Ah, is that the determining factor? I've seen a number of commercial hot sauces that have oil in them and suggest keeping them in the fridge.
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recipe Italian Ghost Sauce
- Thread starter AzJon
- Start date
salsalady
Business Member
One factor, and also the processing method for safety. I noticed that harrisa recipe calls for pressure canning. Things with oils and vegetables are usually pressure canned for shelf stability. A lot of home cooks are not comfortable or have the equipment for pressure canning. The recipe also mentioned adding a little oil when serving. That is another way to process. Use only the veg and spices, then add oil when serving.
What strikes me as interesting is that the first one linked (https://www.themediterraneandish.com/harissa-recipe/) doesn't process at all, then floats oil on top to store for up to 2-3 weeks in the fridge.
I have the America's Test Kitchen Mediterrannean Cookbook and their harissa says to use within 4 days if refrigerated, which seems more reasonable.
Does kinda make me want to upgrade my instant pot to the model that is capable of pressure canning, though.
Edit: looks like they're just canning in hot water. I don't like hot water canning in general, but especially since I'm at 7,000 ft and the recommended hot water canning time is normal canning time + 15 minutes
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What I would do is a harissa hot sauce. Get your pH right and it will last as long as regular hot sauce, not 4 days. And just avoid oil. Vinegar, lemon, lime... all flavors in harissa and sambal anyway. Just a little more sharp since you are making it into sauce, which you can round out with bolder flavors and a tad more sugar.
Also, the canning recipe I linked to does not contain oil.
Or, make traditional with oil and refrigerate immediately (not after opening). These could also be gifts the same as people make chili or pasta sauce for friends just make sure they know to refrigerate immediately.
So you still have many options!
Also, the canning recipe I linked to does not contain oil.
Or, make traditional with oil and refrigerate immediately (not after opening). These could also be gifts the same as people make chili or pasta sauce for friends just make sure they know to refrigerate immediately.
So you still have many options!
Here's a tip to round out the vinegar usage:
Roast your garlic. It will add a sweetness without adding sugar and a depth to the overall flavor. It will also help take the edge off the vinegar. Also you can use rice vinegar which has a milder flavor.
You can even call it Roasted Ghost: roasted garlic harissa hot sauce with ghost peppers.
Roast your garlic. It will add a sweetness without adding sugar and a depth to the overall flavor. It will also help take the edge off the vinegar. Also you can use rice vinegar which has a milder flavor.
You can even call it Roasted Ghost: roasted garlic harissa hot sauce with ghost peppers.
Oh yeah, I thought he was making something for himself which I would assume would go in the fridge but I did post some suggestions above as well.
That's a good tip!Here's a tip to round out the vinegar usage:
Roast your garlic. It will add a sweetness without adding sugar and a depth to the overall flavor. It will also help take the edge off the vinegar. Also you can use rice vinegar which has a milder flavor.
You can even call it Roasted Ghost: roasted garlic harissa hot sauce with ghost peppers.
Rice vinegar would go nicely. A nice blend of that and some lemon juice would play well together.
On the roasted garlic front, since oil is something in question here, I've always roasted garlic heads with a drizzle of olive oil. Do you do the same or do you have a secret technique for dry roasting them? The sauce is going to just be for me, so it will live in the fridge, but always good to know if I wanted to make it in bulk and store it.
You can actually roast it without oil but I know people saute and roast for sauce and I believe a negligible amount is okay but I am not an authority on that.
All you have to do is wrap a handful of garlic cloves in foil and they will roast and not burn.
All you have to do is wrap a handful of garlic cloves in foil and they will roast and not burn.
This is my sauce vinegar:
Nice.
I've seen general recommendations not to be careful with rice vinegar in sauces because of pH concerns. Is that really an issue? I have a pH meter, so I always check my sauces after they are done. Just curious if its as big an issue as some parts of the internet say.
It is 4.2 percent unlike 5 of white so you may have to use a little more in recipes is all. Nothing to worry about!
It's fantastic for pickling as well, you don't even need to add the turmeric for color that companies add to pickles because it is already a similar color lol. And it tastes great.
That's awesome. I like rice vinegar, but always steered away from it due to general warnings (which was a little dumb on my part), but I vastly prefer it to WDV or even white wine vinegar, though both have their place.
Gonna order me some right now!
Ended up making this one pretty much as is, but used the rice vinegar (Thanks THP!) and added three ghosts.Should be awesome with ghost peppers.
Bernardin Home Canning: Because You Can: Harissa Sauce
www.bernardin.ca
Turned out fantastically. I'll probably tweak it a bit it in the future, but so far, so good! Goes well with roasted veggies, used a bit as a marinade for some smoked chicken thighs (plus basted a bit more on during cooking), put a dollop on hummus with some olive oil, and used it in place of ketchup on a smoked hamburger.
Follow question and maybe one SL can chime in on, too: Have you ever used garlic confit?Here's a tip to round out the vinegar usage:
Roast your garlic. It will add a sweetness without adding sugar and a depth to the overall flavor. It will also help take the edge off the vinegar. Also you can use rice vinegar which has a milder flavor.
You can even call it Roasted Ghost: roasted garlic harissa hot sauce with ghost peppers.
I used to make it and keep a jar in the fridge. Basically, you put your peeled garlic cloves in a cast iron with enough oil to cover them (like, two or three heads worth) and pop it in the oven at 250F for like 2-3 hours. You end up with intensely rich, sweet, garlic flavor. You miss out on the nutiness from roasting, but its next level.
If you were to use that in a hotsauce to sell, do you reckon the oil from the garlic would be too much? I know SL is all about "no oil", but I really am trying to figure out if there is a minimum line where that's a bad idea or if it just means sauces must be kept in the fridge or used within 3 months of opening, or some such.
HellfireFarm
Business Member
My two main concerns would be separation and the oil going rancid. Not sure how well the acid content would protect against rancidity - that would certainly make the flavor off. Separation looks bad, but just shake it and you're good - but a lot of people may not like that.
If you're planning it, make a few jars and run a time experiment to see how they are when you open them after 1 month, 3 months, etc. And it never hurts to double-check your state regulations.
If you're planning it, make a few jars and run a time experiment to see how they are when you open them after 1 month, 3 months, etc. And it never hurts to double-check your state regulations.
You mean refigerate after opening?
No
Can you elaborate? I think Secret Aardvark and Formosa have oil yet they are shelf stable