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tutorial Making Hot Sauce 101

@ MisterNo- sorry I missed that question-

Your uncooked sauce sounds pretty good, and while it does have vinegar in it, I would recommend keeping it refrigerated. You would probably eat the amount in your recipe in just a few days anyway, so as long as it's refrigerated, there's no worries.

The info provided here is mostly directed at those wanting to get a sauce in a jar/bottle that does not have to be refrigerated for long term storage (considered "shelf stable"). Most sauces that folks around here make, even if they do have vinegar/acid in them, most refrigerate after opening anyway.

justaguy, I think a post got pulled???
 
OK is there a way to get smooth sauce witha food procesor or a blender.. I thought i read some where to cook blend then cook/ simmer a few times untell its smooth..
 
yes, cooking the ingredients first will help the blender or food processor to break down the pulp. And you can also use a food mill to sieve out pulp and seeds to make a really smooth sauce. Look for food mills at garage sales, thrift stores, and you can get them online for ~ $35.
 
just use what you got!!!

Around here, we get more excited if a person shows up with an awesome ghetto-grow set up than the "LatestGreatest"...
 
If I want to add roasted or smoked peppers to my fermented sauce, I do it after the fermentation process, when I smooth and cook the sauce, or should I add it in the fermentation mash?
 
Fatalalanus said:
If I want to add roasted or smoked peppers to my fermented sauce, I do it after the fermentation process, when I smooth and cook the sauce, or should I add it in the fermentation mash?
Click to expand...

I'll be processing a batch of Jalapenos and Habaneros that I smoked for 4 hours before putting them into a fermentation. They fermented just fine and are now sitting in the fridge waiting for me to make the sauce.
 
RocketMan said:
I'll be processing a batch of Jalapenos and Habaneros that I smoked for 4 hours before putting them into a fermentation. They fermented just fine and are now sitting in the fridge waiting for me to make the sauce.
Click to expand...

So smoked pepper ferment, that's good! I guess that's the same for roasted ones.
Now that I think, it's logic. Sugars aren't degraded by heat nor smoke..
 
Thanks to this post, I'll be making a habanero, banana, mango, kiwi sauce tomorrow! Just got back from getting the ingredients.... just one question... what's better, white vinegar, or cider? I'm pretty sure the answer is "that's up to me"
 
what ^^^ said. :lol:

As long as they have the same acidity %, use what you want. ;)
 
Thatt's what I thought... I have white, cider, and red wine vinegar. I'll probably use all three to some degree. Unfortunately, I'm shooting from the hip, since I don't have a way to test the pH....yet
 
Yep, that's right Phil. Mostly it depends on the flavor profile your after. Remember also that ACV is a very strong flavor and can easily overpower a sauce. I prefer to use Rice Vinegar for my sauces.
 
I'll keep that in mind, Rocketman. I'd be pretty perturbed if I blew a whole batch of peppers on bad sauce. Much appreciated, all!
 
When "cooking" the sauce, do you have only peppers and vinegar in the pot? Do I add the mango, onions, bananas, or whatever I might use to "sweeten" the sauce to the cooking sauce?

I know you suggest adding water if the sauce starts to scorch. Am I supposed to add any water in the beginning of the cooking process?
 
Add everything to the pot. For food safety and for flavor blending, most add it all to the pot to start with.

When cooking and simmering the sauce, liquid will evaporate. If, when you're ready to bottle. the sauce is too thick, adding a bit of water to replace the h20 that evaporated is okay. It's best to keep the sauce stirred to avoiding scorching. Thicker sauces will scorch faster than thinner sauces, but a heavy, thick bottomed cooking pot will also help prevent scorching.
 
Thanks for the article Salsalady! just got the bottles and i'm looking to give this a try. this pretty much answered everything. gotta get a PH meter.growing is one thing , sauce making is a whole different ballgame!
 
[sup]Okay so I'm really new to this, I've tried my hand at making sauce with some pretty good results. I know I should have a PH meter and I need to learn about proper canning for longer safer shelf life but I want to get a decent recipe together before I start investing to much money so small test batches are what I'm working with, is there any rule of thumb for the amount of vinegar you should add to keep the PH level down . Here is what I use for about 1 qt of sauce, this is a basic recipe and my process. ---- 1lb of peppers, 1-1/2 medium onions - 1 head of garlic - 1/2 lb. of carrots - 2 tbsp. kosher or sea salt - juice from 1 lime - 1-1/2 cups of red wine vinegar. I chop all the veggies and cook them until soft then I add the peppers and let them sweat a little then put it all in a food processor and as it whiz's around I add the liquids and any dry ingredients, pour this into a clean sterile quart jar and into the fridge for a week and then I run it through a blender to reduce it more and sometimes I press it through a strainer, then back into a sterile jar, sometimes I add a little Dijon mustard or allspice to it and maybe a little white vinegar and yes it is quite tangy from all the vinegar which is what I want to reduce, the tart tangy vinegary taste.. Any help or advice is appreciated and I can post pics if it'll help.[/sup]
 
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