First hot sauce attempt

b3rnd · Nov 13, 2017

Hey there people! I just tried to make my hot sauce according to the following recipe:

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 cup carrot, chopped

2 cups water

10 habanero peppers, seeded and fine chopped (more or less based on the heat level you desire.)

3 tablespoons lime juice, can also use orange juice

3 tablespoons white vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

optional papayas, prickly pear fruit or mango

Sauté garlic in coated sauce pan. Once the garlic starts to give off it's aroma, add the onion, carrots, and water.

Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until the carrots are soft.

Remove from heat .

Add habaneros, optional fruits, lime juice and salt to the carrot mixture.

Place in a blender and puree until it reaches a smooth consistency.

Pour into sterilized bottles or jars and seal. Keep refrigerated.

I followed the recipe exactly, although I had to change the measurements from US to metric so it could be a little bit off. I used a mango as the optional fruit. The sauce turned out spicy as hell so I succeeded on the hot part. But it had a very strong Chinense aroma, which I hoped to mask with the mango. I tried to add some honey to balance the heat a bit but it didn't help with the Chinense aroma and in the end I might have added too much honey.. Whoops.

Any tips here? I'd love to get good at making hot sauces. I have one planned with passion fruit and peaches, but I really need to find a way to mask the Chinense aroma...

The Hot Pepper · Nov 14, 2017

Have you ever made marinara from canned tomatoes? I'm not suggesting this long, but some homemade sauces are cooked for 8 hours on low. Look up Sunday Gravy lol.

sirex · Nov 14, 2017

That's a very good explanation.

b3rnd · Nov 15, 2017

sirex said:
Don't be afraid to overcook it. But pay attention so it doesn't cook to the bottom of the pot or burn to the bottom.

How long did you cook it?

First time I cooked it for about 10 minutes I guess. Second time for another 20 minutes. I stir it once every few minutes so it doesn't burn to the bottom of the pan.

The Hot Pepper said:
Until you get the consistency/texture you desire.

Okay good to know! Next sauce is going to be awesome!

Edit: Didn't see there was a second page already, whoops.

The Hot Pepper said:
Have you ever made marinara from canned tomatoes? I'm not suggesting this long, but some homemade sauces are cooked for 8 hours on low. Look up Sunday Gravy lol.

No I haven't done that. That's very interesting, so I don't have to be afraid to overcook it at all! Thank you all so much for the help.

salsalady · Nov 15, 2017

Some of the yummiest foods are cooked for a long time-
chili
stew
ribs
pot roast
prime rib
apple/peach/meringue pie
brisket
cheese cake
smoked meats
spaghetti sauce
roasted chiles and vegetables

Don't be afraid of long cooking, but take care as those above have posted to make sure it doesn't burn. You really can't 'overcook' hot sauce. Overcooked chicken, yea..yuck..... and for some things there is definitely a difference in flavor. Like garlic, fresh garlic and lightly cooked garlic has a waaaaay different flavor than long cooked or roasted garlic.

Moisture will evaporate from the sauce, which can be replaced to keep the desired consistency. As long as it doesn't burn~~~ it's all good!
Have Fun!
SL

D3monic · Nov 16, 2017

I could eat roasted garlic like candy

jhc · Nov 25, 2017

re: texture...

I recently made a batch of sauce.... after cooking for a while (an hour at least) I used an immersion blender to puree it. The big chunks were gone but there was still quite a bit of texture. Kind of like the butternut squash soup I made later that night. Plus I didnt do a super careful job removing seeds, and there were seed fragments in there I wanted to remove. Next step was running through a food mill using the finest blade. This made it silky smooth but still quite thick pouring. Final step was to run it through a fine mesh strainer. Now it was a thinner consistency more like most commercial sauces but I did lose some chili solids that would have been perfectly good eating. Not sure the last step was worth it.

Walchit · Nov 26, 2017

I just blended my sauce then ran it through a mesh strainer, I took all my seeds out first because I read somewhere on here that seeds will give it a bitter flavor. I really like Tabasco so was going for something heavy on the vinegar. I used a pineapple and a couple spoonfuls of honey, I can't really taste either of those in it though.

First hot sauce attempt

Founder