Making hot sauce/hot sauce general

Afternoon Veeky Forums. I'm interested in making my own hot sauce so I wanted to hear about any recipes you might have tried and how they turned out. Any tips? I'd like to start with something very simple and I have a few things I'm wondering about that I'll make separate posts for. Also, I suppose hot sauce general.

Other urls found in this thread:

youtube.com/watch?v=UGjCeAbWKPo
makesauerkraut.com/fermented-pickles/
seriouseats.com/amp/recipes/2016/12/homemade-fermented-sauerkraut-recipe.html
wellpreserved.ca/fermented-hot-peppers-and-fermented-hot-sauce-recipe/
twitter.com/NSFWRedditVideo

So I want to start with a simple recipe and this is what I'm thinking:

Ingredients
1 pound trinidad scorpion peppers
2 cups distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon salt or to taste

Instructions
Cut the ends off the chilies, but do not remove the seeds.
Over high heat, add the chilies, vinegar, and salt into a large pot and bring the vinegar to a simmer.
Lower to medium heat and continue simmering for 5 minutes or until the chilies are soft.
Transfer the mix to a blender and blend until the mix is smooth. There will still be seeds.
Strain the sauce into a container and let it settle to room temperature.

For optimal taste, refrigerate for a week or two prior to use.

>I like that Dave's scorpion sauce so I wanted to go for something like that. Any thoughts on the recipe?

I like this vid, it was a fun watch

youtube.com/watch?v=UGjCeAbWKPo

If you search bon appetit hot sauce they have a ton of recipes too. Doesn't have to be fermented

1 part vinegar
1 part pepper
1/6 part salt

grow your own peppers and make your own vinegar

Also, where do people get their peppers? I've never seen much in stores around here other than jalapeno and habanero. I know I could order seeds and grow them but I've also seen some sites where you can order fresh peppers (not dried) online by the pound.

Great vid. A bit more fancy than what I wanted to start off with but looks delicious (maybe not the "table brine").

Make your own vinegar? In terms of hot sauce is there any reason for that? Also, do you people filter after blending or not?

fresh made vinegar has a distinct taste, feel free to use something from a bottle to start though

also, yes filter

Last year based on a thread here I fermented my peppers for hot sauce and I liked it a lot better than the vinegar based that I always did before like you're suggesting. Use a 4% brine (4g salt/100g water) and cover. Let ferment for 2 weeks to 1 month keeping the peppers submerged. Then blend (strain if you'd like). If storing in refrigerator you don't even need vinegar. If you want to store on shelf add some vinegar at about half the amount of your recipe.

That actually sound like a great idea to me. I think I'll give that a try. Thanks for the tip.

I think you'll like it better. About a year ago there was a guy heavily into fermenting that was posting threads every couple weeks. I don't know what happened to him and it's a real shame because he knew what he was talking about. I may have to pick up his mantle because this year I've done a couple batches of fermented cucumber pickles that beat the hell out of the vinegar brine style and a batch of sauerkraut. I've got habenero, jalapeno and tabasco plants that I'm waiting on to do more hot sauce.

Oh you've got plants? Nice. Are they outside? Do you live in a warm area?

I'm assuming the fermenting basically creates the acetic acid that you find in vinegar but maybe there's more going on in that process that makes it good?

Also, if you feel like sharing the pickle recipe that would be cool.

Recently got some of this since I'm a fan of the show, it's pretty good actually. It's been my go to sauce lately

> About a year ago there was a guy heavily into fermenting that was posting threads every couple weeks. I don't know what happened to him and it's a real shame because he knew what he was talking about.
What if we aren't hearing anything from him anymore because botulism or some other opportunistic infection in his fermented pickles killed him.

>The tongue tingling flavors of chipotle, pineapple and lime please the palate while the mix of ghost and habanero peppers make this sauce a scorcher.

