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Anyone make homemade hot sauces? (1 Viewer)

@Hot Sauce Guy

Daughter is ripping through the sauces. Her favorite is the thai chile pineapple. She is asking about other tropical flavors. I see a mango, tamarind, garlic. Do you have others?
14 varieties in total! :pickle:

I make 2 for Heatonist, and 1 for Fuego Box. And one is seasonal. So technically 10.
:hifive:

ETA: so happy to hear you’re diggin the Dog! :wub:
 
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I'm not a huge fan of the vinegar based sauces. It there a good way to make a sauce that will last without it? As for store-bought sauces, I gravitate toward the ones that don't have the vinegar bite, like Tapatio and Pico Pica. My favorite is homemade of course, but I find it has a very limited shelf life, even in the fridge.
 
Thank you @Hot Sauce Guy

If you were going to suggest a basic recipe to a beginner, what would you suggest?
For a pasteurized sauce, maybe something like this:
Ingredients
  • rice vinegar (4.3% dilution, I believe) - rice vinegar is a really nice option to start with because there's a little natural sweetness, but not as sweet as ACV, and not as acidic as ACV or White vinegars, which typically run 5%. So it will be less bitey on the palate.
  • desired pepper of choice - if you have Mexican mercados or farmers markets nearby, you can usually get some exotic peppers like Manzano, Fresnos or even ghost, scorpion, scotch bonnets, etc. Otherwise you can get Habanero, Jalapeno, Serrano at most large grocery stores.
  • I really like the layering that a blend of dried & fresh peppers can add to a pasteurized sauce, so suggest cayenne or chile Tepin (also available at Mexican markets)
  • Onion adds liquid to the sauce that isn't water, and also when cooked lends some texture & savory notes
  • Garlic is a must for me. The more the merrier.
  • For sweetness, agave is a pretty neutral flavor option, and is less absorbent than sugar. Honey works well, but has more of a distinct flavor. Natural sweeteners include pineapple, mango, apple, carrot, banana, papaya, pear, date, etc.
  • Chipotle is kind of a cheat code - whether its dried or canned in adobo sauce, it's such a bold, dominant flavor that it can take over a sauce, and often does.
  • Spices like cumin, turmeric, saffron, sea salt, black pepper, coriander, smoked paprika, etc - all work well in moderation, to taste.
So I know that's not a recipe. But that's sort of deliberate - I don't know which of those fruits or spices or the intensity of them that you will want.

As I'd mentioned in my post above, your target is ~30% acid. That's for resulting pH. If you like sharper sauces, you can always up the acid to 35 or even 40% of the solution.

So let's say you're making roughly a quart-sized batch, which I recommend. if it's good you have enough to enjoy, and if it sucks you won't cry about dumping it down the drain. I've made a ton of drain-sauce. lol Anyway, you probably have a quart bottle of rice vinegar, so use about 35% of it.
Prep your ingredients - I like running them through a food processor for even cook time, but if you prefer to hand-dice veggies, that option is fine as well. It will all cook fine regardless.

When you sketch out your recipe in excel, enter a couple of divisional formulas to determine how much of the formula is acid. You'll have weighed the vinegar, so you already know that you have room for 65% of "other" - fresh peppers weigh more than dried, but dried have a 5:1 concentration of heat. I would suggest 35% fresh peppers, but since I don't know what peppers you want to work with (or what's available to you) that could make it devastatingly hot. If you're making a jalapeno sauce, 40% jalapenos will be fine. I would recommend not using more than say 3% sodium, or you risk creating a salt bomb. Better to under-salt than over-salt. And as mentioned, dried spices can go a long way. Some folks like big bold use of spices like cumin, while others enjoy a subtle hint.

Using an excel spreadsheet, enter the items in gram weight. Acids 35%, base 65%, dry spices, honey or agave should be weighed & entered, but aren't included in the formula of acid vs base.

Then cook at 190 degrees for 8 mins while agitating constantly, blend, bottle, and invert!

There are some actual basic recipes on thehotpepper.com if you want a literal recipe - that's not really how I create, so it's not really something I’m good at offering here. And I also think this hobby is a lot more fun when you find your own path to the flavor profiles that you enjoy.

If I were going super basic with an actual recipe, I'd suggest the following:
  • 1/3 of a qt of rice vinegar diluted to 4.3%
  • 40% jalapeno peppers
  • 10% onion
  • 10% garlic
  • 3% sea salt
Weigh all in grams to determine actual qtys, using the weight of the vinegar as a benchmark for %s.

Pasteurize, blend, hot fill & invert.

