Just want to start by saying a big thank-you for the warm welcome in the introductions section.
I recently made the following sauce from a recipe found on the net.
2 cloves of garlic
1 large onion
1 large carrot
1 tsp of salt
Splash of lemon juice
1 cup of white vinegar
15 fresh habenero chilies
I put everything in a food processor and reduced it to a pulp. Placed it in a pan and simmered it for 10 minutes. I put the sauce into small clean jars and placed the lids on. When it had cooled the 'press to test' lids showed there was a vacuum seal.
After much reading on bottling i know the bottling method was not ideal so i have stored it in the fridge.
This sauce had a really rich fruity flavour and i can confirm it was hot, but not as hot as i expected.
I plan to mod the recipe by using by substituting 5 of the habenero's for 3 reconstituted from dry bhut jolokia peppers. I also intend to add half a cup of fresh apple juice and the juice of a whole lemon.
What i am aiming for is a sauce that will easily shake out of a woozy bottle.
I also understand that i can give it some shelf life outside the fridge by heating to 190c for 30 minutes and placing it in woozy bottles that have been heated up in the oven. Once the cap is on i will invert them for 5 minutes to sterilize the tops. I understand that this is how commercial sauces are bottled. A shelf life of 6 months plus would be great but i have no idea how to work this out.
I must admit the more i read on bottling the more confusing it all gets :-)
Not sure what the ph level is as the ph meter i ordered off ebay has not arrived yet.
All views, comments, suggestions are welcome. I need all the help i can get.
Many thanks. John - Barnsley - UK.
I recently made the following sauce from a recipe found on the net.
2 cloves of garlic
1 large onion
1 large carrot
1 tsp of salt
Splash of lemon juice
1 cup of white vinegar
15 fresh habenero chilies
I put everything in a food processor and reduced it to a pulp. Placed it in a pan and simmered it for 10 minutes. I put the sauce into small clean jars and placed the lids on. When it had cooled the 'press to test' lids showed there was a vacuum seal.
After much reading on bottling i know the bottling method was not ideal so i have stored it in the fridge.
This sauce had a really rich fruity flavour and i can confirm it was hot, but not as hot as i expected.
I plan to mod the recipe by using by substituting 5 of the habenero's for 3 reconstituted from dry bhut jolokia peppers. I also intend to add half a cup of fresh apple juice and the juice of a whole lemon.
What i am aiming for is a sauce that will easily shake out of a woozy bottle.
I also understand that i can give it some shelf life outside the fridge by heating to 190c for 30 minutes and placing it in woozy bottles that have been heated up in the oven. Once the cap is on i will invert them for 5 minutes to sterilize the tops. I understand that this is how commercial sauces are bottled. A shelf life of 6 months plus would be great but i have no idea how to work this out.
I must admit the more i read on bottling the more confusing it all gets :-)
Not sure what the ph level is as the ph meter i ordered off ebay has not arrived yet.
All views, comments, suggestions are welcome. I need all the help i can get.
Many thanks. John - Barnsley - UK.
