Hot Sauce Made Easy

There is a proliferation of hot sauce selection on the market. They range from mild to incredibly hot with an unbelievable range of ingredients. I use bottled hot sauce, (I especially love the Pepper Joe's varieties, jalapeno, habanero, scorpion and ghost) but sometimes even better are the home-made sauces. It doesn't matter if you grow your own peppers or buy them at the supermarket, you can make your own personal blend of hot sauce. It's easy! And YOU control the heat level, the quality of the ingredients and the flavor. I like mine without preservatives.

Here are a couple of recipes to get you started. Follow them to a T or use them loosely as a guide, adding your own combination of flavor and HEAT.

Pepper Joe's Hot Sauce (Medium Hot)

• 12 jalapeno peppers
• 8 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 whole lime
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 TB salt
• 1/2 TB onion powder
• 1/2 TB garlic powder

Cut hot pepper in half and remove seeds. Drop in boiling water for 30 seconds to blanche. Squeeze juice from lime and combine hot peppers with all other ingredients in blender and chop. Then put on high speed to blend all ingredients together. Store in an old hot pepper sauce bottle or ketsup bottle and store in fridge. It's simple to make.

For a hotter gourmet type read on...

Pepper Joe's Island Hot Sauce (A 10 on the Pepper Joe Heat Scale)

• 12 habanero peppers
• 2 carrots
• 1 large onion
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 TB salt
• 1/4 TB white pepper
• 1 lime
• 8 TB white vinegar

Cut habanero peppers in half and remove seeds. Drop in boiling water for 30 seconds to blanche.(handle with care) Remove peppers and put onion, carrots and garlic cloves into boiling water and cook until tender. Squeeze juice from lime and combine all ingredients and put in blender. First chop, then blend at high speed. done!

Just put in wide-mouth jar and store in fridge. Spoon out this hot sauce as needed. Delicious on cheesesteaks, hamburgers, pizza, or added to soups, chili, tomato sauce. Also can scrub garage floors. Yield 2.5 cups.

Bhut Jolokia Hot Sauce - Ghost Pepper Sauce

• 3 Ghost Peppers
• 5 cloves of garlic
• Whole onion
• Salt
• White pepper
• 4 carrots
• Apple cider vinegar

In a food processor chop up the Ghost Peppers, onion, garlic and carrots. Add salt and white pepper to taste (a tsp. of turmeric if you'd like as an additional preservative).

Add in 1/3 water and 2/3 Apple cider vinegar...to your consistency liking. This makes a thicker Hot Sauce that you can 'spoon' out.

The carrots, garlic and onion take a LITTLE of the edge off of the Ghost Peppers.

But CAUTION....this is a VERY Hot Sauce.

Bud's Habanero Sauce:

This one is "real" zesty, and not for the weak at heart:

I start off with about 20 quarts of Habaneros I personally use Red Savinas, Caribbean Reds, and Goldens.

Pull out the old vegetable juicer, and wait for a nice day. If you want to keep your marriage together do not do this inside!

Go outside on a slightly breezy day...use caution (gloves, goggles, etc. whatever you feel necessary) as this stuff can cause some redness, pain, and intense warmth in many places. Wash and de-stem. I do not remove the seeds...juice the Habaneros.

Normally I get about 5-7 cups of juice. (If you have a food dehydrator...remove pulp/seeds...dry it...grind it up for your own Habanero powder.)

The "SAUCE"

1. Pour Habanero juice in a medium sauce pan (10 qt)

2. Add the following:

• 1 1/2 cups red wine vinegar
• 1 cup lime juice
• 1 12 oz can tomato paste
• 2 TB garlic powder
• 2 TB onion powder
• 2 TB ground ciltrano
• 1-2 TB kosher salt (to taste)

3. Slow simmer (medium heat) until you reduce contents by about 1/2.

I use 4 & 8 oz jelly jars to can...follow hot water bath directions for acidic foods. For personal consumption it will keep in the fridge for a long time...mine never lasts long enough to spoil. Great on pizza, base sauce for wings, on popcorn, chips, adds a little zest to chile. Be creative...enjoy!

Bud Anderson

Ohio

Goose's Nuclear Bathtub Sauce

Ingredients

• 12 Carolina reapers
• 1 bulb garlic
• 1 - 28 oz can tomato sauce
• 8 oz apple cider vinegar
• 1 - 12 oz can tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt, pinch black pepper

Directions

1. Fire roast reaper peppers on open flame, leave them whole.
2. Place in sauté pan with garlic and cook until garlic is slightly brown.
3. Puree in blender (do this step outside or in well ventilated room - very hot - will burn lungs and eyes).
4. In a sauce pan, bring tomato paste and sauce to simmer. Add vinegar and salt and black pepper to taste.
5. Add garlic and reaper puree to mixture, simmer for 15 minutes, then put in jars hot. Will last up to one year on shelf if properly canned - water bath jars for 20 minutes, then place on counter to cool.

This sauce makes great wings and is good on anything! Enjoy!

Andres Guzman

Elmira, NY