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Sauce explosion problem- need help!

Jmarglon

Jmarglon

Ive been having an issue with my cooked sauce fermenting and blowing up once opened. Once all cooked at 200 degrees for 20 minutes, I bottle and then refrigerate. Im incredibly confused why, as I have read a ton about this and the general understanding is that once cooked at 190 for 15 minutes that it will remedy the problem by killing all active bacteria. I have sterilized the funnel I use as well as the bottles that are to be filled.

Note that I am NOT using sweetener, sugar or pineapple/mango. I am using a combo of fresh and dehydrated peppers...would limiting this to dehydrated only help my cause? To mix, I use a Vitamix...is this adding air and is this part of the problem?

Sometimes I will cook, then let cool to room temp to make spice adjustments. I then will cook at 200 degrees at 20 minutes. Then I will refrigerate.

Is it always necessary to hot-bottle direct from the 200 degree/20 min cook?

Any help would be appreciated!
 
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Also, if you are using self-sealing lids then they are not meant to be sterilised - it will destroy the foam sealing ring. They meant to be used straight out of the package.
 
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If your sauce "exploded" from your pot when you first open it, try just opening the lid a bit at first to let the in & out pressure equilibrate. It might also means that some fermentation did occur after packaging (my guess; no mather with or without any sugar addition to the recipe). Lactobacillus are real good in hidding, especially on plastic where tiny scratches and barely uninvisible cracks can offer them a "safe" place to hide. Try soaking your Vitamix container in a no-rinse sanitizer for a couple of minutes prior to use and bring your temp up to 212F next time should also help. Good luck
 
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No sterile, cooked and bottled sauce should be under any pressure once at room temperature. To the contrary in fact, it should be under a slight vacuum due to the hot air inside the bottle cooling and condensing to a smaller volume (Put a balloon in the fridge and it will get smaller). This is why many store bought products in jars have those pop top lids, once the vacuum is released they pop telling you that the jar hasn't been opened previously, and the contents are safe to eat. 
 
Tighen the lids tight, no need to leave them loose at all. The likely cause of the excess pressure is either a continuation of fermentation once bottled (most likely in this case) or a bacterial growth. 
 
Your sauce should be simmered/boiled accordingly and all utensils and bottles sanitized prior to use.
 
See here for more information: http://thehotpepper.com/topic/29501-making-hot-sauce-101/?p=597186#entry597186
 
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Thanks Shorerider, and I appreciate the link. I’d like your advice on dehydrated peppers. If I hydrated them after boiling for 10 min, can I let them cool to room temp naturally or would you Refer them immediately to cool down in a faster manner (to avoid NASTIES)? The reason I ask is that I often tweak the salt level at room temp, then boil at 200 for 20 min, then bottle. Appreciated.
 
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The self sealing lids fail under two circumstances, according to the manufacturers and my experience as well:
 
1. being boiled prior to use (the soft seal turns hard, thus preventing proper vacuum retention over time or even at all)
 
2. being overtightened while hot (this actually corrupts the soft seal ring, twists it out of place and exposes air routes)
 
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1. Why are you rehydrating peppers?
 
2. Why not put a tiny amount of sauce in a glass (keeping glasses in the freezer for this purpose, and pH testing is recommended) to taste test while the bulk sauce remains on simmer?
 
Cooling a whole batch to room temp just to taste test seems irrational. What size batches are you making?
 
FWIW, lids should never be boiled, simply inverting immediately after filling and then allowing to cool to room temperature (while inverted) is all that is required to sanitize the lid.
 
podz said:
The self sealing lids fail under two circumstances, according to the manufacturers and my experience as well:
 
1. being boiled prior to use (the soft seal turns hard, thus preventing proper vacuum retention over time or even at all)
 
2. being overtightened while hot (this actually corrupts the soft seal ring, twists it out of place and exposes air routes)
Click to expand...
 
I've never had a lid liner or "wad" fail, if yours are twisting, I would be looking for another supplier.
 
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If the air can not vent out of the food during processing, because the lid is too tight, the trapped oxygen will cause spoiling. That is exactly what OP is referring with his sauce exploding. Seen it happen to many people, very common newbie mistake. With smaller lids, it's hard to see but with bigger lids you will actually see the lid buckle outward / upward.  When pressure is released by unscrewing the lid, the contents naturally jump out or "explode".
 
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Shorerider, good questions you have.


