heat Scoville units and heat "longevity"

[Possum-Pie]

I'm new to hot sauce making and I'm a bit of a wuss when it comes to heat. I like spicy hot that disappears quickly. I generally buy Franks in the big bottles. Hot for a few seconds then gone. My wife grew about 5 different varieties of peppers this year including Fresno and Jalepeno. I understand that Fresno can be comparable to Jalapenos in Scoville units. I made a fermented quart of Fresno's last month, added some salt, vinegar, and a bit of xanthum gum to thicken it and it was incredible. Not Cayenne so didn't taste exactly like Franks, but close. Hot for a few seconds than no burn.

I had a half peck of Jalapenos left over after the season and decided to try making sauce with them. The problem with Jalapenos (seeds and pith) is that the heat stays for much longer in the mouth. I thought they were about the same Scoville rating, but the Jalapeno is sure lingering. What can I do (if anything) to reduce the length of burn? I dump the Fresno sauce I made with melted butter on wings and it is great. Enough heat to feel it, but doesn't last so long that I stop enjoying it. When I make Jalapeno Poppers, I take out all of the seeds and pith and that takes most of the heat, but I wanted heat for the sauce so I fermented with them in.

 

[The Hot Pepper]

Mix in some poblano which will cut the heat level but still add that jalapeno type flavor.

You can also buy tame jalapnos and no heat jalapenos these days. In a pinch, use green bell.

 

[Marturo]

 

[Possum-Pie]

Thanks for the tips. I have banana peppers and some small Bell peppers we just pulled, that is the end of our peppers for the season. I don't really like the "green/grassy" taste of the bell in hot sauce, so I may just take this batch of Jalepeno juice and save it for "deer spray". The deer around here will eat everything in the garden, as will rabbits, so I mix sour milk, rotten eggs and hot sauce, sit it in the sun a few days, then strain it into a spray bottle, and spray any plant that they munch on. It smells horrible, and if any critter gets past the smell and takes a taste, the heat stops them from taking a second taste. They sell basically the same stuff at Lowes for $12 and I make mine for about 25 cents.

Can anyone explain why some peppers heat lingers for minutes/hours and other's doesn't? As I said originally, Sauces likes Frank's are hot when you take a sip, but within 30 seconds the heat is gone. I can eat 2 dozen hot wings and feel fine,

 

[The Hot Pepper]

Can anyone explain why some peppers heat lingers for minutes/hours and other's doesn't?

Capsaicin is the general term for a group of capsaicinoids. Think of a cocktail and how different measurements of each ingredient can affect it. Peppers are cocktails of capsaicinoids making up their characteristics of heat, burn, linger, where it hits, etc.

 

[salsalady]

There are several different capsaicinoid compounds, all commonly referred to as 'capsaicin'.
"The family of capsaicinoids is primarily comprised of capsaicin, dihydrocapsaicin, nordihydrocapsaicin, homohydrocapsaicin, homodihydrocapsaicin and nonivamide."

Capsaicin is the predominant compound (usually between 55-65%), followed by the other capsaicinoids in varying amounts. Different peppers contain varying amounts of the different compounds which give them different Heat feels. Some are slow creeping burn, some are 'caning the back a' mah throat...'*, some slap hard and fast, then fade away.

Side note on using the peppers with all the seeds and membranes- Make the ferment like you normally would, then run the sauce thru a food mill to remove the seeds and larger pieces of skin. The bulk of the flesh will grind thru. Personally, I don't care for lots of seeds or tough skin pieces in sauces. Sometimes I find that blendering the snot out of a sauce with lots of seeds in it can give the sauce a bitter taste.

Good Luck and Have Fun!
salsalady

* google Neil from The Hippy Seed Company for lots of YT pepper reviews.

 

[Possum-Pie]

Thanks, That is what I did. I fermented 10 days, blended until smooth, strained through a fine mesh seive to remove tough skin particles and seeds

. As for Capsaisinoids, that makes sense. I'm in the medical profession. Many arthritis rubs have capsaicin as an active ingredient. The burn feeling triggers endorphins that help with the pain. In fact, the fact that many people seem "addicted" to hot foods can in part be explained by the endorphin release. I usually wear gloves when I process peppers, but absent-mindedly put my hand over the mouth of the jar when I was draining most of the liquid. My hands burned for 24 hours...felt like sunburn. The long-acting capsaicinoids must be what they use in arthritis rubs. I'm not sure what they do with Frank's and similar "short-acting" hot sauces but they only last a short time. It seems like perhaps a lipid thing. Fats linger longer in our mouths/skin than water-based things. That is why fatty foods are so attractive to us. Maybe the long aging (years) of some of these sauces plays a role?

 

[The Hot Pepper]

Frank's is aged cayenne. Jalapenos are know to mess you up with their "bite" albeit low heat.