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Silly PH testing question

Torch

Torch

First off awesome hot sauce 101 thread!!!!! THANK YOU FOR THAT WONDERFUL INFORMATION.


Heres my silly question.

I know the Nasties start to form at 4.6 - 15. PH. I also understand that 4.0 should really be the minimum target. So if the sauce is 4.0 or even more acidic does that mean in theory it's safe no matter what veggies or other ingredients were used, for about a year?

Just want to make sure I understand so that I don't kill off friends and family this season!

Thanks in advance!
 
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in theory, yes. As long as you're talking about a cooked sauce, and not whole pickled veggie pieces.

Generally, 4.6 is the cut-off for a hot packed sauce. Above 4.6 requires pressure canning. But even some sauces below 4.6, depending on their ingredients, will require additional precautions or licensing to produce commercially. That's just a note for hobby saucers to keep in mind. Aiming for 4.0 just gives that extra safety margin for home hobby saucers who usually don't have access to accurate pH meters and such.


In theory, if the sauce is below 4.0 pH, and is properly packed, it should be good indefinitely. There will likely be degredation in color etc, but if it's packed properly and kept in a cool, dark place...... there's no reason it would go bad.
 
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salsalady said:
in theory, yes. As long as you're talking about a cooked sauce, and not whole pickled veggie pieces.
Click to expand...


Ok great that makes sense but I'm a bit confused about the "whole pickled veggie pieces".

If I pickle whole peppers and some whole veggies in 5% vinegar and boil the jars for the minimum amount of time and the PH is 4 or stronger wouldn't that be just as safe as the sauce?

Im sooooooooo close to understanding this I Promise:)

Thanks for you're patience!!!
 
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I don't know what to quote for a pH for pickled veggies/chiles. I just tell everyone to use the recommended recipes from the extentions service and Ball websites for their pickled recipes and to follow their processing for (boiling jars, lids, hot packing or pressure cooking, etc).

Do you have the Ball and WSU/Utah extension service recipes link? If not, let me know. Pretty much, for pickled chiles/veggies, you can follow their recipes for brine solutions and processes, and add your choice of veggies/chiles in the recipe.

For definitions, I refer to "pickled chiles/veggies" as bite-size or pickle size pieces of chiles and assorted veggies. The same ingredients could (theoretically) be blendered and cooked and would then become a sauce.
 
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"Whole pickled veggie pieces" would refer to any vegetables that had parts that were not exposed to the low-pH medium that they are contained in. Examples would be pods whose interiors were not exposed to the vinegar/sauce and thus have the potential to rot on the inside.
 
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salsalady said:
Do you have the Ball and WSU/Utah extension service recipes link? If not, let me know.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if I have seen the WSU/ Utah extension service recipe link. I will google it and save it for future reference. I love the chiles/ veggies pickles so I need to get a good understanding on the Do's and the Don'ts for this process.

chsy83 said:
"Whole pickled veggie pieces" would refer to any vegetables that had parts that were not exposed to the low-pH medium that they are contained in. Examples would be pods whose interiors were not exposed to the vinegar/sauce and thus have the potential to rot on the inside.
Click to expand...

Ok thanks, I guess that's why you either cut the peppers in rings or make slits. How bout carrots though? You supposed to cut holes in them or would it be safe to use baby carrots and just put them in as is?
 
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Here's a link to the WSU Salsa recipe page, but they also have a Pickles recipes page.
http://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublications/PNW0395/PNW0395.pdf


chsy83, I wasn't as clear as I could have been and you are correct that whole pods need to be cut/slit.

As pointed out, it's best to slice whole chiles in some way because they have oxygen inside the pod and run the risk of nasties growing on the inside even though the whole pod is in vinegar brine. Cukes, beans or chunks of carrot are larger and thicker than chiles (usually), but the difference is they don't have oxygen inside and the vinegar will eventually penetrate through all of the flesh.

Baby carrots can be used, or just cut rings of regular size carrots. Some whole pickles are pretty thick, but they still get the vinegar all through them eventually.

Sorry for the confusion. Hope the link helps.
 
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I have no idea of recommended thicknesses. An educated guess could be made based on what you could find in the supermarket. But also keep in mind they get their processes down to the minimum time to maintain the maximum crisp in the packer etc.

Sounds like a good experiment!

for someone who would be interested in that stuff...
 
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:)
i pickled a lot of things in my days. carrots is one of those things that seem to keep crunchy for ages (more than a year at least!). they also absorb well the flavours of the chilis used with them and get tastier the longer it goes!

my favorite pickle from last years harvest was jalapeños and smoked aji bubba, with a few TSMB's per jar. for ph, i dont really know, but i use 50% vinegar or more. for cucumber batches i use pure vinegar with sugar/Salt, mustardseed and some allspice, the cucumbers got a lot of water in them so they need more vinegar imho.

i allways boil up the liqiuds properly and jar it while its still boiling hot.
 
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Great feedback from everyone!! Thanks for providing the link too. Now I just need to buy a PH tester and I'm going to buy a pressurized canner. Hot sauce and pickles are my favorite. Now I just need to figure out what percentage of all my peppers will be used for hot sauce, pickles, crushed peppers, jam. I have a lot of new peppers this year that I haven't had before so not sure what peppers or combinations would go good together. I guess that's the fun part. I know I'd like to make 3 different hot sauce recipes this year. Thinking 40% peppers for hot sauce, 35% pickles, 15% crushed pepper, 10% jam or jelly( never did that before).

Either way my mouth is watering just thinking of all the possibilities!!!
 
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