I have just grown my first batch of Habanero Peppers and am very interested in trying my hand at making a hot sauce from them. I want to make a very simple sauce with plenty of heat and a nice vinegary taste. Being a first timer, I would love suggestions on what to put in my sauce, and my biggest question is how to make it last as long as possible. If someone could explain how long a properly bottled sauce will last unopened and opened that would be fantastic. I am excited to try my hand at this, but I am nervous I won't make a sauce that will last long enough for me to truly enjoy.
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- Thread starter plagues747
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salsalady
eXtreme Business
Welcome to THP.
A properly bottled sauce with good pH will last several years unopened. Nthere may be some degradation in color, but that won't effect the safety. Opened, it should be good several months if kept refrigerated. Check out making hot sauce 101 thread.
Have Fun!
SL
A properly bottled sauce with good pH will last several years unopened. Nthere may be some degradation in color, but that won't effect the safety. Opened, it should be good several months if kept refrigerated. Check out making hot sauce 101 thread.
Have Fun!
SL
Thanks for the welcome and the quick response! I had actually been reading the 101 forum before making this post, but I hadn't seen any definitive post about how long a sauce should last. I think I will try making my first sauce within the next week or so. If I use onions or carrots in my sauce, will it effect how long the sauce should last?
salsalady
eXtreme Business
Yes, but you said you like a vinegary sauce, so I figured it would have a decent amount of vinegar and should be fine. Sauces with little vinegar are ones to worry about.
Also check out the Weights and Measures thread in the same section as 101. It has some general ratios.
Also check out the Weights and Measures thread in the same section as 101. It has some general ratios.
Here is my sauce recipe I use with chocolate habaneros.
20-30 fresh peppers
1/2 vinegar
1/2 water
Blend and let it fermentate for 1-2 weeks.
Or as a second option, put in a pan and bring to a boil and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
Add back into the blender.
Add 1/4 cup of brown/ regular sugar (add more if you like)
1 tablespoon of salt
4 cloves of garlic
Blend until it's all blended together. You can strain it if you like. Remember always tweak it to your liking.
Hope this helps
20-30 fresh peppers
1/2 vinegar
1/2 water
Blend and let it fermentate for 1-2 weeks.
Or as a second option, put in a pan and bring to a boil and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
Add back into the blender.
Add 1/4 cup of brown/ regular sugar (add more if you like)
1 tablespoon of salt
4 cloves of garlic
Blend until it's all blended together. You can strain it if you like. Remember always tweak it to your liking.
Hope this helps
Capsacin-junkie said:
going to try this tonight. you mean 1/2 cup of vinegar and water?
the last time i made a sauce, i bottled it in sterilized sol beer bottles(i like the shape) and capped it with the wine bottle stoppers that you put the little manual vacuum pump on to remove the air..oh, and squeezed a little lime juice on top of the sauce before sucking out the air. worked great! stuff's still fresh month's later, just pump out the air after each use 
