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bottling Bottling Hot Sauce

JFK70

JFK70

I have been trying to find detailed instructions on how to safely bottle hot sauce so that it can be stored without refrigeration (until opening). I know that some hot sauces don't need refrigeration since they do not contain ingredients that are subject to spoilage. However I have been making hot sauce using fruits and vegetables (Fresh Bananas, peppers, onions, garlic cloves, pepper mash, etc).

After blending the ingredients I have been simmering them until they reach 180 degrees for atleast 5 minutes and then I pour the sauce into a 5 oz woozie bottle and place a new, paper lined cap on it before I submerge it back in a hot water bath for approx 15minutes.

The caps don't seem like they can take much more heat than that.

If anyone knows of any resources for me to explore or would like to offer any tips or suggestions it would be greatly appreciated. I just don't want to give someone a bottle of hot sauce to try unless I am confident that I have followed safe handling procedures.

Thanks

JFK
 
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DevilDuck. How long do you heat the hot sauce at 195 or do you just get it to that temp before bottling?

And Have you stored hot sauce for any length of time without refrigeration using the method you described? Even a month or two.
 
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Well, I do 195 for about 15 minutes. When I'm bottling, I keep an eye on the temperature to make sure it doesn't get below 185. If it does, I reheat. However, I'm doing really small batches (about 5 woozies) so it doesn't matter that much.

My tested shelf life is right at 6 months. Anything after that is a "collectors edition". :P
 
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bentalphanerd I plan on getting a PH tester. When do you test it? Right before bottling?

It would seem difficult to do after you have bottled it. But I wasn't sure if the PH changes after it is bottled and sits for ahwile. Thus the need to test the firstbottle of the batch before use.
 
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DevilDuck so far all of the sauces I have been making begin to boil at 180degrees casuing it to splatter. I just keep stirring to keep it from boiling, but I also feel like this cools it down.
 
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Thanks Devil Duck. Btw I saw your earlier posts about your label. Cool Concept.

I have noticed that not to many people comment on this subject. It makes me wonder how many people just cook until they are satsified with the consistency of the sauce and then pour it in a bottle.

I guess the reason I am so concerned with this is that I got food poisoning from carmel and I was sick with deathly stomach cramps for a week. I lost 10 pounds in 7 days.

On a good note I lost ten pounds in 7 days. lol
However it has made me more careful with food.
 
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JFK70 said:
bentalphanerd I plan on getting a PH tester. When do you test it? Right before bottling?

It would seem difficult to do after you have bottled it. But I wasn't sure if the PH changes after it is bottled and sits for ahwile. Thus the need to test the firstbottle of the batch before use.
Click to expand...

When i'm experimenting with a recipe I test it throughout the process. Having to add a large dose of vinegar at the end will change the taste, smell & consistency.
 
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Good Point. I hadn't even thought of about the PH level being affected by the amount of Vinegar.

My experimenting has been limited to being Leeners Kit and following the instrcutions included. Which don't mention anything about PH levels, Maybe because you use mash instead of Fresh Peppers. But I know the PH level of the mash matters.

Well back to the original plan I need a PH tester.

OH And Thanks to Everyone for the Input. KEEP it coming.
 
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Don't forget, you can use lime juice as well to control Ph. Last summer, I revamped my recipes because there was too much vinegar taste. So, I reduced the amount of vinegar and replaced the same amount with lime juice.

Now, squeezing limes can be a hassle, but you can find fresh lime juice (not from concentrate) in the grocery store. I got mine from Whole Foods last time around.
 
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I do a lot of home canning, so last year I filled a few mason jars with some homemade hot sauce and preserved them by normal home canning method. Seems to work very well that way, I didn't notice any great difference in taste between the few bottles I put in the fridge without preserving and the jar I opened after a few weeks. The only real difference was that the preserved jars seem to be getting hotter as time goes by.
 
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Greetings from GONZOland

pH. Shelf stable products depend on maintaining a low pH. Find a community kitchen/food lab in your area to develop a scheduled process for your products: repeatable recipe that will lessen your liability footprint.

The temp/pH you need to attain in the cooking process may depend on what type of fruits you are playing with.

Hope that this helps!
 
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i'm new to all this hot sauce making. up to this point i was under the assumption that it's only necessary to get the ph down below 4 by adjusting the vinegar/citrus amount. i was reading through this thread for a method of sterilizing the woozy's i just got(which i'm still not real clear on) but noticed all this talk of boiling the sauce. what will boiling do to my sauce made up of only fresh ingredients and is it necessary to do? thank you.
 
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