Homemade hot sauce- NewB

[Lonesomedave]

howdy...this is my first post here, although i have hung out for some time and read
 
anyway i wanted to relay my experience  and pose a question about botulism...no, i have not gotten it, i just want to avoid it...
 
i grew several varieties of hot peppers this summer...tabasco, thai (don't know specifically which one, but they are about an inch or two long, turn really bright red and are HOT), Bhut Jolokia (or ghost peppers) and finally, the legendary Trinidad Scorpian that is reputed to be the hottest in the world
 
i wanted to make some hot sauce that would please my wife, who is chinese, and likes hot sauce, but also wants one that is real flavorful
 
i picked about 5 ghost  peppers, 2 trinidad scorpian (all i had), and a whole fistful of  Thai & tabasco
 
for a base i used about 1/4-1/2 cup apple cider viniger, a spoonful of hunts ketchup, a couple spoonfuls of worstershire sauce, a spoonful or 2 of brown mustard & a few of those jarred bell peppers you buy at the grocery store...all in all i made 18.5 ounces of sauce...i know this because it filled an old squeeze bottle of Thai sauce i had lying around that was that capacity
 
i blended it all up in the food processor for about ten minutes and then funneled it into the squeeze bottle...did not strain it or ferment it, just prepared it and bottled it the same day, without any cooking or heat.
 
the flavor is absolutely great, but the stuff is truly blazing hot...can't stand more than a few drops on anything i have tried it on.
 
i put it in the refrigerator immediately and have kept it there...the reason being i have no way to test the PH and i am afraid of botulism.
 
1.am i right to be afraid?
2.will refrigerating it be safe?
3.is there any way to make sure hot sauce...particularly my kind of uncooked hot sauce, IS safe, without PH testing and making sure it is below 4.6?
 
thanks, great to be here...be kind to a NewB
 
Dave

 

[Peppernator]

Welcome Dave. I'm no pro, canning all my life but only bottling hot sauce in woozies a year. Not dead yet so I'll try and the more experienced can jump in and help you.
 
By your pepper list, no surprise it's hot. If you remove seeds and placenta it won't be as hot, cooking it can reduce heat. Even if you are only going to refrigerate a sauce cooking it will kill nasties and keep even longer in the fridge. Also after cooking, puree in a blender again and adjust for taste (salt or whatever) You can also cut it a bit, tomatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, fruit like pineapple, mango (even canned with syrup) and get a less hot more rounded fruitier flavor the wife may like.
 
Using the jar peppers if they are the roasted ones they have oil. OK and safe to keep in the fridge a while but if you ever bottle anything with oil for the shelf, pressure can it.
 
PH meters are inexpensive. Think I paid about $13 shipped off ebay and ordered extra PH solution to keep it calibrated.

 

[Lonesomedave]

......PH meters are inexpensive. Think I paid about $13 shipped off ebay and ordered extra PH solution to keep it calibrated.

 
thanks, buddy...
 
i know ph meters are inexpensive...but are the inexpensive ones accurate?
 
Dave
 
ps-edit...i looked at the label of my jarred, roasted bell peppers after reading your post...they do NOT contain oil...the ingredient list said: peppers, water, citric acid and salt

 

[Peppernator]

You're welcome. 
 
It seems consistent to me. I test it with PH solution 4.1 and 7. You could double check against another meter or litmus.
 
If it's not cooked it will not last long in a fridge. By your ingredients I'd bet PH is OK. Since it's burning hot anyway you could add some fruit and or veggies then cook it. It will tame it a bit and last longer in the fridge.
 
Cooking is good. I simmer my sauce 1/2, cool overnight, blend and cook 15 min more in the am and bottle at 195F.  Making another batch in about 15 min. I'll post it. Posted my "burnt peter" hr ago.
 
Had a GF from way down Mexico used to make awesome Frioles Charros. In the fridge a few days or more, if it started to look like ready to either eat or toss that day, she would bring it back to a boil and good for a few more days.