Whats your favorite go to hot sauce?

[NorlinBlackBeauty]

First go at making hot sauce. Using this as a guide as there are similar methods described elsewhere: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/how-to-make-hot-sauce-from-dried-peppers/

How to Make Hot Sauce from Dried Peppers – the Recipe Method

FOR METHOD ONE

1. Lightly toast the dried chili peppers in a hot pan for a minute or 2 per side, until they become slightly pliable and loosen the oils in the skins. This step is optional and develops more flavor.
2. Remove from heat and add enough very hot water to cover the peppers. Let them steep for 15 to 20 minutes to soften.
3. Strain the peppers but keep the steeping water.
4. Add the rehydrated peppers to a food processor or blender along with 1 cup of the steeping water (or use fresh water) vinegar (use anywhere from 2 tablespoons to 1 cup), garlic powder, salt, and other optional ingredients. Process until smooth.
5. Taste and adjust with salt and vinegar. Strain if desired.
6. Pour into bottles and enjoy, or simmer then in a pot for 10-20 minutes to develop the flavors even more, then cool and bottle. Store in the refrigerator.

I'm using Habaneros from three batches, a dozen or so. The hot pan trick was intolerable. First a pleasant roasted aroma, quickly replaced by a gas attack. I do not have a range hood that vents outside - wish I did. I did finish the minute or two, not letting them burn. A hotplate outside seems like a fine idea.

Letting them finish soaking in the hot water then I'll have a go with the stick blender.

Stay tuned ...

 

[NorlinBlackBeauty]

Not too bad. I have more to learn and need to try different pods, preferably fresh ones.

The Habbies I've been getting seem slightly smoky, not pure air dried. That smokiness is the predominate flavor. Same with the Bhut Jolokias I have. I assume they are fire dried, but not intensely smoked like a Chipoltle.

Some of the recipes caution against using too much of the dark soak water as it can be bitter. Yep, got that. Tried to counter that with a bit of maple syrup. Next time light on the soak water. I figured it was lost flavor and heat by not using it. Used a pinch of diced dried roasted garlic.

I used roughly 3 tablespoons of a blend of malt and white vinegar. The batch totaled around 4 ounces. The stick blender was perfect for the job.

The brown sauce is quite hot, but not to stupid levels. Not too thick, not too thin. The one thing I got right.

 

[Pop1655]

My vote is clean and simple. Fewer ingredients the better. Get the flavors you want. Don’t muddle it up.
I think clean and simple is always better, no matter what you’re cooking.

 

[NorlinBlackBeauty]

I'm not doing that.

 

[Sp8ctre]

I used to spend a fortune buying all the latest and greatest hot sauces. I've tried at least 50 of the most popular and hottest sauces from Mo Hotta Mo Betta web store. What I always love and enjoy on most anything is good old Tabasco...

 

[Tone deaf]

I know what you’re talking about. We got drenched with mace in the academy. A full stream across both eyes. Bad, bad, bad. But, I’d take it again over riding the lightning.

 

[Crotch]

Didn't we have a member here that had a little side business of selling hot sauces? I don't know why I can't remember who

 

[NorlinBlackBeauty]

I used to spend a fortune buying all the latest and greatest hot sauces. I've tried at least 50 of the most popular and hottest sauces from Mo Hotta Mo Betta web store. What I always love and enjoy on most anything is good old Tabasco...

I'm hesitant to buy many little bottles of sauces as some are just not that good and too pricey.

Mo Hotta looks a lot like https://www.hotsauce.com/. Much is marketing more than manufacturing. Fancy funny labels sell. I'm not in it for labels.

I'm not a Tabasco fan. Too much of that fermented pepper / vinegar flavor for me. To each their own.

 

[Sp8ctre]

I'm hesitant to buy many little bottles of sauces as some are just not that good and too pricey.

Mo Hotta looks a lot like https://www.hotsauce.com/. Much is marketing more than manufacturing. Fancy funny labels sell. I'm not in it for labels.

I'm not a Tabasco fan. Too much of that fermented pepper / vinegar flavor for me. To each their own.

I hear ya, but it's the vinegar that makes it so good for me. I come from a German heritage and my Great Grandma pickled a lot of things!