It's a good starting point - and probably a very tasty simple sauce.
Thank you!
 
I'm not a huge fan of the vinegar based sauces. It there a good way to make a sauce that will last without it? As for store-bought sauces, I gravitate toward the ones that don't have the vinegar bite, like Tapatio and Pico Pica. My favorite is homemade of course, but I find it has a very limited shelf life, even in the fridge.
You need some kind of acid in order for it to keep - low pH inhibits bad bacteria. A fermented sauce will be less bitey because lactic acid is less assertive than vinegar. I haven't done hot sauce yet, but have been fermenting dill pickles for a couple of years now.
 
About 4 months ago I was handed about a pound and a half of some form of habanero-ish pepper. The family bought seeds for poblano peppers at the store to make rellenos. Once they started coming in they realized that there must have been some cross contamination with the batch of seeds as about half the plants produced poblanos and the other half were these small, red peppers that looked similar to habanero and were quite fiery.

I didn’t know what to do with them as they were too hot to cook with for my family (none have f them like spicy food) so decided to attempt making a hot sauce out of them. I followed a pretty basic recipe I found online for a habanero hot sauce (peppers, onion, garlic, carrot, salt, vinegar) and it came out phenomenal. It’s a deep reddish orange color and while there was a fair amount of vinegar in the recipe the final flavor isn’t really all that vinegary (not huge on vinegar-forward hot sauces) and the flavor of the peppers really pop. Only problem is that I have no clue what the actual peppers are if I ever wanted to recreate it.
 
I'm not a huge fan of the vinegar based sauces. It there a good way to make a sauce that will last without it? As for store-bought sauces, I gravitate toward the ones that don't have the vinegar bite, like Tapatio and Pico Pica. My favorite is homemade of course, but I find it has a very limited shelf life, even in the fridge.
You need some kind of acid in order for it to keep - low pH inhibits bad bacteria. A fermented sauce will be less bitey because lactic acid is less assertive than vinegar. I haven't done hot sauce yet, but have been fermenting dill pickles for a couple of years now.

That's a great link. Thank you
 
I'm not a huge fan of the vinegar based sauces. It there a good way to make a sauce that will last without it? As for store-bought sauces, I gravitate toward the ones that don't have the vinegar bite, like Tapatio and Pico Pica. My favorite is homemade of course, but I find it has a very limited shelf life, even in the fridge.
Yes - google “pepper mash” and purchase a small bucket (1/2 gal, gal) and use that in place of vinegar.

Mash is fermented, and acetic acid rather than vinegar. I offered vinegar based ideas because you can’t just run to Safeway/Kroger and buy mash - it’s a specialty item. Also pricey.

Or you can go to Thehotpepper.com & check out the fermentation discussions. Lots of basic fermentation instructions & basic recipes there. Requires some specialized equipment (ain’t nobody got time to burp jugs every day) and much more time, but some fantastic results can be had.

One note about vinegar though: for 10 years I’ve had customers approach my booth saying “I hate vinegar based sauces” only to do a tasting & walk away with 3 vinegar-based sauces. Not all are equal, and in my vinegar-based sauces, the vinegar is the last thing you’ll taste. I think what people mean by that is they don’t like *bitey* acidic vinegar-based sauces. I get it - I don’t either.

Good luck!
 
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I'm not a huge fan of the vinegar based sauces. It there a good way to make a sauce that will last without it? As for store-bought sauces, I gravitate toward the ones that don't have the vinegar bite, like Tapatio and Pico Pica. My favorite is homemade of course, but I find it has a very limited shelf life, even in the fridge.
You need some kind of acid in order for it to keep - low pH inhibits bad bacteria. A fermented sauce will be less bitey because lactic acid is less assertive than vinegar. I haven't done hot sauce yet, but have been fermenting dill pickles for a couple of years now.

That's a great link. Thank you
Serious eats is great - I’ve gotten to know Kenji a bit over the years. He was kind enough to include 2 of my sauces on his “25 hot sauces that everyone should try” list. It was a huge honor to have both Brown Label & Year of the Dog on there.

Funny aside - when it hit Reddit, as level-headed as that community always is, someone accused Kenji of shilling for me, and others accused me of bribing Kenji. Like that’s something he’d do, or I could afford. :lol: anyway, we both posted responses and then started chatting & that’s how I met Kenji. I sent him samples when prototyping my next sauce & he offered feedback. Ah, Reddit. Never change.

He recently included Brown Label in a Kenji-curated gift set with proceeds going to charity.

Serious eats is great.