1. Why are you rehydrating peppers?

Good question...I would expect them to blend/melt in better with a cooked sauce. I must admit I have not tried to use them dehydrated.

2. Why not put a tiny amount of sauce in a glass (keeping glasses in the freezer for this purpose, and pH testing is recommended) to taste test while the bulk sauce remains on simmer?

Funny...I thought of this today while brainstorming/brainfarting. It’s a smart move.

3. Cooling a whole batch to room temp just to taste test seems irrational. What size batches are you making?

Not huge at all...only about 40 oz.
 
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I would add dehydrated peppers dry, they will soften and rehyrate when added your liquid sauce during cooking. 
 
I would advise against bringing the whole batch back to room temperature for the reasons I have already mentioned. 
 
To get back to your initial problem, I can only think of two reasons why your sauce would "explode". Fermentation is occurring in your bottles, or the contents have been infected by nasties. 
 
Note: You need to be sure to simmer for 20 minutes, BUT, it needs to be simmering the whole time.
 
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There's a few items missing in the description.  First thing that comes to mind is -where's the vinegar/acidity?
 
Ive been having an issue with my cooked sauce fermenting and blowing up once opened. \
 
This doesn't sound like fermentation, it sounds like food poisoning. 
 
 
Once all cooked at 200 degrees for 20 minutes, I bottle and then refrigerate. Im incredibly confused why, as I have read a ton about this and the general understanding is that once cooked at 190 for 15 minutes that it will remedy the problem by killing all active bacteria. I have sterilized the funnel I use as well as the bottles that are to be filled.
 
This sounds like the sauce is just cooked, then bottled.  This does NOT make it Shelf Stable!    What you have is some cooked vegetable matter that does not have any acidity.  This will get butulism and all sorts of nasties growing.  Think Green Beans.  Which are right there with chile peppers.  They have no natural acidity.  While it may be fermented, it will still spoil if not properly processed in a pressure cooker, or by adding acidity, or by just keeping refrigerated for a couple weeks.

Note that I am NOT using sweetener, sugar or pineapple/mango. I am using a combo of fresh and dehydrated peppers...would limiting this to dehydrated only help my cause? To mix, I use a Vitamix...is this adding air and is this part of the problem?
 
Air is not an issue, it's the fact that you are only using peppers, and then not processing correctly.

Sometimes I will cook, then let cool to room temp to make spice adjustments. I then will cook at 200 degrees at 20 minutes. Then I will refrigerate.

Is it always necessary to hot-bottle direct from the 200 degree/20 min cook?
 
 
If you do not have any added acidity, the only safe processing is pressure cooking for a SHELF STABLE product.  Or keep refrigerated like a kimchee or sauerkraut, which will last for weeks-months under refrigeration, but is not SHELF STABLE.
 
Or, Add acidity and process with the cooking to 200F, HotFillHold.
 
Here's a tutorial and a definitions thread.  Hope it helps~
http://thehotpepper.com/topic/29501-making-hot-sauce-101/
http://thehotpepper.com/topic/49801-chile-pepper-weights-measures-and-other-things/
 
If your processed sauce is fizzing out when opened....PITCH IT!~!!!!   Do not mess around with a vegetable product that could have gone bad from botulism.
 
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Thanks all for your input.  I definitely have acidity added (1 cup white distilled) in the recipe.  I admittedly do not have a ph tester, but will now purchase.  I’ve deduced that it must have been that I let the batch cool down to room temp before simmering at 200 for 20 minutes.  Either that or my funnel, Vitamix or pot were not sanitized deeply enough.  I really appreciate the help and info sent.  
 
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Jmarglon said:
Ive deduced that...
Click to expand...
Not trying to break your balls, but I really dont think your problem is *solved* just yet. Sure, you added a cup of vinegar, but you still haven*t told us the total volume of the peppers you used (or anything else for that matter). Will a cup of vinegar safely acidify a handful of pods? Probably. Two gallons of pods? Most definitely not. See where I*m going with this? ;)

Did you happen to write your recipe down? If we knew that, we*d have a much clearer vision on where to guide you next time. We need a solid starting point though ;) An exact recipe and the exact process you used would help us to help you a lot. :welcome: to the forum, BTW!

:cheers:

Good call on getting a pH meter. It*ll definitely come in handy if you plan on making sauce often. They*re invaluable tools :)
 
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