Sounds pretty good. Might check the show out.

if I saw that sauce at the grocery store I would definitely pick it up, but to order it online seems very overpriced

Yeah I'm lucky in that I can have a big garden in an area where I have 3 growing seasons, but peppers only grow during the summer.

>ascetic acid

It's actually lactic acid but bumps the ph high and rapidly enough that it prevents the bad guys from getting a foothold.

>fermented cucumber recipe

Sure. Cut off the blossom end of the cucumber, pack into whatever size jar you want with a couple oak leaves (the tannins help keep them crisp). I add mustard seed, peppercorns and garlic but you can add whatever you want. Make a 4% brine, computed by adding 4g kosher, pickling or sea salt to 100g filtered water. Fill jar and wedge cucumbers so they are submerged. Let ferment at room temp for 1 week. It will turn cloudy, that's normal. Store in refrigerator.

Oh wait I have seen that show. At least the challenge/interview ones. I just didn't know what it was called. Good stuff.

Oh, OK well I'll have to read up on it a bit but I'll definitely give it a try.

Cool. Thx man

Yeah, I'm definitely more of a flavor over heat kind of guy and it combines the best of both worlds in my opinion

>What if we aren't hearing anything from him anymore because botulism or some other opportunistic infection in his fermented pickles killed him.

I doubt it. There's a lot of people going back to this kind of thing. Why don't we hear about people dying from homemade sauerkraut or kimchi? Because it doesn't happen. Pay attention to your measurements and sanitation and you'll have no worries.

makesauerkraut.com/fermented-pickles/

seriouseats.com/amp/recipes/2016/12/homemade-fermented-sauerkraut-recipe.html

wellpreserved.ca/fermented-hot-peppers-and-fermented-hot-sauce-recipe/

after watching this i bought maddog 357 for me and my friends to try because the mega death was all sold out. turns out the maddog is really good if u mix a drop into some marinara or ketchup. it adds a great smokey flavor

I want to get some half barrels to start fermenting peppers for hot sauce and then aging the sauce. I have some concepts jotted down, but I live in a place that's too hot to hold that kind of stuff in barrels with great result. I'm sure it can be done, I just haven't gotten to the point of being willing to risk the failure yet.

Fermenting and then also aging?? boom mind blown
Something rang a bell here is Tabasco produced like that? Or what was your inspiration?

I just like the flavor of fermented hot sauces, and I like the melded flavor of aged sauces done a certain way. For instance, I think most hot sauces are too vinegary. Aging would tame the vinegar harshness and maintain the acidity. It also allows for the opportunity of doing something like fermented garlic and poblano aged with bourbon and charred mesquite.

It costs $33 to ship one 4oz bottle internationally, No Thanks!

That'll probably give you something very similar to a Louisiana-style hot sauce like Tabasco or Crystal, except a lot hotter. You could probably upgrade it by adding other ingredients like onions, carrots, and lime, like Marie Sharp's.

I was on those threads alot last year. I've done 5 different hot sauces as well as fermented red onion pickles and just finished my jarred batch of sauerkraut a week ago.I have ideas for a few more hot sauces I want to make as well as giving kimchi a try too.

i once took my hand blender to a bowl filled with 30 scotch bonnets, i may aswell have pepper sprayed myself in the face tbph.

Hahahaha

Fuck

Being basic, I just buy serrano peps, ginger and some chunky salsa and then puree. Serrano brings the heat, ginger provides a weird kick, and the salsa is the base...you pay for it the next day, but damn....minimalism tastes great. And you don't have to go through all the chef bullshit "pre-heat oven to 375 and broast serranos for 7 minutes, then flip and add one part vinegar, one part"...STFU man...life should be easy. Don't make things hard.

That is some kike shit right there. How the fuck is that legal

Has anyone had any success making hot sauce with regular green jalapeƱos?

That was probably my thread and things I've learned since then.

>6% brine
>ferment with tomatoes

I did a recent batch without tomatoes and it was disgusting comparatively.