I still highly recommend checking out the fermentation forum at thehotpepper.com, as they have more than just basics over there. :hifive:
 
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Serious eats is great - I’ve gotten to know Kenji a bit over the years. He was kind enough to include 2 of my sauces on his “25 hot sauces that everyone should try” list. It was a huge honor to have both Brown Label & Year of the Dog on there.
Ahhh, Inner Beauty hot sauce! Blast from the past. East Coast Grill used to have their Monday Hotter than Hell night, and I attended a few times. I knew Chris very well back then.

I'm strictly a tourist with hot sauce, but they had Monday regulars, and those people could eat stuff I couldn't even smell. That place was great, their build your own Bloody bar was best I've ever seen
 
Serious eats is great - I’ve gotten to know Kenji a bit over the years. He was kind enough to include 2 of my sauces on his “25 hot sauces that everyone should try” list. It was a huge honor to have both Brown Label & Year of the Dog on there.
Ahhh, Inner Beauty hot sauce! Blast from the past. East Coast Grill used to have their Monday Hotter than Hell night, and I attended a few times. I knew Chris very well back then.

I'm strictly a tourist with hot sauce, but they had Monday regulars, and those people could eat stuff I couldn't even smell. That place was great, their build your own Bloody bar was best I've ever seen
Yeah - I used to love that Todd’s Inner Beauty sauce.

Someone bought it years after they went out, and it isn’t quite the same. At least I don’t think it tastes the same.
 
I'm not a huge fan of the vinegar based sauces. It there a good way to make a sauce that will last without it? As for store-bought sauces, I gravitate toward the ones that don't have the vinegar bite, like Tapatio and Pico Pica. My favorite is homemade of course, but I find it has a very limited shelf life, even in the fridge.
Yes - google “pepper mash” and purchase a small bucket (1/2 gal, gal) and use that in place of vinegar.

Mash is fermented, and acetic acid rather than vinegar. I offered vinegar based ideas because you can’t just run to Safeway/Kroger and buy mash - it’s a specialty item. Also pricey.

Or you can go to Thehotpepper.com & check out the fermentation discussions. Lots of basic fermentation instructions & basic recipes there. Requires some specialized equipment (ain’t nobody got time to burp jugs every day) and much more time, but some fantastic results can be had.

One note about vinegar though: for 10 years I’ve had customers approach my booth saying “I hate vinegar based sauces” only to do a tasting & walk away with 3 vinegar-based sauces. Not all are equal, and in my vinegar-based sauces, the vinegar is the last thing you’ll taste. I think what people mean by that is they don’t like *bitey* acidic vinegar-based sauces. I get it - I don’t either.

Good luck!

I bought your hot gift pack of few months ago. I did notice the vinegar, but you're right in that it didn't dominate the way that some do. Still, I'd prefer to not have it ... though don't get me wrong, I enjoyed every drop of the stuff I bought from you.

Do you make a pepper mash based sauce? I'd like to try it if you do ...
 
I'm not a huge fan of the vinegar based sauces. It there a good way to make a sauce that will last without it? As for store-bought sauces, I gravitate toward the ones that don't have the vinegar bite, like Tapatio and Pico Pica. My favorite is homemade of course, but I find it has a very limited shelf life, even in the fridge.
Yes - google “pepper mash” and purchase a small bucket (1/2 gal, gal) and use that in place of vinegar.

Mash is fermented, and acetic acid rather than vinegar. I offered vinegar based ideas because you can’t just run to Safeway/Kroger and buy mash - it’s a specialty item. Also pricey.

Or you can go to Thehotpepper.com & check out the fermentation discussions. Lots of basic fermentation instructions & basic recipes there. Requires some specialized equipment (ain’t nobody got time to burp jugs every day) and much more time, but some fantastic results can be had.

One note about vinegar though: for 10 years I’ve had customers approach my booth saying “I hate vinegar based sauces” only to do a tasting & walk away with 3 vinegar-based sauces. Not all are equal, and in my vinegar-based sauces, the vinegar is the last thing you’ll taste. I think what people mean by that is they don’t like *bitey* acidic vinegar-based sauces. I get it - I don’t either.

Good luck!

I bought your hot gift pack of few months ago. I did notice the vinegar, but you're right in that it didn't dominate the way that some do. Still, I'd prefer to not have it ... though don't get me wrong, I enjoyed every drop of the stuff I bought from you.

