that type of pepper. Rocketman is spot on with the volume and dilution. As for the spices clashing, that is most likely just a matter of fine tuning the proportions you use them in. Sounds like it is time to tweak more. Increasing the amount of habs will bring the heat up. Personally I prefer and use Caribbean Red Habs for their added depth in flavor and a higher heat level.
 
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RocketMan said:
Remember that the more you add, volume wise, to a sauce the more the capsacine is going to be diluted.

i have made a sauce with nothi8ng but dried whole peppers before and it came out great.
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But generally speaking: is it bad form to use fresh peppers with dried ones, or should the sauce typically be one or the other? Or does this fall into the "eye of the beholder" category? I'm trying to think on a scale of reproductability / volume production
 
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Kalitarios said:
But generally speaking: is it bad form to use fresh peppers with dried ones, or should the sauce typically be one or the other? Or does this fall into the "eye of the beholder" category? I'm trying to think on a scale of reproductability / volume production
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Not a bit. If you were to look at 100 bottles you would most likely find a good portion of them are combining dry with fresh. Oh, and if the sauce has great flavor and a level of heat that people like, no one is going to care whether you used all fresh or a combination.
 
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I don't see why it would be taboo at all.

I approach recipes from a production level these days. I need to be able to manufacture sauce year-round. My next recipe is going to use T.Scorpions and it already has me concerned about seasonality. E.g if I run out of sauce in December it's gonna be a long ride until harvest season when they're available again.

In my current recipes I use 2 varieties of dried Cayenne. I love the flavor it adds, and I love the aesthetics of the little red speckles in my sauce.

I see nothing wrong with buying pepper powder from one of the many good vendors (Some great ones at THP) and incorporating into a sauce with fresh peppers and other ingredients. And from a commercial standpoint it would potentially be available year round.

I've certainly never heard of it being "taboo" to use dried or powdered peppers in a sauce. Way I see it, it's your sauce - if people have a problem with it, they don't have to eat it. Make what you like and use what ingredients you like. If it comes out tasting great, that's a win. :cheers:
 
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