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Hello, First attemped at hot sauce

R

Ricky

Hey , my first try at hot sauce.....well there`s NO HEAT!!  I got the recipes off a good website, jalapeno wasabi , habanero peach.... the jalapeno one ,I followed the recipe to the tee ,except I was 1/4 cup shot on tamarillos,  had a rolling boil going for about 20 minutes ,had my wozzy`s prepped and when I tested my PH it was 4.3?....I added alittle more freash lemon and lime juice, and 5% vinegar ...till it started to alter the taste , I got it down to 4.1....bottled it....the same with the habanero peach...well that 4.1 with no altercations....my ph tester is the Milwaukee p56 brand new,...I  know a little about PH and bottling and canning from making wine ,and canning   my question are where did the heat go.? I cleaned the seeds and white veins out..  is 4.1 ph safe on the shelf for a while?   got some ghosts and reapers just about ready and don`t want to chill them out also...lol
 
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Ricky said:
Hey , my first try at hot sauce.....well there`s NO HEAT!!  I got the recipes off a good website, jalapeno wasabi , habanero peach.... the jalapeno one ,I followed the recipe to the tee ,except I was 1/4 cup shot on tamarillos,  had a rolling boil going for about 20 minutes ,had my wozzy`s prepped and when I tested my PH it was 4.3?....I added alittle more freash lemon and lime juice, and 5% vinegar ...till it started to alter the taste , I got it down to 4.1....bottled it....the same with the habanero peach...well that 4.1 with no altercations....my ph tester is the Milwaukee p56 brand new,...I  know a little about PH and bottling and canning from making wine ,and canning   my question are where did the heat go.?
 
 
I cleaned the seeds and white veins out.. 
 
That's where the heat went. If you want to get seeds and such out of your sauce, do it after you cook everything but the stem but pressing it through a fine mesh wire strainer.
 
is 4.1 ph safe on the shelf for a while?  
 
If you can it in Mason jars and water bath them properly then maybe, pressure can them then yes. If your going to just hot pack them then I'd keep them in the fridge and consume as soon as possible. Your target should be below 4.0 and preferably below 3.5. If you haven't read the Hot Sauce Making 101 thread yet, you should read it before starting.
 
got some ghosts and reapers just about ready and don`t want to chill them out also...lol
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Welcome to the forum Ricky. My comments are in red.
 
Cheers
 
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Thanks Rocketman, how can I reduce the PH more with out affecting the taste?.........lime and lemon , vinegar?.... is there anything that's not taste altering
 
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Ricky said:
Thanks Rocketman, how can I reduce the PH more with out affecting the taste?.........lime and lemon , vinegar?.... is there anything that's not taste altering
Click to expand...
 
Ricky,
 
Any acid will help you reduce pH - and all of them will affect taste to some degree and require you to balance flavors.  Plain white 5% vinegar is usually the easiest way to drop pH without affecting taste too much, but there are situations (like w your jala/wasabi) where I'd likely turn to lime juice instead.  Provided you calibrated the meter properly, pH of 4.1 is not what I'd consider shelf stable and would have to be pressure canned to improve shelf life OR refrigerated once cooled and enjoyed within a month or three.  
 
Welcome to the forums.  Pretty ambitious sauce recipes for a first timer!  I'm impressed.  
 
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