Do you make a pepper mash based sauce? I'd like to try it if you do ...
Several.
• El Perro Afortunado
• Dia del Perro
• Hell Hound
• 10th Anniversary sauce

And 2 I don’t list on my website as I make them for a subscription company. But I can always sub one in for ya by request. ;)

Also, in some/most of those sauces I add a touch of vinegar to help up the acid a little, or for flavor - sometimes you have a recipe that’s near perfect, but it needs that tiny more bite of acid.
 
I'm not a huge fan of the vinegar based sauces. It there a good way to make a sauce that will last without it? As for store-bought sauces, I gravitate toward the ones that don't have the vinegar bite, like Tapatio and Pico Pica. My favorite is homemade of course, but I find it has a very limited shelf life, even in the fridge.
Yes - google “pepper mash” and purchase a small bucket (1/2 gal, gal) and use that in place of vinegar.

Mash is fermented, and acetic acid rather than vinegar. I offered vinegar based ideas because you can’t just run to Safeway/Kroger and buy mash - it’s a specialty item. Also pricey.

Or you can go to Thehotpepper.com & check out the fermentation discussions. Lots of basic fermentation instructions & basic recipes there. Requires some specialized equipment (ain’t nobody got time to burp jugs every day) and much more time, but some fantastic results can be had.

One note about vinegar though: for 10 years I’ve had customers approach my booth saying “I hate vinegar based sauces” only to do a tasting & walk away with 3 vinegar-based sauces. Not all are equal, and in my vinegar-based sauces, the vinegar is the last thing you’ll taste. I think what people mean by that is they don’t like *bitey* acidic vinegar-based sauces. I get it - I don’t either.

Good luck!

I bought your hot gift pack of few months ago. I did notice the vinegar, but you're right in that it didn't dominate the way that some do. Still, I'd prefer to not have it ... though don't get me wrong, I enjoyed every drop of the stuff I bought from you.

Do you make a pepper mash based sauce? I'd like to try it if you do ...
Several.
• El Perro Afortunado
• Dia del Perro
• Hell Hound
• 10th Anniversary sauce

And 2 I don’t list on my website as I make them for a subscription company. But I can always sub one in for ya by request. ;)

Also, in some/most of those sauces I add a touch of vinegar to help up the acid a little, or for flavor - sometimes you have a recipe that’s near perfect, but it needs that tiny more bite of acid.

Sweet ... if I order a four-pack dealers choice, can you put those in? Not sure if you're the one who is physically packing boxes and shipping ...
 
I'm not a huge fan of the vinegar based sauces. It there a good way to make a sauce that will last without it? As for store-bought sauces, I gravitate toward the ones that don't have the vinegar bite, like Tapatio and Pico Pica. My favorite is homemade of course, but I find it has a very limited shelf life, even in the fridge.
Yes - google “pepper mash” and purchase a small bucket (1/2 gal, gal) and use that in place of vinegar.

Mash is fermented, and acetic acid rather than vinegar. I offered vinegar based ideas because you can’t just run to Safeway/Kroger and buy mash - it’s a specialty item. Also pricey.

Or you can go to Thehotpepper.com & check out the fermentation discussions. Lots of basic fermentation instructions & basic recipes there. Requires some specialized equipment (ain’t nobody got time to burp jugs every day) and much more time, but some fantastic results can be had.

One note about vinegar though: for 10 years I’ve had customers approach my booth saying “I hate vinegar based sauces” only to do a tasting & walk away with 3 vinegar-based sauces. Not all are equal, and in my vinegar-based sauces, the vinegar is the last thing you’ll taste. I think what people mean by that is they don’t like *bitey* acidic vinegar-based sauces. I get it - I don’t either.

Good luck!

I bought your hot gift pack of few months ago. I did notice the vinegar, but you're right in that it didn't dominate the way that some do. Still, I'd prefer to not have it ... though don't get me wrong, I enjoyed every drop of the stuff I bought from you.

Do you make a pepper mash based sauce? I'd like to try it if you do ...
Several.
• El Perro Afortunado
• Dia del Perro
• Hell Hound
• 10th Anniversary sauce

And 2 I don’t list on my website as I make them for a subscription company. But I can always sub one in for ya by request. ;)

Also, in some/most of those sauces I add a touch of vinegar to help up the acid a little, or for flavor - sometimes you have a recipe that’s near perfect, but it needs that tiny more bite of acid.

