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Noob questions again.

BenVanned

BenVanned

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I have read the 101 but I am still unclear on a few things. Sauce needs to have a Ph of 4.0 or under this is to create an envrioment too acidic for nasties. To pasturize something it must be bottled at 190 or higher. If the Ph is low enough is pasturization nessicary? Also at this point in the game I have no Ph testing supplies, Is there a general rule as to how much vinegar or other acidic juice (lemon, lime, etc..) sould be used per volume? Nautrally I don't want my sauce to be over ran by vinegar but I don't want it spoiling within a week either.

Secondly, How do you thin a sauce without compromising flavor? Most of my sauces have came out of the blend too thick and I have used a dash of vinegar and the water I used to rehydrate any dried peppers.

I would like to take the hobby a little higher and start gifting my sauce and featuring it at local flea markets and such. I want more out of the hobby than just blending stuff in my kitchen.
 
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you can always use a veggie stock of some sort to thin your sauces.. ive made pepper stock before with both home grown and store bought peppers.. same as making any sort of stock really.. water, peppers, any other aromatics you choose (garlic, onion, etc), and simmer over night.. you can choose to sautee the veggies first if you want to make them taste a bit more carmelized.. or add mushrooms for earthy flavors. or smoked mushrooms for something really unique. this is also great for soups.

once its simmerd over night, reduce it and youve got a your self a heck of a stock that you can reduce hot sauce with.
 
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You should try to get proper PH AND bring the sauce to 190. The reason for this is when you bring the sauce to 190, you kill the EXISTING bacteria and then the acidity will PREVENT new bacteria from forming. If you just make the sauce the proper acidity, you don't necessarily guarantee that it will be rid of the existing bacteria, and while it will not be a preferrable environment for them, they could still hang around if their numbers were high enough to begin with. So be sure to do both to be safe.
 
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benvanned said:
I have read the 101 but I am still unclear on a few things. Sauce needs to have a Ph of 4.0 or under this is to create an envrioment too acidic for nasties. To pasturize something it must be bottled at 190 or higher. If the Ph is low enough is pasturization nessicary?
Pasturizing is a little different. In the "industry" the process talked about in the 101 thread is called hot packing. Unless the sauce has a pH of (something like 2.6) it's almost always specified by process authorities to hot pack/invert. That process sanitizes the inside of the plastic cap. Most people use the woozy-style bottles with plasic caps for their sauce making. Those plastic caps can't be boiled or pressure canned, it would melt the plastic. So the process of putting heated sauce in the bottles, capping and inverting kills the nasties on the inside of the cap.


Also at this point in the game I have no Ph testing supplies, Is there a general rule as to how much vinegar or other acidic juice (lemon, lime, etc..) sould be used per volume? Nautrally I don't want my sauce to be over ran by vinegar but I don't want it spoiling within a week either.
There were some recipes linked in the 101 thread, including some university extension service recipes that are tested/approved for pH content. I'd suggest using one of the approved recipes unless you do have a pH tester. If you're wanting to share your sauce and get it out there, one of the first pieces of equipment you should invest in is a decent pH meter. There are several brands, many folks around here use a Hanna meter, they're not that expensive, maybe $60-100. Remember to get buffering solutions also. Just having that one tool will allow you to play around with your recipes and feel confident in what you share.


Secondly, How do you thin a sauce without compromising flavor? Most of my sauces have came out of the blend too thick and I have used a dash of vinegar and the water I used to rehydrate any dried peppers.
That veggie stock is a good idea! Also, fruit juices if the flavor works with the rest of the ingredients.

I would like to take the hobby a little higher and start gifting my sauce and featuring it at local flea markets and such. I want more out of the hobby than just blending stuff in my kitchen.
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Good Luck and Have Fun!
 
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Something else you can do to thin it is add the vinegar, let that sit in the fridge for a couple days so the vinegar breaks down the pulp a bit, then strain out the larger pulp pieces and finally, reheat to 190 and bottle. As for adding juices, a batch with lemon or lime is my preference though you won't need as much vinegar IF any.
 
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