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cooking Help me design a hot sauce for a chili cook off this weekend.

C

Cellscape

Help me design a hot sauce for a chili cook off this weekend.
 
Here are the peppers I have been fermenting in whey separately since July:  
yellow fatali
chocolate fatali
yellow CARDI
lemon drop Aji
red scotch bonnet
Jamaican hot(chocolate)
DeArbol
 
Here are ingredients I was considering:
 
Carrots, lime, smoked paprika, cumin or cumin seeds, sweet onion, sea salt, molasses, cider vinegar(if I do not much), tomatoes, and apples.  I really wonder what juiced apple would do.  Has anyone tried this?  I am also thinking that sticking to mostly chocolates and maybe DeArbol would be better for chili.   I also made some home made chili powder I could add to it.
 
 
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I will be making chili.   My cousin has a farm with about 250 grass fed cows and pigs as well.  I will be helping him with the chili, but I already know he likes to keep it natural, simple, and beef based.  I don't want to try pry into his recipe too much, but I did make the chile powder to help and I would like to make a hot sauce for those who wish to use it since my cousin has told me that he has learned in the past that making real spicy chili hasn't won him any contests. 
 
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Powder would probably be better but if you're going to make it to heat up the chili then I would keep it simple and not a lot of extra flavors. Use Fataliis, Bonnets and Jamaican Hot Chocolate along with a little onion and some carrots to give it some consistency
 
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Throw it all into a pot with enough water to cover. Bring to a biol for 15 mins and then simmer for 45. Run it all through the blender and back into the pot for another 30 min simmer then bring it up to 195 for at least 15 mins and bottle. Invert bottles to sterilize caps and done.
 
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For chili, I am a bit of a traditionalist. I like to not go with any sweet sauces (ie not much fruit), only savory/salty.
 
The idea of the yellow fatalis and red scotch bonnets in the same sauce sounds good to me. Otherwise I'd say carrots and onions, yes. Maybe garlic. I love cumin but it scares me because it can be so overpowering and most people already have cumin in their chili. 
 
For the vinegar on this one, maybe just white instead of the apple cider...or possibly rice for a mellower bite.
 
Sorry for the ramble on, but I suddenly got excited to make a sauce specifically for chili.
 
Good luck. Sounds like a fun project sauce. Hope you post your resulting sauce.
 
Cheers.
 
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I'd stick to using mexican chiles like guajillo, pasilla, chipotle morita, new mexico chiles, puya, de arbol, smoked serrano. for a chilli hot sauce.
thats the chiles I use when making chilli for the main flavor, gives it a good flavor, for major heat I add what i have on hand fresh/powder/sauce just enough to bring the heat but not change the flavor.
 
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Interesting!  Creating a hot sauce specifically for chili! 
 
As your initial thought were, I'd go with the chocolates (or maybe just ONE of the chocolates) the scotch bonnet and DeArbol. 
THe fatalii and lemon drops don't seem like they'd pair well with the usual components of chili.
 
 
"Here are ingredients I was considering:
 
Carrots,
lime( not sure about lime, don't think the citrus bite would go well with chili),
smoked paprika (there's already a lot of pepper flavors, don't think paprika is needed unless you're looking for a smoky element?),
cumin or cumin seeds (Very Light...as Capsaicin said...it can overpower and some don't like the flavor),
sweet onion, sea salt,
molasses,(does have kind of a unique flavor which may or may not compliment the chili.  Consider brown sugar as an option)
cider vinegar(if I do not much), chili is stout and can probably handle ACV otherwise go with white or rice,
tomatoes, and apples. (hey, why not???  give it a try!)
 
Your cousin's correct that really spicy chili's don't win...except the "Hottest" category.  For the masses, 3-4 out of 10 for heat will please the most folks. 
 
Good Luck!    
 
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If I wanted to spice up chili I would definitely NOT be wanting to add any flavors to it, especially at a chili cookoff where you are tasting people's creations.
 
I would do a pepper sauce, pure and simple, just enough vinegar to adjust pH and not add to much tang, like rice or cane vinegar. Salt just to balance the sauce, so when you add it to the chili, both are already balanced.
 
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Thanks guys!! I'm processing all this.  
 
I don't think I need vinegar to balance the ph as they have been fermenting in whey for 3 months. I test it, but it's likely below 4
 
I am actually just as interested in adding a flavor that complements the chili as adding heat for the sake of heat.  So I understand keeping it basic, but I don't mind producing a unique sauce if the flavor compliments the dish.
 
I also have a jar of smoked chocolates fermenting with smoked onions, garlic and cherry tomatoes I grew over the summer.  A little of that mixed in could be good as well??
 
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Cellscape said:
I am actually just as interested in adding a flavor that complements the chili as adding heat for the sake of heat.  So I understand keeping it basic, but I don't mind producing a unique sauce if the flavor compliments the dish.
Click to expand...
 
The peppers have flavor. :)
 
This is to "spice up" chili, after the chili has been cooked and judged, right? Ask what peppers are in it. Use those peppers. This way you're not taking away from his recipe. Unless you are trying to make it better, and one up him? Rivalries. :)
 
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Rocket man,
 
I did what you recommended and I know it's a matter of preference, but I feel like I have more of a puree or almost thick soup consistency because I didn't juice the carrots.  It still tastes delicious and should work, but I personally would prefer it more liquidy.  Anyway, I used carrots, garlic, sweet onions, scotch B, fatali, and chocolates with my homemade chili powder and salt and a touch of vinegar.  Mixed into chili, it should more than satisfy those seeking to add heat and flavor too the chili.  Helpful for the people's choice award.  Man the chocolates taste good in it.  I'm new to Jamaican hots(chocolate) but they are a new favorite.
 
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