Sweet ... if I order a four-pack dealers choice, can you put those in? Not sure if you're the one who is physically packing boxes and shipping ...
I certainly can! And yes, it’s me. I’ve been a packing fool since Black Friday - finally gonna get down to 0 orders today I think! It’s very exciting. lol

Leave a note asking for that set & I’ll be thrilled to accommodate a footballguy. :hifive:
 
I'm not a huge fan of the vinegar based sauces. It there a good way to make a sauce that will last without it? As for store-bought sauces, I gravitate toward the ones that don't have the vinegar bite, like Tapatio and Pico Pica. My favorite is homemade of course, but I find it has a very limited shelf life, even in the fridge.
Yes - google “pepper mash” and purchase a small bucket (1/2 gal, gal) and use that in place of vinegar.

Mash is fermented, and acetic acid rather than vinegar. I offered vinegar based ideas because you can’t just run to Safeway/Kroger and buy mash - it’s a specialty item. Also pricey.

Or you can go to Thehotpepper.com & check out the fermentation discussions. Lots of basic fermentation instructions & basic recipes there. Requires some specialized equipment (ain’t nobody got time to burp jugs every day) and much more time, but some fantastic results can be had.

One note about vinegar though: for 10 years I’ve had customers approach my booth saying “I hate vinegar based sauces” only to do a tasting & walk away with 3 vinegar-based sauces. Not all are equal, and in my vinegar-based sauces, the vinegar is the last thing you’ll taste. I think what people mean by that is they don’t like *bitey* acidic vinegar-based sauces. I get it - I don’t either.

Good luck!

I bought your hot gift pack of few months ago. I did notice the vinegar, but you're right in that it didn't dominate the way that some do. Still, I'd prefer to not have it ... though don't get me wrong, I enjoyed every drop of the stuff I bought from you.

Do you make a pepper mash based sauce? I'd like to try it if you do ...
Several.
• El Perro Afortunado
• Dia del Perro
• Hell Hound
• 10th Anniversary sauce

And 2 I don’t list on my website as I make them for a subscription company. But I can always sub one in for ya by request. ;)

Also, in some/most of those sauces I add a touch of vinegar to help up the acid a little, or for flavor - sometimes you have a recipe that’s near perfect, but it needs that tiny more bite of acid.

Sweet ... if I order a four-pack dealers choice, can you put those in? Not sure if you're the one who is physically packing boxes and shipping ...
I certainly can! And yes, it’s me. I’ve been a packing fool since Black Friday - finally gonna get down to 0 orders today I think! It’s very exciting. lol

Leave a note asking for that set & I’ll be thrilled to accommodate a footballguy. :hifive:

Done! Left a note as well. Thanks!
 
Sweet ... if I order a four-pack dealers choice, can you put those in? Not sure if you're the one who is physically packing boxes and shipping ...
He packs whatever you want exactly. And his sauce is fantastic. Only brand I buy anymore
Rumor has it he’s gonna start rooting for the SF Giants now, too. THAT is how good my sauces are.
:pickle:

Way ahead of you. My wife and I probably watch 100+ Giants games per year.

Giants/Niners/Sac Kings
 
Sweet ... if I order a four-pack dealers choice, can you put those in? Not sure if you're the one who is physically packing boxes and shipping ...
He packs whatever you want exactly. And his sauce is fantastic. Only brand I buy anymore
Rumor has it he’s gonna start rooting for the SF Giants now, too. THAT is how good my sauces are.
:pickle:

Way ahead of you. My wife and I probably watch 100+ Giants games per year.

Giants/Niners/Sac Kings
lol - check out @Cowboysfan8 ’s avi - hahaha
 
Sweet ... if I order a four-pack dealers choice, can you put those in? Not sure if you're the one who is physically packing boxes and shipping ...
He packs whatever you want exactly. And his sauce is fantastic. Only brand I buy anymore
Rumor has it he’s gonna start rooting for the SF Giants now, too. THAT is how good my sauces are.
:pickle:
**** ain’t that good

😂
:lol:
 
I'm not a huge fan of the vinegar based sauces. It there a good way to make a sauce that will last without it? As for store-bought sauces, I gravitate toward the ones that don't have the vinegar bite, like Tapatio and Pico Pica. My favorite is homemade of course, but I find it has a very limited shelf life, even in the fridge.
Yes - google “pepper mash” and purchase a small bucket (1/2 gal, gal) and use that in place of vinegar.

Mash is fermented, and acetic acid rather than vinegar. I offered vinegar based ideas because you can’t just run to Safeway/Kroger and buy mash - it’s a specialty item. Also pricey.

Or you can go to Thehotpepper.com & check out the fermentation discussions. Lots of basic fermentation instructions & basic recipes there. Requires some specialized equipment (ain’t nobody got time to burp jugs every day) and much more time, but some fantastic results can be had.

