How to make a sweeter tangy sauce and avoid the HOT???

[clones2]

Been starting with very basic recipes and seeing what I kind of sauce I end up with recipes with Hot Portugal peppers and de Arbol/Pequin recipes.

My sauces are ending up with a very straightforward hot flavor - no sweetness to them at all. I guess that can be expected as I'm not adding any sugar or anything. Just peppers, vinegar/water, and some light spices.

My questions are:
1) What is the typical ratio of vinegar and water you guys use in your recipes? 50/50?

2) If I want to make a hot sauce more sweet and tangy like a Cholula... what should I be adding to this?

3) To fill a 5 oz woozy bottle of sauce... How many ounces or grams of peppers will I need?

Thanks for any help. I've made a few batches now...and I feel like Im still a ways off from making a good flavored hot sauce with the correct consistency.

I make killer tomato sauces and salsa - but I wouldnt serve this hot sauce to anyone yet. :-) Thanks.

 

[Siliman]

I'm on the same road as you, trying different stuff. I've been surfin this forum for ideas now that I have some chiles to process!

For ratios, I went with (about) 1/2 pound chiles, 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup vinegar, 3 Tablspoons light brown sugar, 4 small cloves garlic, 2 t salt.

After a lot of simmering, blending and straining, I ended up with about 1/4 cup of usable juice. It was kinda hot, but also sweet enough. It was a Cholula on steriods, closer to Sriracha if you've tried that.

I wasted a lot of product in the straining step, so next time, I plan to dehydrate the chiles, de-seed, powder, then do the sauce with the above ratios. (As mentioned in the other thread.)

Good luck....

 

[salsalady]

Here's a great site with LOTS of recipes.
http://www.pepperfool.com/recipe_home.html

I'd suggest just clicking through the recipes, and read,read,read...you'll get an idea of the ratios others use and then choose the ratio that sounds good to you based on whether you prefer a more tangy sauce or a more sweet sauce.

Have Fun and Happy Reading!

SL

 

[Siliman]

Outstanding link! I really needed this.
Thank you S-Lady....

 

[clones2]

I would be very interested to see your results of powdering the peppers first with your recipe above. Not sure why that wouldn't work...but I haven't tried it.

All I have right now to use are 6 or so Aji Crystal peppers - will probably see what I can do with those...

Outstanding link! I really needed this.
Thank you S-Lady....

 

[RocketMan]

Been starting with very basic recipes and seeing what I kind of sauce I end up with recipes with Hot Portugal peppers and de Arbol/Pequin recipes.

My sauces are ending up with a very straightforward hot flavor - no sweetness to them at all. I guess that can be expected as I'm not adding any sugar or anything. Just peppers, vinegar/water, and some light spices.

My questions are:
1) What is the typical ratio of vinegar and water you guys use in your recipes? 50/50?

I typically try not to use Vinegar, I prefer Lime / Lemon juice, unless I have to and then it's eith a very mild taste or like a Balsamic that is going to be a part of the flavor porfile I'm aiming for. If I were using it to bring down the ph then I would use just enought to get wherer i need to be.

2) If I want to make a hot sauce more sweet and tangy like a Cholula... what should I be adding to this?

Cholula is just Water, Peppers (Arbol and Piquin), Salt Vinegar, Spices and Xanthan Gum. Not much there to add sweetness to it. Note they don't say what the Spices are. If your looking to make a sauce of your own that has a touch of sweetness to it I would look at using Honey or Agave Nectar rather than white sugar. Sugar will only add some sweetness to it where as the honey or Agave will be adding to the flavor profile of your sauce.

3) To fill a 5 oz woozy bottle of sauce... How many ounces or grams of peppers will I need?

making only one woozie, I've never done that. I'd say start with like 10 peppers total, take their weight, and adjust from there. I'm usually making a case of woozies at a time so I usually use in the neighborhood of 2.5 to 3 pounds total weight, if you do the math that comes out to .25 pounds or 4 oz.


Thanks for any help. I've made a few batches now...and I feel like Im still a ways off from making a good flavored hot sauce with the correct consistency.

I make killer tomato sauces and salsa - but I wouldnt serve this hot sauce to anyone yet. :-) Thanks.

JMHO, hope that helps.

Cheers,
RM

 

[clones2]

Thanks for the advice RocketMan - for the Cholula... The Xantham Gum must play a huge part in that to get a thick enough sauce with so much water. My sauce with the de arbols and piquins has a very similar profile to the cholula, but its a bit too hot and watery... It's like I need more water to thin the sauce...but the xanthan gum to thicken it all up.

It seems tricky to find the balance.

Thanks.

 

[RocketMan]

Your trying to clone a taste and that's tricky to begin with. When i find something I like I don't worry about how exact I can get it. I try to just get close and then make it my own. For instance the Cholula. You know what peppers are used and that's where it starts. No idea what the spices are but can just pick up a hint of garlic in the smell which is mostly peppers and vinegar. So my starting point sauce would be something like:

1/2 Lb Arbols - Peppers in original sauce
1/2 lb Piquins - Peppers in original sauce
8oz Onion - Like the flavor in my sauces
2oz Carrots - Will give the sauce a good consistency and add some sweetness
1oz Garlic - Uhhhh, enough said
4oz Lime Juice - I prefer the flavor of juice to vinegar
1/2oz Salt - flavor enhancer / prservative

Give the sauce a week for the flavors to get happy and adjust where i think I need to on my next batch. Now this is just off the top of my head but that's where I start with the taste and aroma, the flavor profile I'm looking to create, in my head and then ask myself how would I get there. Then imagine the flavor and aroma of each ingredient and bring it into the flavor profile and see if it matches in my head. Amounts may be off a bit, in that more onion or carrots could actually be used but always keep your measurments as by weight if yuo want to recreate the sauce you make exactly.

Cheers,
RM