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tutorial Making Hot Sauce 101

Quick quest: i mashed my mash in food processor ,,and when i pt it in jar i squeeze lemon juice in mash and put a brine on top of procesed mash. Does it have effect on protecting mash from moldor the mash would just apsorb that brine???
 
thanks
 
I assume you're fermenting. In which case this would probably be better in that thread.

In any case though...

While fermenting I wouldn't put any acids in. Acid causes the good bacteria to cease forming and functioning. If you've done your ferment correctly and submerged your mash there should be very little mold or yeast present.

A good way to help keep this down is by moving your ferment to the fridge after about two weeks. This allows your main ferment to bubble and work some good magic and then by moving to the fridge where the temp is less than 40 you lessen the chances of the nasties from moving in.

Good luck!!!
 
matew90 said:
QUEST: WHAT DO I GET IF I PUT SOME SUGAR IN MY MASH, DOES THE SUGAR HS ANY EFFECT OF SPEEDING UP FERMENTATION OR ??
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It can quickstart any helpful bacteria in the mash until the mash breaks down and they can get at the sugars in the chilies quicker.
 
THANKS. AND IF I MASH IN FOOD PROCESOR MY MASH AND PUT SALT IN MASH AND ON TOP OF MASH,DOES THE ONE ON THE TOP CAN PREVENT GETTING MOLD ??
 
WhaT I do is make a super saturated cup of salt water and I add it to the mash to the consitency I want the mash and I don't have any problems with it.
 
GUYS. I HAVE MADE MY FIRST LACTOFERMENTED HOT SAUCE BY INSTRUCTION GIVEN ON THIS BLOG. THANK YOU VERY MUCH :)
 
I HAVE A QUESTION... MY HOT SAUCE ISMAYBE TO SALTY OR ACIDIC. HOW CAN I MAKE IT LITTLE LESS ACIDIC. I PUT 4% OF SALT IN MY MASH AND THAT IT ??
HELP HELP :)
 
Thanks to all for the information posted here.  I made a batch of hot sauce from the scorpion peppers I grew in my garden this summer.  It has an amazing orange color to the sauce, and I followed the hot fill/hold method to bottling this sauce.  Tried to post a picture of a couple of the bottles during the hold time, but having difficulty loading the picture.
 
:welcome: to THP ~prom!

Use an off-site photo service like flikr or photobucket. Would love to see the pics~
 
matew90 said:
GUYS. I HAVE MADE MY FIRST LACTOFERMENTED HOT SAUCE BY INSTRUCTION GIVEN ON THIS BLOG. THANK YOU VERY MUCH :)
 
I HAVE A QUESTION... MY HOT SAUCE ISMAYBE TO SALTY OR ACIDIC. HOW CAN I MAKE IT LITTLE LESS ACIDIC. I PUT 4% OF SALT IN MY MASH AND THAT IT ??
HELP HELP :)
Click to expand...
If it is too salty you can add a potato to it and it will absorb the salt (remove potato when it's the right amount of salinity). Acidity is a different issue and taste. You can always add some water to lessen it though usually that is not a problem. Make sure you actually measure the ph with a ph meter and if you want it to be self stable it needs to less than 4.
 
Hi folks again :) 
Since I master the fermenting process, now i wanna pick my favourite flavour ...soi i would appricieate if you tell me your experience with :
 
1. HABANERO RED, YELLOW
2.HABANERO CHOCOLATE
3.JAMAICAN HOT CHOCOLATE
4.RED SAVINA
5.SCORPION
6. FATALII
 
So if you just try it please make your comment here or in my inbox  :)
 
What is the difference between Hot Fill and Pressure Canning in practical terms?
 
To me it seems like 3 characteristics, unless I'm missing something:
 
Pressure canning: can be stored without refridgeration (as it sterilizes/kills everything)
Pressure canning: can be stored much longer on the shelf than Hot Fill(?)
Hot Fill: can be stored wirhout refridgeration *until its opened* (as it drives oxygen out and kills some bacteria)
 
What SnF said. Sauces over pH 4.0 should be pressure canned. Between 4.0 and 4.6 is a marginal area. Anything over 4.6 MUST be pressure canned.
 