One note about vinegar though: for 10 years I’ve had customers approach my booth saying “I hate vinegar based sauces” only to do a tasting & walk away with 3 vinegar-based sauces. Not all are equal, and in my vinegar-based sauces, the vinegar is the last thing you’ll taste. I think what people mean by that is they don’t like *bitey* acidic vinegar-based sauces. I get it - I don’t either.

Good luck!

I bought your hot gift pack of few months ago. I did notice the vinegar, but you're right in that it didn't dominate the way that some do. Still, I'd prefer to not have it ... though don't get me wrong, I enjoyed every drop of the stuff I bought from you.

Do you make a pepper mash based sauce? I'd like to try it if you do ...
Several.
• El Perro Afortunado
• Dia del Perro
• Hell Hound
• 10th Anniversary sauce

And 2 I don’t list on my website as I make them for a subscription company. But I can always sub one in for ya by request. ;)

Also, in some/most of those sauces I add a touch of vinegar to help up the acid a little, or for flavor - sometimes you have a recipe that’s near perfect, but it needs that tiny more bite of acid.

Sweet ... if I order a four-pack dealers choice, can you put those in? Not sure if you're the one who is physically packing boxes and shipping ...
I certainly can! And yes, it’s me. I’ve been a packing fool since Black Friday - finally gonna get down to 0 orders today I think! It’s very exciting. lol

Leave a note asking for that set & I’ll be thrilled to accommodate a footballguy. :hifive:

Done! Left a note as well. Thanks!
Went with Hell Hound instead of the Heatonist sauce (Black Special) - it’s a mango/tamarind reaper sauce.

BLSR is much more acidic, so I figured you’d prefer HH. Sorry, it slipped my mind that HH was mash-based earlier. It’s really good for a XXX.

Packing it up now!
 
i eaten so many hot wings, i can drink franks red hot (or any cayan based sause ) out of the bottle.

love the vinegar and the buzz. :mad:
Yeah, I love pretty much every profile of sauce, but I get that folks all have their tastes. I try to offer a range for that reason.
 
@Hot Sauce Guy - Any advice for adding a strong lime flavor to a fermented hot sauce? Would you include limes in the ferment or just add lime juice before bottling? I'm trying to formulate a batch that will have some serious heat, big garlic and a strong lime flavor. I'm new to it - have done two batches. My process is to ferment my peppers and other veggies for six weeks or so, blend the solids with some of the brine to get the right consistency, fine mesh strain and bottle. I add a little vinegar and some xanthum gum before bottling and have had a ph of about 3.5 in the finished product. I haven't done a post-ferment boil but would if that is recommended. Thanks for any advice.
 
@Hot Sauce Guy - Any advice for adding a strong lime flavor to a fermented hot sauce? Would you include limes in the ferment or just add lime juice before bottling? I'm trying to formulate a batch that will have some serious heat, big garlic and a strong lime flavor. I'm new to it - have done two batches. My process is to ferment my peppers and other veggies for six weeks or so, blend the solids with some of the brine to get the right consistency, fine mesh strain and bottle. I add a little vinegar and some xanthum gum before bottling and have had a ph of about 3.5 in the finished product. I haven't done a post-ferment boil but would if that is recommended. Thanks for any advice.
So you wouldn’t add fresh lime juice prior to bottling as that’s a great recipe for botulism.

You would have to add lime juice, then bring the fermented sauce up to 190°, hold for a few mins, then bottle and invert.

But that would work great.

Fermenting with the lime juice would likely homogenize the lime flavor into the ferment, which would result in less, rather than more lime flavor. The lactic acid would mute it a bit.

You could also add a dehydrated/powdered lime prior to bottling as an alternative - then you wouldn’t need to pasteurize as no water = no water activity (lime juice is a % water)

Yay science! :pickle:
 
Oh, and a note about boiling:
• you can boil a sauce and get tasty results.
However
• boiling = chaos & temp spikes
• replication is difficult and unpredictable
• sauces can scald against the sides of the pot - scalding = burning = carbon = bitter

190° is just below boiling, and one should agitate constantly to avoid boiling/scalding/burning ingredients at the bottom.

I use 2 candy thermometers (if you just use one, and it falls out of calibration, you’ll never know)
 
@Hot Sauce Guy - Any advice for adding a strong lime flavor to a fermented hot sauce? Would you include limes in the ferment or just add lime juice before bottling? I'm trying to formulate a batch that will have some serious heat, big garlic and a strong lime flavor. I'm new to it - have done two batches. My process is to ferment my peppers and other veggies for six weeks or so, blend the solids with some of the brine to get the right consistency, fine mesh strain and bottle. I add a little vinegar and some xanthum gum before bottling and have had a ph of about 3.5 in the finished product. I haven't done a post-ferment boil but would if that is recommended. Thanks for any advice.
So you wouldn’t add fresh lime juice prior to bottling as that’s a great recipe for botulism.