>that was me I think
I stopped posting because my 5 gallon batch got fucked up, i got depressed, almost failed out of gradschool, and then had to deal with finals and a roadtrip across country.

Now i'm on the rebound. Growing some pepper and tomato plants. Gonna probably start brewing spruce beer and hotsauce again in a few weeks. Just need to go pick up my equipment, which i'll be doing either this weekend or next.

Yeah it's pretty decent. The one on the far right is jalapenos with tomatoes. And if you're fermenting I highly recomend adding some high quality tomatoes. I'm still looking into the science for this, but they add a lot in the fermentation process.

My leading theory is that the added sugar from the tomatoes helps jumpstart fermentation a lot, making different/better strains of lactobacillus bacteria take over.

And i will be bored as fuck and lonely for the next ~7-8 weeks so i'm going to be monitoring these threads like a hawk now. And posting pics once i find some hotpeppers at the farmers market.

Like chopped, fresh tomatoes? Peeled or what?

Fresh and chopped. I was using wacky heirloom varieties usually. I've thought about using canned tomatoes before, I might try it at some point. Maybe this weekend if I can get my jars and scales and shit tomorrow night.

And for reference my current method is

>cheese cloth bag
>chopped up peppers and tomatoes
>put in the bag
>put in a jar large enough to submerge it
>make some wacky contraption submerge it like a smaller jar
>wait till it stops bubbling/at least a month

Recommendation, use a jar with a lot more space than you have fermentables. This allows for a lot more room for brine, so when you puree it all, you get a real nice liquid. And don't worry about it reducing the spiceyness a lot, all that salt makes that shit a a lot spicier. And then some xantham gum to thicken it if you're so inclined.

Ah, ok. I was asking because I always thought the tomato skin gave it a somewhat bitter taste.
So, you are actually putting the brine in the blender along with the peppers? Most recipes I've seen actually drain it or save it for other uses.

Maybe my tastebuds are complete shit and i don't taste the bitterness. Also too lazy to skin tomatoes. The skin is also where the bacteria is.

And those recipes are making more extracts I find. They also take out all the pulp too. And I just value quantity over sheer spicyness. And I personally think the brine takes on a really nice almost vinegary quality to it.

I want to make a mild sauce that emulates the flavor of paprika. I know paprika is just a blend of peppers, but I'm not exactly sure which ones to use to get the flavor right. Which peppers should I use, or is there a bland sauce I can make and just add a shit load of paprika spice to it?

Just curious, what's your favorite so far, pepper user?

This super spicy yellow pepper. Women at the farmers market said they were like the 7th or 9th spiciest pepper in the world. Forget whatever name she used for them, and can't for the life of me figure out what they were.

Probably some weird underripe variety or something. And they were grown in central NY so that probably fucks with their color too.

>just thinking about the smell makes me hard.
And they're only my favorite because they created my best match ever. Similarly, Habaneros my worst. Like I would literally give my habanero shit away for free to randos on the internet I hate it that much. And it isn't even that bad, i just hate it for what it isn't.

[spoiler]I know spoilers don't work on Veeky Forums,
but any VT co/ck/s want some hot sauce?[/spoiler]

I realize my other post turned into incoherent rambling, but local = better in my book. When I bought bulk or from the supermarket i didn't like the outcome nearly as much. Maybe i just fucked up the batches, but there could easily be something that happens to them during shipping (irradiation is common) that fucks up the fermentation process.

And my taste buds are pretty fucked from guzzling IPAs, sours, and all this hot sauce. So i may know how to make it, i just can't really rate it on a very fine scale. Just the broad strokes

what is Veeky Forums's opinion on Louisiana Hot sauce?
I had always skipped over it due to it's low price. I finally picked up a bottle and was pleasantly surprised. Definitely my new favorite from the low-end tier.

I have the Pain is Good Louisiana Style hot sauce, and my opinion is that it goes good on chicken wings and that's basically it. Wouldn't dip breaded, grilled, or baked chicken in it. Wouldn't put it on red meats or anything else, really. Only fried chicken wings, and even though it's tasty then, the lack of versatility makes it a bad sauce in my eyes.

