Pretty Delicious Hot sauce

Hey all. It’s been a minute. But I found a recipe that I had to share with you.

HOT SAUCE. Have you made your own? Until this year, I have not. So far I have tried two methods. The first was fermented chili sauce. I cut up the chilis and some garlic and soaked them in a brine for a week or two, until it got a bit funky in there. Then I pureed the sauce and it was pretty darn good.

A few weeks went by. I found a huge pepper plant for $10 at a local nursery. It actually has 3 plants in one: red hot cherry peppers, some type of chili, and habanero. While I was too scared to taste the habanero, I did decide to make hot sauce because of their fruity delicious flavor. I found the recipe Here. So far, I’ve made it twice, but last night I deviated from the recipe.

The original recipe is fabulous. The proportions are great, and the sauce was flavorful and smokey. I ended up charring the peppers and garlic on the grill, then adding to a flavorful vinegar mixture. I used my stick blender to smooth it out. To be honest, this recipe was pretty damn perfect and wasn’t *too* spicy with the proportions.

So last night I made a spicy AF variation on this recipe. It’s still delicious, but way hotter.

Here’s what I did:

I peeled 3 carrots and cut them in thirds. I peeled and cut one onion in half. I heated my grill up to about 400 degrees and put them on to char.

Popped the caps off about 20 peppers. (PSA: Consider wearing gloves when handling peppers and bottling sauce. Take my word for it.) I mostly used habanero, but also threw in some red chilis and some jalapeños that turned red. I wanted to keep the sauce a reddish orange, so I didn’t add any green peppers. I put these into a hot pot with some oil and cooked them over medium low until they blistered and slightly browned. This took about 15 minutes. Then I added almost 20 cloves of garlic! I know!

Once the garlic has mingled with the peppers a bit, I threw the charred onion and carrot right in the pot. I covered it with about 5 cups of white vinegar and 2 cups of water. I added 1 tsp ground cumin, 2 tsp salt and black pepper, 1 tsp sugar, 2 tsp worcestershire, and the juice of one lime. I brought this all to a boil and let it simmer for about 45 minutes.

My gas grill ran out of propane at this point so inside we went. My new grill is powerful but has this annoying tendency. However, I got the dangerous part done outside. When cooking peppers they can realize some caustic fumes so I was thrilled to be able to use my outdoor burner.

Anyway, I brought it inside and finished its simmer. After about 45 minutes the liquid had reduced by about half, and the veggies were super soft. I used my beloved stick blender to pulverize this mixture. I then continued cooking over low medium heat until it achieved the thick texture I wanted, about 10 minutes more. I very carefully tasted for salt and seasonings. Man, was this spicy! Not painfully so but a nice slow burn. Then I bottled it up!

I really love hot sauce but I’m careful about the spice. I like this one because it’s hot, but you won’t be puking or gagging or chugging milk. That’s not my thing. The original version of the sauce was just right in terms of spice, but I just HAD to add 12 extra peppers!!! This one I made tonight will go on most things, but sparingly due to its heat. It made a lot, and I also used about 1/2 of the massive stash of peppers I had.

Recipe:

-20 habaneros (substitute with sweet peppers to turn down some of the heat, if you prefer)

-one onion, cut in half

-3 carrots, peeled and cut in thirds

-20 cloves of peeled garlic

-5 cups white vinegar

-2 cups water

-2 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp worcershire, juice of one lime

Use outdoor burner if possible. Heat grill to 400 degrees. Put onion and carrots on, and char, turning frequently for about 15 minutes. Heat a large pot over medium heat and add 2 tsp olive oil. Throw your peppers in and let them sizzle and char for about 15 minutes, turning frequently. Then put your peeled garlic in for 30 seconds. Then put in the charred onion and carrots. Pour in your water and vinegar, and then all other ingredients. Let come to a boil, then simmer for about 45 minutes. The veggies should be soft. Then, use a blender or stick blender to pulverize it smooth. Then, return to medium low heat for about 10 minutes until its a nice thick mixture that looks like hot sauce. Carefully season to taste. Voila!

Do you have a recipe for hot sauce that you like? Any tips or tricks? Let me know in the comment section!!