Thanks, some more questions:
How long can a hot fill bottle be left on the shelf at room temp without going bad?
How long can a hot fill bottle be left in the 'fridge after opening without going bad, assuming correct pH under 4.0?
Is the only purpose of Hot Fill and Hold to drive oxygen out of the bottles?
 
Sterilizing bottles:
I plan to do 15min at 15psi for bottles in the pressure cooker instead of bleach or no-rinse sterilization.
This didn't seem to be listed in the initial post but I'm assuming it's hopefully not overkill.
 
One more thing: Is this true?
"Hot Fill/Hold- This is the most common process for hot sauces. The cooked, heated sauce is put into sterilized sauce bottles, the bottle is capped and immediately inverted and kept inverted for a minimum of 3 minutes. This allows the (180F or greater) sauce to come in contact with the inside of the cap and will sterilize the cap."
 
I thought Hot Fill by nature cannot sterilize.
 
total noobsauce said:
REPLYING IN CAPITALS...NOT YELLING..:)
 
Thanks, some more questions:
 
Is there a good step by step somewhere for the hot fill process? FIRST POST IN THIS THREAD ON PAGE1
How long can a hot fill bottle be left on the shelf without going bad?  INDEFINITELY...BUT SOMETIMES THERE IS SOME DETERIORATION OF COLOR AFTER A YEAR OR 2
How long can a hot fill bottle be left in the 'fridge after opening without going bad, assuming correct pH? AGAIN...INDEFINITELY...BUT MOST DON'T LET IT GO MRE THAN A YEAR OR 2
What does the hot fill process kill, or is its only purpose to drive oxygen out of the bottle?  HEATING THE SAUCE TO BOILING KILLS MOST OF THE NASTIES AND THE HFH PROCESS CREATES A SEAL THAT KEEPS OXYGEN OUT OF THE BOTTLE
What does the hot fill process not kill?  DEPENDS ON THE SAUCE AND PH...TOO MANY VARIABLES TO SAY
 
Sterilizing bottles:
I plan to do 15min at 15psi for bottles in the pressure cooker instead of bleach or no-rinse sterilization.
Was wondering though: Can I just boil bottles in water for 10-15min instead of this?
Or does pressure cooking achieve more sterility than boiling as far as empty bottles go?
BOILING THE BOTTLES IS FINE...CAN ALSO USE AN OVEN.  DETAILS IN FIRST POST...
:)
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Thanks -
 
To get things straight (for my head and others):
  • Pasteurization kills most thngs, but not all (for example, bacterial spores).
  • Pressure cooking kills all (considered sterilization).
  • Bottles need not be sterilized, just sanitized (w/ bleach, boiling water, oven heat, etc).
  • Sanitization of bottles is OK (rather than sterilization)
  • Low pH inhibits things leftover from sanitization/pasteurization (like bacterial spores) from growing.
  • When bottling, bottle caps end up being pasteurized, not sterilized as mentioned in the first post.
 
That's pretty much it.  Botulism, ecoli, salmonella are the most common and worst nasties.  They are killed or made non-harmful by adding acidity (lowering the pH) or by pressure canning. 
 
Bacteria is present in some water systems and UV light is used to render the bacteria inert.  It doesn't remove the bacteria, it just makes it not harmful.  Same theory for food processing.  I'm sure some science people who are way smarter than me can explain all the details.  :lol:
 
 
From the BPCS processors handbook -
"FDA and USDA canning regulations are specific for thermally processed foods packaged in hermetically sealed containers.  A hermetically sealed container is defined as an air-tight container that is designed and intended to protect the contents against the entry of micro-organisms and thereby to maintain the commercial sterility of it's contents during and after processing."
 
The word "sterility" is used in reference to foods that are hermetically sealed.  Bottles processed using hot fill hold are considered hermetically sealed and sterile.  Semantics~
:)
 
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