It's purpose built.

Tabasco and Crystal and Louisiana Hot Sauce have a style of heat that matches our cuisine down here. It isn't to be overtly hot, and it shouldn't be flavorless.

It's delicious though. I personally know the owners of both Crystal and Tabasco. Honest folk.

I know this is primarily a make-your-own hot sauce thread, but is homemade hot sauce actually better than store bought, or is this more of a hobbyist thing where you guys are trying to experiment, have a little fun, and maybe stumble upon something delicious?

I'm much too lazy (and poor) to spend time and money experimenting until i find the perfect flavor, but if homemade sauces are generally just better I'll give it a go.

For now though, what are some of your go-to branded hot sauces?
I cannot get enough of CaJohns Bourbon Chipotle. Stuff goes great on any meat, and it's got an eveloping warmth kind of heat, as opposed to the sting-you kind (that's just personal preference).

I haven't found a really hot-hot one that I find truly flavorful yet though. For really hot heat I've been sticking to spices because all the hot sauces i've found just don't do it.

Nobody else here into harissa?

I started this thread because I'm interested in trying to answer that very question. The first recipe I posted that I said I was going to try was a vinegar based sauce similar to Louisiana hot sauce. My idea was, maybe I could take a standard recipe and by virtue of having ingredients fresh from a farmers market I might be able to come up with something that actually tastes better than the store stuff.
However, I've been completely sidetracked at this point and I intend to go the fermenting route to see what happens. I'm off to the market now to see what kind of peppers I can find. I'll also pick up a few tomatoes and give the 6% brine a try.
Also, I have the large mason jars so I'll do 3 or 4 of them and when they're ready (stop bubbling) I'll try to blend one with the brine included and one with the brine drained to see what the difference is. I don't plan on adding anything else because I'd like to start understanding what this process is exactly so I'm starting simple.

Come on someone give it a try and report back!

My suspicion is that store-bought is just as good as home-made. This is because my local farmer's market has these people called the Mac Brothers and they originally did not have a website and such for their hot sauce and considering they were at a farmer's market they were clearly using fresh ingredients. Now they have a website and they had one of their sauces featured in some monthly subscription box. It's pretty good stuff, but not my favorite. I suspect with the exception of the huge names like Sriracha and Tobasco that most hot sauces really are already made with fresh ingredients and the only non-fresh aspect is that they use vinegar for preservation's sake which probably makes it a little less tasty.

Inspired by this thread, made about a liter of hot sauce today. But obviously not with the brining method. Turned out pretty mild but delicious, something you can slather on anything. More habanero this time.

Ultimately I ended up using regular red chiles (middle, don't know the exact species, but has a really rubbery and tough skin which I didn't like), habaneros (top left), red jalopenos, rawits (bottom left), plus a table spoon of cayenne powder and some naga jolokia extract.

Oh and bottom right was dried, smoked chipotles.

I also used 7 small-medium ripe tomatoes, 2 white onions, 1 red delicious apple, 150ml apple cider vinegar, salt and 3 cloves of garlic. Bretty gud.

End result (1 bottle out of 2).

No one will : (

And we don't even have to meet in the middle of the woods for a trade off! Could easily be at a bar. I'd be the guy with a watermelon hawaiin shirt on

Well that was a bust! I went to 2 farmers markets and even a grocery story out of desperation and couldn't find any red peppers at all. Just serrano, habanero, and jalapenos. So I just got a pound of jalapenos from the farmers market and 2 decent sized tomatoes. So pic related is that stuff in a roughly 6% brine (about 1 tbsp per cup). Obviously I'll be "burping" these every day until they stop bubbling. We'll see what happens...

By the way - was I supposed to blend this up first or do that last?

That's quite an assortment. Where do you get your peppers?

Also, I meant to ask. Are red jalapenos just overripe green ones?