You would have to add lime juice, then bring the fermented sauce up to 190°, hold for a few mins, then bottle and invert.

But that would work great.

Fermenting with the lime juice would likely homogenize the lime flavor into the ferment, which would result in less, rather than more lime flavor. The lactic acid would mute it a bit.

You could also add a dehydrated/powdered lime prior to bottling as an alternative - then you wouldn’t need to pasteurize as no water = no water activity (lime juice is a % water)

Yay science! :pickle:

Thanks HSG. Do you make a sauce with a lime flavor?
 
Oh, and a note about boiling:
• you can boil a sauce and get tasty results.
However
• boiling = chaos & temp spikes
• replication is difficult and unpredictable
• sauces can scald against the sides of the pot - scalding = burning = carbon = bitter

190° is just below boiling, and one should agitate constantly to avoid boiling/scalding/burning ingredients at the bottom.

I use 2 candy thermometers (if you just use one, and it falls out of calibration, you’ll never know)
Why not just sous vide at 190?
 
Why not just sous vide at 190?
That’s an option. 6 of 1, half dozen of the ofher.

The only part that matters is that your hold time & temperature is sufficient to pasteurize and eliminate the possibility of water activity.

You could hike to a remote volcanic hot spring at Mt Lassen, and use one of the lava heated pools like Bumpass Hell to sous vide the sauce. So long as it gets to 190° and is held for ~8 mins, everthing else is personal preference.

Since I no longer own a sous vide, I use a stovetop method.
 
Since I no longer own a sous vide, I use a stovetop method.

Why on earth would you not have a sous vide if you had a sous vide before, unless it broke?

Also, what is inverting?
I like grilled meat, what can I say. I’m a caveman.

I do a reverse-seat, cooking a steak indirect, turning every ~3-4 mins, while a cast iron is heating up in the middle. After the last turn I make a butter bath with herbs, and slap the steak in there for ~15 seconds a side while basting with herbed butter.

Perfect rare+ ribeye/NY/Tomahawk every time. No wasted plastic bags. Better flavor.
:shrug:

Plus a girl I was seeing was getting really into sous vide and I wasn’t, so I gave it to her. She gave me months of hell as a thank you, but that’s another story for another day.

“Inverting” - when a man loves a hot sauce very much, he…oh, wait, no that’s not it.

Inverting is when you hot fill, and turn the bottle upside-down in the case while it cools to sterilize the bottle. Basic canning technique.
:)
 
Since I no longer own a sous vide, I use a stovetop method.

Why on earth would you not have a sous vide if you had a sous vide before, unless it broke?

Also, what is inverting?
I like grilled meat, what can I say. I’m a caveman.

I do a reverse-seat, cooking a steak indirect, turning every ~3-4 mins, while a cast iron is heating up in the middle. After the last turn I make a butter bath with herbs, and slap the steak in there for ~15 seconds a side while basting with herbed butter.

Perfect rare+ ribeye/NY/Tomahawk every time. No wasted plastic bags. Better flavor.
:shrug:

Plus a girl I was seeing was getting really into sous vide and I wasn’t, so I gave it to her. She gave me months of hell as a thank you, but that’s another story for another day.

“Inverting” - when a man loves a hot sauce very much, he…oh, wait, no that’s not it.

Inverting is when you hot fill, and turn the bottle upside-down in the case while it cools to sterilize the bottle. Basic canning technique.
:)

I do most of my steaks on the grill but sometimes I'll do a thick *** steak or chop SV and then sear. I prob do chicken breasts with the SV more than any other meat, and I usually sear those in cast iron.

SV hijack over, the inverting makes sense, I never thought of it when doing my own sauces, but I usually go thru the sauces so fast it prob doesn't matter.
 
, but I usually go thru the sauces so fast it prob doesn't matter.
Food safety always matters. Highly recommend inverting.

I use clean bottles straight from the cardboard box & still do it. All it takes it one unlucky time - food poisoning suuuuuucks.

Never did it to myself with sauce, but was served undercooked chicken once and was hurting for 3 days.
 
, but I usually go thru the sauces so fast it prob doesn't matter.
Food safety always matters. Highly recommend inverting.

I use clean bottles straight from the cardboard box & still do it. All it takes it one unlucky time - food poisoning suuuuuucks.

