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bottling Need a "double check" of my food safety for bottling this sauce...

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PaulF

This is actually a "practice" batch for what I hope to make at the end of summer and then give as Christmas gifts.
 
I have my fermented "mix" (dried peppers, mango, onion, garlic, etc) having fermented for 30 days.  I Ph tested the liquor on top ( 2.8 ).
 
I used StarSan sanitizer (from my home brewing projects, good stuff!) to sanitize all tools, containers, etc.  
 
I liquidized the fermented mix in the blender, and then simmered the mash for 20 minutes.  Then I  strained through a sieve into a sanitized bowl. 
 
I Ph checked it again (digital Ph meter, just calibrated in buffer solutions 10 minutes ago) to find it was a Ph of 2.6.
 
It turned out a little thinner than I'd like (ideally), so I added a couple tablespoons of corn starch.
 
I bottled in 5oz sauce bottles.
 
Bottles went into a boiling water bath (1" over the top of the bottles) for 30 minutes.
 
The whole pot is cooling now for a few minutes while I type this before I pull them out of the water bath to cool.
 
SO...
Have I missed any vital safety steps for "long-ish term storage" in bottles?  I think it's considered poor form to give the co-workers and friends I plan on gifting sauce to food poisoning!  
I do homebrewing, some canning, fermenting (saurkraut, etc)... but this is my first foray into a "shelf stable" hot sauce.
 
What can I change, improve, etc, about my process?  Or should I label the finished batch "Refrigerate Immediately"?
 
Thank you for the "double check"!
 
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Only thing i see is a question about the boiling water bath. Were they glass bottles with plastic caps? Those shouldnt be BWB. Only Hot fill/hold. If the bottles have metal caps, then bwb is ok.
 
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These are fine, just a note for future.
 
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Ps pull them out of the water right now. You dont want them to cool in the water. As the vacuum forms, it could suck water under the cap and compromise the seal.
 
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Thanks for the tips!
Plastic caps, won't BWB those again.. (seem to be OK this time, though).  
Pulled them out after just a few minutes. Just wanted to get the blast of steam from fogging my glasses up before I tried pulling them all out, LOL.
 
This batch tastes pretty good, but is awfully thin... I think I need less liquid next time!
 
Paul F.
 
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You could always blend it with xanthan gum next time. It won't add any flavor, and the texture is just perfect as long as you don't overdo it.

And the cornstarch needs to be cooked, just up to a simmer for a minute or so. But then, holding them in the boiling water bath could have over cooked the cornstarch. Not sure how it works in that situation, but if you're cooking it in a pot and boil for too long, the cornstarch will lose its thickening properties.
 
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Sorry to bring up an old thread but in doing my research into my own bottling methods, I found this thread.
My questions are:
Isn't the BWB method used to raise the volume of the sauce via heating to form a vacuum when capped?
How can one boil submerged bottles with the caps on without them exploding?
 
Thanks for any clarification!
 
PaulF said:
Bottles went into a boiling water bath (1" over the top of the bottles) for 30 minutes.
Click to expand...
 
 
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