Yes.

I tried blending before hand, not as good in my opinion. But that could have just been due to a bad batch

And make sure to keep all that stuff submerged. One easy method i've used is a cabbage leave that you jam in there and try to tuck along the edge of the jar, and then use a smaller jar, or wege a cork between the lid and the leaf. Just something to prevent stuff from touching the surface, which is the main reason for mold.

I recomend the smaller jar/cup method though; then just drape a shirt/cloth over it and rubber band it on to help keep stuff out because in this situation you won't have a lid. But that also means you won't be burping it!

OK yeah makes sense. Thx!

To explain further, because I realize I didn't, mold is aerobic and needs something to grow on. It won't just grow on salt water. So by having everything beneath the surface, or as much as possible, the chances of mold are greatly reduced. And to continue that, you can actually scrape off the mold growing on the surface of the water if you're feeling really confident.

Yeah, I think what I might end up doing is going to a grocery store or maybe even a hardware store to find some glass or ceramic object that I can fit through the openings of the jars. I won't be able to look until tomorrow, so hopefully one day won't ruin it.

Actually, another idea I had was to just turn the jars over every day. Like tomorrow rest them lid-side down so no single surface is exposed for too long.

I recommend the former idea by a mile. I did the whole puree and stir every day method, and it's really time consuming, and can still be easily contaminated for months.

Being able to just ignore it for the next month (not entirely, you still want the occasional check up) is my go to option, and i've tried a bunch of different methods. Also if any kahm yeast or mold does appear, you're still able to scoop it off, maybe add a dash of vinegar, and keep going.

And unless you're really really unlucky, a day or even two won't do anything

OK I'll head to the store tomorrow and try to find a way to keep everything submerged

le bump

Bump again. Currently in eastern MA if anyone wants some free hot sauce. As long as you don't mind driving in this hellish traffic

So the brine is turning just a little bit (barely noticeable) cloudy and there is some white stuff at the bottom that at first I thought was salt, but it's kinda floaty. Hoping that sounds normal...

Also, I was reading a thing by some guy who does a few batches every year and he talked about mold
>pic related
And this is what he said:
>Stir twice a day to submerge the solids and to prevent mold from forming on the surface of the ferment. If it does (see pic), stir it in and stir more frequently. The mold is harmless, but can impart a flavor I find distasteful. So, keep stirring.

0_o

Also, I read that some people reuse their brine or add some of it to a new batch to kick-start the fermenting process. They say it can take weeks off the time.

That's just due to the salt you used probably, nothing to worry about.
>having to stir twice a day every day
>having a strong mold flavor in your hot sauce.
I know people that so this and they're dancing with food poisoning. And as he admits, doesn't taste as good. Also the white stuff could be kahm yeast, but it's hard to tell from that pic.
Yep this is doable and I've done it. And tomatoes, or any anything with a higher sugar content than mold can help kickstart it too. Sauerkraut and pickles can start fermenting in a day with the right temp.

But word of warning, this will also change the outcome. Through the fermentation process there are different bacterias active. The changing acidity is a big reason for that, so you might be skipping some nice flavor enhancing bacteria.

Makes sense about reusing the brine might end up skipping part of the process/getting a different result. The only thing I was thinking was like those bakeries who have kept some starter dough around for 100 years to provide consistency. If you have a particularly successful batch of hot sauce maybe keep some of the brine to do it again - but your comment makes sense and hot sauce and bread is apples and oranges...
Man, I can't wait to taste this stuff. Already thinking of what to use it on.

Yeah that comparison makes sense on the surface, but then one fermentation lasts days and the other is weeks if not months.

I bet you could add some brine half way through to get some of it? I'll do some experiments with this but I probably won't have any results until like late decemeber. Maybe earlier if I can find some nice greenhouse peppers.

