Hot sauce does not have to be hot packed?

Learn something new everyday.  Evidently, there is no FDA rule about hot packing or even cooking commercial hot sauce.  In fact, one of the best known hot sauces in the United States is neither hot packed nor even cooked.  This confuses the hell out of me. 




 
 
Husker21 - Sriracha with the rooster on the label.  It is neither cooked nor hot packed.  It is a completely raw food product.  Had no clue.

Hot Pepper - I guess I can see how you might think I was trolling.  So many people here have expressed the opinion that hot sauce has to be cooked and hot packed.  I rather think that makes it a fine conversation.  Now what I want to know is how they produce and bottle their hot sauce without cooking or hot packing and do not kill people.  I thought that was an invitation for botulism to kill your customers.

All I know is they put the bottles aside for 30 days before they sell them.  Now in canning, if the top of the lid pops up you know something is growing in there, producing gas as it does.  Maybe they wait 30 days to see if the bottles swell.  Maybe they wait 30 days and test individual bottles, like a batch test.  I got no clue.

Hoping someone in here has the smarts to explain it, cause I certainly do not. 
 
 
Hot Pepper, I am sorry hot pepper.  I meant Lucky Dog.  On the bright side, I keep typing Hot Dog but then I catch it.  Once told my wife she was running around like a Chicken McNugget when meant chicken with head cut off.

Lucky Dog, guy I am hot trolling you.  I didn't mention you.  How did I put words in your mouth?  Guy, I think you are clinging to last nights conversation a bit much.  All is good, not trolling, stalking, or anything hostile towards you.

I honestly thought hot sauce had to be cooked and hot packed.  That is what they said in the classes I took. Our conversation got me to thinking on it, so I posted so I could learn.

Are you saying the rooster bottle is fermented? 
So hot sauce that is fermented does not need to be hot packed?

Kind of wondering cause I saw the damndest thing the other day.  You know the special valve that you gotta use to make bier or wine?  It keeps gas from going back into the container where it is being fermented.  They have those in mason jar tops now.  Makes it a lot easier to do fermented food in small batches.
 
ajdrew said:
Are you saying the rooster bottle is fermented?
It is. Tương Ớt Sriracha is the name of the sauce... "Ferment of Sriracha" in Thai.

However I don't know if it is raw or cooked. I thought they had issues with "cooking" and fumes from their plants.
 
Hot Pepper - Thinking they did not mention fermentation in the class I took because I -think- it is off limits for the microprocessing program.  So many weird things like you can pressure can pumpkin chunks, but not puree / pie filling.  Then eggs, oh my god if you tell them you want to put up pickled eggs they have a cow. 
 
 
Look up how Tabasco is made they are very public about the entire process, and it is never heated.
 
The Hot Pepper said:
It is. Tương Ớt Sriracha is the name of the sauce... "Ferment of Sriracha" in Thai.

However I don't know if it is raw or cooked. I thought they had issues with "cooking" and fumes from their plants.
 
From one the videos I watched it looked like they stored the pepper mash in barrels until it was ready and then they simmered it with sugar and garlic before moving on to bottling. 
 
Yes I believe it is cooked or pasteurized, hence the fumes from the factory they got sued for.

However I don't know for sure.
 
ajdrew said:
Husker21 - Sriracha with the rooster on the label.  It is neither cooked nor hot packed.  It is a completely raw food product.  Had no clue.

Hot Pepper - I guess I can see how you might think I was trolling.  So many people here have expressed the opinion that hot sauce has to be cooked and hot packed.  I rather think that makes it a fine conversation.  Now what I want to know is how they produce and bottle their hot sauce without cooking or hot packing and do not kill people.  I thought that was an invitation for botulism to kill your customers.

All I know is they put the bottles aside for 30 days before they sell them.  Now in canning, if the top of the lid pops up you know something is growing in there, producing gas as it does.  Maybe they wait 30 days to see if the bottles swell.  Maybe they wait 30 days and test individual bottles, like a batch test.  I got no clue.

Hoping someone in here has the smarts to explain it, cause I certainly do not. 
 
 
Pretty sure this all hinders on the PH level of a certain product. BTW, the 30 day hold is fairly new they used to never do it, see here
http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2013/12/sriracha-shipments-stopped-for-30-days-over-food-safety-procedures/
 
Think ketchup, mustard, salad dressing, mayo....etc. Dont quote me, but I believe all either have a P.H. low enough to inhibit the growth of "nasties" and/or are stored in vacuum packed in airtight containers to be considered shelf stable. Thats why most of them say to "refigerate after opening" as you introduce oxygen when you open the container.
 
My understanding on it.
 
D3monic said:
However this is the Internet! The pic could be the "stir" process similar to Tabasco, even though the line below it says cook.
 
Devil's advocate an all. ;)

beerbreath81 said:
 
Pretty sure this all hinders on the PH level of a certain product. BTW, the 30 day hold is fairly new they used to never do it, see here
http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2013/12/sriracha-shipments-stopped-for-30-days-over-food-safety-procedures/
 
Think ketchup, mustard, salad dressing, mayo....etc. Dont quote me, but I believe all either have a P.H. low enough to inhibit the growth of "nasties" and/or are stored in vacuum packed in airtight containers to be considered shelf stable. Thats why most of them say to "refigerate after opening" as you introduce oxygen when you open the container.
 
My understanding on it.
 
Oh yeah I remember that article. So it is never heated.
 
The pic in the other post is the stir process like Tabasco, it is a cold process not hot.
 
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