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cooking Cooking a hot sauce vs vinegar based non-cooked

Rusty's Fire

Rusty's Fire

Hi there,

First thanks for all the great info I have already found on this site!

I have read quite a bit and will admit some surprise at how many cook their sauces before bottling. I even got a little scared and went down in the basement and looked at my jar of sauce from a year ago! It was fine - still nice red orange without any funky fur, smells, or layers.

I have made several batches of sauce over the years, mainly with caynennes and or habaneros. Here is my basic recipe:

In an Oster blender I put about half really well cooked carrots (small ones from the garden) cooled and half peppers. Then I fill with vinegar until the peppers are totally covered, about 3/4 up the blender. Then I squeeze the juice from 1 lemon in and blend to a fairtheewell. Then I put it in clean mason jars or clean used woozy type glass bottles. That's it. I am not big on garlic, onions, spices in my sauce as that flavor is already in all the food I cook!

I have had it last for years this way even at room temperature, even after being opened.

I have given away bottles in the past and plan to do so even more now for gifts and all.

The reason I am posting is that I am concerned about the fact that I do not sterilize the bottles (other than scrubbing and the dishwasher) and I do not cook the sauce. Should I be worried? Does the fact that I use so much vinegar mean that I need not worry about sterilizing and cooking?

My fear was that cooking would affect the 'freshness' of the sauce, the hotness, and the color as well.

Many thanks,

Rusty, Maine, USA
 
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[quote name='Rusty's Fire' timestamp='1347881236' post='704864']
Thanks for all the positive input!

Being from North Carolina most of the hot/bbq sauces I grew up with are vinegar based. We use an organic apple cider vinegar made from a local orchard and it really has a nice flavor compared with some white, store bought ones.

If you are in Maine on Friday stop the Common Ground Country Fair/YEZ tent and try some!

Will and Rusty
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I'm a recent NC import, and still haven't adjusted to that. we use very little vinegar back home in Florida. I've heard (from other vinegar haters) that some vinegars are not as heinous as others, and so perhaps the fresh, locally sourced, organic apple cider vinegar makes all the difference in the world. All I know was that growing up, for about a year, my dad decided he and I were going to take Vinegar by the tablespoon daily... To this day, the thought makes me shudder. If I lived up that way, I'd stop by and give it a shot.
 
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Yep: my first "hot sauce" was my grandfathers,' He sterilized 8 oz. coke bottles on their woodstove, filled/PACKED them with Tabascos, then vinegar, corked em and they kept all winter. Well, liberally used on greens and pintos, beans, cornbread. Thataway. Likely was "organic acv" as he uh, "fermented" lots of other stuff! And get that down good enough, judges (aka, the recipients) keep the revenuers away! I cook my sauces but sometimes I do a bottle just in memory of Pawpaw. Good luck!
 
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Great job! Rusty could really make out if he likes this. Look at Guy Fieri with his pretzel stand as a youngun.

Maine :rolleyes: I lived up by Moosehead Lake in NW Maine from 1999-2010 Weren't many people who would even taste a hot sauce. But I tried, and scared em all.
 
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