As for the marketing aspect...well I was young and wanted to see if I could catch on fire from the inside out! The higher the Scoville Units the better back in the day. Flavor is much more important in my old age...

 

[NorlinBlackBeauty]

I hear ya, but it's the vinegar that makes it so good for me. I come from a German heritage and my Great Grandma pickled a lot of things!

As for the marketing aspect...well I was young and wanted to see if I could catch on fire from the inside out! The higher the Scoville Units the better back in the day. Flavor is much more important in my old age...

Yep, not a fan of picked foods. Might be traditional pickling spices I object to more than vinegar. Dill is just plain vile to me.

I can tolerate vinegar in many things, just not anything overwhelming. Hard to place a pin on where that is on my flavor perception.

The hot sauce I just made is OK vinegar-wise. I think (hope) it'll just improve as it ages. Not sure about the malt vinegar. Made from barley malt - the stuff of beer, so it can't be horrible.

 

[Tone deaf]

IIRC, Mo Hotta has been around since at least the '90s. They were a catalog company before the internet became a thing.

 

[scott1970]

Oh, sweet memories!

Anyone try Dat’l Do It hot sauce made with datil peppers? I used to wear it out in the ‘90s.

 

[45WinMag]

One guy who worked for me last year was bringing hot sauces to work for everybody to try. He would usually bring two at a time for comparison. The only one I remember was The Last Dab XXX. I liked it.

 

[NorlinBlackBeauty]

Having some chicken strips with me homemade habanero hot sauce. Was not shy with the amount.

Pretty good really. Definite smoke character to the sauce, hides most of the tropical fruitiness of the habanero. It could pass as an extra hot mildly smoked chipoltle. Similar to adobo.

I need to find regular air dried habbie pods though. I miss the fruit.

 

[NorlinBlackBeauty]

HELP! Stop me from buying hot stuff!

I've never found actual red dried Bhut Jolokia (Ghost) pods, until now. FINALLY! Makes me think the brown ones are dried over a or near a fire, lightly smoking them and altering the flavor. Same with Habanero - I'm nearly out of air dried and now have too many fire dried. Anyone interested in buying some of the light smoky habanero?

The Serrano Lime is Cajohn's. The Underwood Ranches Sriracha are (were?) the source for the red jalapeño peppers Huy Fong used for many years. There was a disagreement about who the pods actually belonged to a couple of years back. Not sure how it was resolved.

Underwood claims their Sriracha is the purest with no additives and uses fresh garlic, unlike the powder Huy Fong has always used. You can see the chunks of garlic awaiting. Looking forward to that!

@scott1970 Giving Hoff's a try.

 

[TheX]

I'm doing Ghost Pepper this week. LOVE IT!

 

[NorlinBlackBeauty]

I'm doing Ghost Pepper this week. LOVE IT!

Fresh ones?

...or

 

[NorlinBlackBeauty]

Xanthan gum? :/

 

[NorlinBlackBeauty]

CaJohn's Serrano Lime:

Too thin and vineragy for me. Other than that a relatively mild juice with a good flavor. Give me fresh Serranos over this, even from the supermarket.

Underwood Sriracha:

Decent heat with pleasant sweetness of red jalapeño and the sugar. Garlic aroma and flavor is superb. A tad more heat (I can fix that) with less sugar would nail it. Would get again. It would be unfair to compare to Shark Brand as I have already modified the Shark with more Thai chilies and fresh garlic.

Hoff's Smoken Ghost:

Smoken Ghost Hot Sauce

Smoken Ghost doesn’t pull any punches. Chock-full of ghost and chipotle peppers, it’s smooth, smoky, and doesn’t skimp on the heat. But don’t get it twisted, this sauce is complex and flavorful. Add it to chili for an extra kick, put it on a burger, or mix it with mayo for dipping fries. But...

www.hoffandpepper.com

Ingredients: Red Jalapeño, Habanero, Chipotle, Ghost, Salt, Vinegar, and Garlic

The hottest of the bunch. Nice blend of pods that really work. With so much flavor and more salt than vinegar, the vinegar flavor is is mild. Not teary-eyed hot as claimed but not for the timid. The sweetness of red jalapeño makes a great base. Would highly recommend.

 

[DotStudio]