New to site and making hot sauce

[clemsonmike323]

Hey guys. I just started trying to make my own sauces last week and I am so glad I ran across this site. Some of the things you guys have on here are incredible and everyone seems to be so helpful. I guess my first question is:

Is there a need for me to boil or simmer my sauce? Is there anything wrong with after I pull it out of the blender just jarring it up and throwing it in the fridge? It doesn't last long around my house anyway. I mean are there any advantages to doing this process?

My second question is if I use a lot of vinegar in my sauces (I LOVE vinegar) such as 2 cups sometimes more, is there a need to pressure can or can I just water bathe for storage? Thanks for your help in advance.

 

[Nova]

If your PH is ok (lots of vineger) i would say that pressure canning is not needed. Make sure you cook the ingrediants though to kill any nasties that may be in there. It also helps to blend all of the flavours together and make for a nice consistency.

 

[RocketMan]

+1 to Nova. When I make sauce I boil for a minimum of 30 minutes to kill the nasties. Beyond that it would just be to thicken the sauce. So a typical sauce for me would be:

30 minute boil
Run though the blender to get a nice smooth sauce
heat sauce to 190 degrees F
Bottle
Invert bottles for 15 minutes to sterilize caps

If sauce goes below 190 heat it back up. Done this way I know my sauces will be shelf stable for 6 months providing that the PH is low as Nova said.

 

[clemsonmike323]

Thanks for the advice guys. The main reason I wasn't boiling yet was for my 2 year old and my 5 month pregnant wife's sake. I guess I could always take it outside and put it on the grill. Now if had just bought a new gas grill isntead of charcoal...

 

[RocketMan]

Get a propane camp stove to cook it on. If you have a garage clean up an area in there and cook it in there with the door open so fumes dont build up. Keep a lid on it as much as possible to keep "stuff" from landing in your sauce. If your going to make several bottles worth then make sure everything is sanitized, you can use some bleach water or boil them, to keep the nasties at bay. Give it a week for the flavors to get all happy with each other and then it's time to enjoy.

Oh, make sure you post pics. We love pictures around here and in alot of the threads no pics means didn't happen.

Cheers

 

[clemsonmike323]

Will do RocketMan.. I spent this weekend getting my plants in their pots and ready to go. Either this week or this weekend I'm going to try and make a big batch to store up for awhile. When I do I will definitely post some pictures.

 

[Justaguy]

If it goes quick like you said. Say in a weeks time and you keep in the fridge I don't think a need to boil. More like a fresh salsa, but a sauce.

 

[clemsonmike323]

Oh yeah it goes very quick. I usually make just enouogh to fill up about 2 1/2 jars. I usually give one to my buddy at work and keep the other for myself. Since I love the stuff so much I will put it on everything pretty much while it's around so there's no chance of it lasting a long time at all.

The last batch I made Sat night has too much of a twang to it. Here's the recipe I used. Can't remember exact quantities.

Habaneros
Minced Garlic
1/2 chopped white onion
white sugar
salt
white vinegar
lime juice
lemon juice

This is the first time that I've used lemon juice or sugar in my sauce and I think that must be the difference I'm tasting. Maybe not so much the sugar but I think I used a bit too much lemon juice. I'll probably stray away from that next time.