Never did it to myself with sauce, but was served undercooked chicken once and was hurting for 3 days.
I need more of the cherry hot sauce, extreme pizza here in Novato is out and I need it to mix into my damn ranch when I'm there!
 
Hsg, someone mentioned sous vide. Was curious if you like the method overall? Was gonna mess about with this.
 
I need more of the cherry hot sauce, extreme pizza here in Novato is out and I need it to mix into my damn ranch when I'm there!
I asked the owner last week if they were low on anything - sorry, I woulda come up!

If I work marlets this weekend I’ll probably go up for a sammich & beer afterwards. If it’s pouring rain, notsomuch.
 
Hsg, someone mentioned sous vide. Was curious if you like the method overall? Was gonna mess about with this.
I haven’t done it enough to have super strong opinions on it - I mean, everything I’ve had that was prepared in this method has been good. Meat comes out super tender for sure. But is it it better than braised, grilled, smoked, or broiled?

I don’t really think so.

Also one negative I noticed was that while tender and cooked to the correct internal temperature, sous vide meats aren’t as juicy. Steak over rice, for example - a NY steak comes out about the same. But a ribeye, with all of that fantastic marbleization…I should cut into it & instantly season my rice with wonderful fatty juices from the steak. In the sous vide, not so much.

I mean, it’s fine - meats come out very tender. And you can solve the dryness issue with a sauce, reduction, etc.

They don’t come out totally dry - don’t get me wrong. Just not as moist and juicy as a seared steak does.
 
Hsg, someone mentioned sous vide. Was curious if you like the method overall? Was gonna mess about with this.
I haven’t done it enough to have super strong opinions on it - I mean, everything I’ve had that was prepared in this method has been good. Meat comes out super tender for sure. But is it it better than braised, grilled, smoked, or broiled?

I don’t really think so.

Also one negative I noticed was that while tender and cooked to the correct internal temperature, sous vide meats aren’t as juicy. Steak over rice, for example - a NY steak comes out about the same. But a ribeye, with all of that fantastic marbleization…I should cut into it & instantly season my rice with wonderful fatty juices from the steak. In the sous vide, not so much.

I mean, it’s fine - meats come out very tender. And you can solve the dryness issue with a sauce, reduction, etc.

They don’t come out totally dry - don’t get me wrong. Just not as moist and juicy as a seared steak does.
Well I think the idea is you can make peppers quite bitter if you burn them. So taking that out of the mix has some value. Been seeing you tubes of guys cooking their sauce in mason jars in a sv bath. Seems idiot proof enough for me.
 
I need more of the cherry hot sauce, extreme pizza here in Novato is out and I need it to mix into my damn ranch when I'm there!
I asked the owner last week if they were low on anything - sorry, I woulda come up!

If I work marlets this weekend I’ll probably go up for a sammich & beer afterwards. If it’s pouring rain, notsomuch.
it’s gonna be poring but i didn’t notice the cherry on your website or i’d but it there and bring my own!
 
A few weeks ago I made a cherry bourbon sauce using this recipe as a starting point. I used habanero instead of ghost peppers, luxardo cherries, and agave nectar instead of maple syrup. I need to go back and check my notes because there were some other changes as well including using Apple cider vinegar as a base since I chose to make it fresh instead of fermenting (the recipe as listed definitely doesn’t seem to have a low enough ph level to make it safe for long).

The result was ridiculously good, but definitely somewhat limited in its uses and way more $$$ than my previous efforts.

Though the Mexican Hot Chocolate I’ve made a few times definitely rivals the cost. So unbelievably good though. Started with this recipe as my starting place.

I’m just doing this for fun and to eat hot stuff with my friends, but I’m pretty sure several of my friends would buy the Mexican one if I sold it.
 
Made a couple of new batches today after putting together a couple of ferments. I’m finding that I’m consistently struggling with the thickness of my sauces. Most of them are ending up a decent amount thicker than I’d prefer. My ph levels are well within the safe range (typically 3.0-3.2) so I’m guessing I could just add some water before pasteurizing to end up with a thinner sauce? Or maybe mix of water and vinegar?

Made a jalapeño lime that is a little too tart IMO up front (due to the fermentation I’m sure) but had a great ginger/lime finish to it.

The other one I made is a lemon-blueberry habanero cobbler. The cloves/allspice I used is a touch overpowering, but overall it had a really unique flavor that is pretty cool. I’m not 100% sure what it’s going to pair with yet though. I’m thinking poultry would be good and maybe even with waffles or vanilla ice cream.
 

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