Hi everyone,
I've been a hot sauce fiend for a bit and my favorite, all time, are the Red Jalapeno and/or Mexican Hot Sauce produced by Poblano Hot Sauce in Tucson. I go through about 30 bottles a year; it's so good I ship it in from Tucson - it's not sold outside of AZ as far as I'm aware. They stopped producing for a few weeks last year and I thought I was out of luck forever. Fortunately they're in production again, but it was a scare!
So, I am here for one reason: to recreate this hot sauce.
The recipe is a closely guarded secret, so there's no asking for tips or tricks from the manufacturers. I've been compiling notes for a few months now and I'm just going to data dump it here and log my progress as I go. To say I've been taking notes may be an understatement. I've scoured the internet for articles and newspaper clippings about Poblano Hot Sauce. I've search the pictures in those articles carefully to see what equipment they may have. I've read them thoroughly for ANY clue about the process or recipe.
The flavor is not sweet at all, just a little bit vinegary with a very clear contribution by spices. Texture is smooth with a little bit of grit from the spices. No seeds are visible.
If you're familiar with this hot sauce and have some thoughts - please let me know.
What I think I know:
The sauce is not cooked
Listed Ingredients:
Articles about Poblano. This is it:
I've been a hot sauce fiend for a bit and my favorite, all time, are the Red Jalapeno and/or Mexican Hot Sauce produced by Poblano Hot Sauce in Tucson. I go through about 30 bottles a year; it's so good I ship it in from Tucson - it's not sold outside of AZ as far as I'm aware. They stopped producing for a few weeks last year and I thought I was out of luck forever. Fortunately they're in production again, but it was a scare!
So, I am here for one reason: to recreate this hot sauce.
The recipe is a closely guarded secret, so there's no asking for tips or tricks from the manufacturers. I've been compiling notes for a few months now and I'm just going to data dump it here and log my progress as I go. To say I've been taking notes may be an understatement. I've scoured the internet for articles and newspaper clippings about Poblano Hot Sauce. I've search the pictures in those articles carefully to see what equipment they may have. I've read them thoroughly for ANY clue about the process or recipe.
The flavor is not sweet at all, just a little bit vinegary with a very clear contribution by spices. Texture is smooth with a little bit of grit from the spices. No seeds are visible.
If you're familiar with this hot sauce and have some thoughts - please let me know.
What I think I know:
The sauce is not cooked
- Oil separates when left to sit for a few days; based on previous research, I suspect this may mean it is uncooked.
- Reading local news articles about the makers states that the only piece of equipment they have is a "chile grinder"; there is no mention of a stove and none shown in any photograph of the kitchen.
- ..."barrels holding jalapenos, spices, and mustard that marinate together of the course of several days".
- surprise to no one
- the original recipe called for chiltepin peppers, but people complained it was too hot so they no longer use chiltepins
- mustard seed
- turmeric
- paprika
- garlic powder
- cumin (I THINK I can taste this)
Listed Ingredients:
- Mexican Hot Sauce (In order)
Habanero - Chili peppers
- spices
- distilled vinegar
- mustard seed (>= 28 g per bottle)
- salt (11 g sodium per bottle based on nutritional information, should be 28 g Salt per bottle)
- turmeric (<= 28 g per bottle)
- paprika
- garlic powder
Articles about Poblano. This is it:
- http://tucson.com/business/longtime-tucson-company-s-salsa-is-one-hot-commodity/article_f5fbbf2c-2ab5-5dff-8413-08e7886c4f22.html
- http://tucson.com/news/local/neto-s-tucson-a-salsa-patriarch-passes-on-his-secret/article_d72a2a30-a6d9-541f-af93-05bad33a27f1.html
- http://ediblebajaarizona.com/the-power-of-poblano
- http://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/hot-stuff/Content?oid=1872141
- http://www.insidetucsonbusiness.com/archives/poblano---making-it-hot/article_cc5cbd40-e0c3-5790-aa4f-39ade28b0c16.html