>drowning all foods with spice and hot sauce
>ruining the subtle flavors of meat and other vegetables

This is not Veeky Forums

>disrespecting my hotsauces by eating it with complex foods
At this point I just dab it on my finger and eat it, or have it with sinple beans and rice/crackers and cheese

mmm tell me what else you do with that finger

I've got some really good harissa in my fridge from the local Pakistani place

Just got started on some!

Nice. What's the deal with the pepper in the lower left corner?

Just opened the jars to check it out and wow does that stuff smell good. Can't believe I have to wait like 3 more weeks.
Soaking some glass taco bell fire sauce bottles to get the labels off in preparation.

Looks like habaneros taken out of the freezer.

>making a general
Fuck off you culture killing autist

Yeah, I live in berlin and peppers are pretty rare here. Luckily asian stores have them in the freezer section. The other peppers my mom imported when she visited from California.

Anyone here try making hot sauce with alcohol?

Not me, but a friend of mine makes ghost pepper tinctures, meant for mixing in drinks and sauces and stuff. He gets 180+ proof alcohol and soaks ghost peppers in them for at least a year. A few drops will definitely add a kick to a bloody mary or something like that. He's been trying to see if he can get away with soaking them for less time as he's not sure if a year is the minimum or optimal amount of time to soak the peppers.

Good lord that sounds gnarley. Might have to try that.

Scotch Bonnets/Habaneros are like cheating for hot sauce - it's actually difficult to fuck up hab sauce, aside from making it too hot/mild.

I literally blend up a bunch of habaneros/bonnets, occasionally with some other peppers (like 50/50 with scorpions, reapers, jolokia, or even green thais), some salt, maybe a bit of garlic/shallot/scallion, and some acid - citrus or vinegar, usually lime juice or cane vinegar, possibly a bit of cornstarch if I'm making a milder/more acidic batch.

It will be hottest right away, but most flavourful after about a month. You can expect some natural fermentation on a more pepper-heavy batch, but the acid will keep the nasty critters at bay.

Start by punctuation you little shit. You ever think there's a general just to have a thread that is themed and not shitpost central.

If you actually read the thread you'll find posts where people are experimenting with different recipes. Imagine that, people actually inspired to make their own hot sauce from our cooking board.

Hey. Where generally do you live?

I'm new to hot sauces in general. I've had a lot of ulcers as a kid (lots of meds) so I thought spicy stuff would fuck me up.
Relatively recently I found out that bell peppers give me heartburn and can ruin a whole evening, but for some reason regular spicy stuff and other peppers (at least, the ones I tried so far) are perfectly fine for some reason.
The spiciest I've gone so far is a thai dish from a local restaurant, and jalapeno snacks, so I'm pretty low on the scale, sub 10k. I really love chipotle tabasco too, it's not really spicy, but I find it super tasty.
Anyway, I am currently growing some peppers, since they really aren't sold around here except some very generic ones. I'd also like to eventually make my own sauce, and pickle my own stuff. Is there an easy way to get that smoked flavor like in the chipotle sauce? I live in an apartment, so I can't really set up a smoker. My uncle has one though, do I need a specific kind of pepper to be able to smoke it with good results?
Also, any info for a newbie to pickling is more than welcome.

If there any details that are hazy just ask, I can fill in the wholes.

Is my math bad or is that almost a 13% brine?

>2017
>not bumping your own thread
>shiggy diggy

Cheers mate.

Yeah that guy is right, I definitely meant 1 tablespoon.

6-7% brine is good for peppers because they mold a lot more easily than other plants.

And doing this will leave you at about 5% brine, since you aren't taking into account the peppers already in the jar. I might actually do a bit more than a table spoon actually, or rub the peppers with salt before hand or something.

>2017
>needing to bump your own thread
and i just hijacked this thread.

>tfw when i am now bumping the thread

Couldn't find any hot peppers at the farmers market, but I did pick up a few more plants.

Two czech black to go with my hot thai plant.

Also grabbed some tomatoes, chopped them and added salt. Making some sort of ketchup or tomato sauce or something.