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Are your hot pepper plants out of control? Do you see heaps of beautiful, bright colored chiles at the local farmers’ market and wish you could make something wonderful from them? Have you made all the salsa your freezer can hold, and you’re still looking at a mound of hot peppers waiting for you to do *something* with them? Homemade hot sauce is the answer! It’s fun and easy to make, and it’ll be a big hit at your next party!
Hot peppers seem to increase in popularity each year. With all the different varieties available, it's tempting to start dozens of plants. Before you know it, you're harvesting chiles in far greater numbers than you ever intended. When you realize how sparingly you're using the really hot ones, you start to wonder what you can do with them all. Even if you're mostly growing milder jalopenos and chiles with just a touch of heat, you may have more than you can use up in salsas and sauces. It's time to make some hot sauce!
The very simplest hot sauce is pique, vinegar flavored with whole peppers. When we honeymooned in the Caribbean, a bottle of pique sat on every table, just like ketchup here in the US. To make pique, cut slits into small hot peppers (or roughly chop large ones) and stuff them into a sterile glass 12 ounce bottle. Add a good pinch (1/8 teaspoon) of pickling salt. Toss in some whole peppercorns and a few peeled cloves of garlic. Add a bit of mixed pickling spice or a bay leaf, if you like. Fill the bottle with vinegar (I like to use white wine vinegar, but cider vinegar would also work) and let it sit in a cool place for a couple of weeks. [1]
As you use the pique, simply top up the bottle with more vinegar until the peppers run out of zing. You could decant the flavored vinegar and throw away the peppers, but I like the look of the peppers in the bottle as well as the way they continue to add flavor to the sauce. I've got a small glass jar of pique made with bird's eye peppers, one of the very hottest varieties. It's 4 years old and still so hot that I use it very sparingly, drop by drop.
You can make hot sauce from fresh peppers, or you can harvest the peppers now and simmer your sauce this winter, when you won't mind heating up your kitchen. I like to seed and mince hot peppers, then store them in a little vinegar in a glass jar in the refrigerator until I'm ready to use them. Removing the seeds and "insides" takes some of the heat from chiles, which to me means I can add more chile peppers to a recipe without getting it so hot nobody will eat it.
If I measure both the peppers and the vinegar, I can label the jar accordingly and be all set for my recipe. If my recipe calls for 2 cups of hot peppers and 2 cups of vinegar, and I have 2 cups of peppers and ½ cup of vinegar in my jar, for example, I know I can just dump the contents of the jar into my pot and add an additional 1 ½ cups of vinegar.
Hot peppers should be handled with care. I wear gloves when working with them and keep "just in case" remedies close at hand–saline eyewash in case I forget and rub my eye, milk in case I taste something too hot to handle, and a solution of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and dish soap that seems to work pretty well for getting capsaicin (the hot stuff) off my skin.
My favorite hot sauce recipe is a tomato based sauce from The Joy of Pickling, by Linda Ziedrich (click the link for my Garden Bookworm review). I've varied this recipe by using different types of hot peppers and by adding different spices as I simmered the sauce on the stove. You'll find your own favorite variations as you experiment, but be sure to keep the proportions of the ingredients pretty much the same if you plan to put up the sauce in jars, as that's important for food safety. Because heat processing can change flavor balances and heat levels, we generally opt for refrigerator storage of our hot sauces.
If you see a great end-of-the season deal at your local farmer's market, don't hesitate! Even a couple pints of peppers will let you turn out a great batch of homemade hot sauce. You'll be able to adjust the heat level and tweak the seasoning until you have a creation that's uniquely your own–a signature dish, a true "house seasoning." Put some next to the tortilla chips at your next party. Everybody loves to try a new type of hot sauce, the hotter the better. Finding out that you made it yourself will definitely spice up the conversation around the hors d'oeuvres!
"Leaping Lizard" Tex-Mex Style Hot Sauce
Adapted from Linda Ziedrich's "Tomato Pepper Sauce" recipe in Joy of Pickling, 1998. ISBN # 1-55832-133-0
3/4 cup seeded and minced red & green Jalopeño peppers 3/4 cup seeded and minced red & green Serrano peppers 1/2 cup seeded and minced ripe red Cayenne peppers
8 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
6 peppercorns, cracked
3 1/2 cups cider vinegar
2 teaspoons pickling salt
Put the tomatoes, peppers, garlic, and 1 ½ cups of the vinegar into a nonreactive saucepan. Crack the peppercorns (I fold them in a napkin and bang them with a hammer). Put them into a teaball, or tie them up in a bit of cheesecloth, and add them to the pot. Boil the mixture, stirring occasionally, until it is reduced by half.
Take the pot off the heat and remove the peppercorns. Purée the mixture. You can use a blender or a food mill. I like to use my little immersion "stick blender" for this, running it around in the pot until the contents look smooth. Be careful, because splashing sauce may be hot not only from the stove but also from the chile peppers.
Put the purée and the peppercorns (still in their teaball) back into the pot. Add the salt and the remaining 2 cups of vinegar. Bring the sauce back to a boil and cook it down, stirring often, until it's as thick as you'd like.
The finished hot sauce can be processed in a boiling water bath (leave ¼ inch headspace and process 15 minutes for pints or half pints) or stored in sterile glass bottles in the refrigerator. The recipe can be doubled or tripled if you have a big pot. I keep a big jar or jug at the back of the fridge and use it to refill smaller bottles for everyday use.
Makes about 2 pints.
Not hot enough for you? Stay tuned for next week's article, "Some Like It Hotter! Making Caribbean Style Hot Sauce from Heaps of Habaneros."
[1] Recipe for "Pique" hot sauce adapted from Linda Ziedrich's wonderful book, The Joy of Pickling, Harvard Common Press, 1998. ISBN # 1-55832-133-0.
Photos and recipe variations by Jill M. Nicolaus.
About Jill M. Nicolaus
Better known as "Critter" on DG, Jill gardens in Frederick, MD. We seem to be alternating between wintry days and late fall weather here. I still have some bulbs to plant, so I'm hoping for another warm spell or two. Between rounds of shopping and holiday preparations, I'm already thinking about seeds and plants for next year, LOL.
I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season!
(Images in my articles are from my photos, unless otherwise credited.)
Posted by anngan (from Belvidere, NJ) on September 1, 2008 at 2:59 PM:
Hi instead of canning or putting jars in the refrigerator , can i freeze the mixture in small portions to add to recipes as i go? If so, how well does it freeze and for how long can i keep it?
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on September 1, 2008 at 3:13 PM:
I've never frozen the hot sauce, but I've frozen salsa over the winter, and that works just fine. For "small portions," I think I'd try an ice cube tray... or freeze enough to refill a small hot sauce bottle that you can keep in the fridge.
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Subject: Hot Article
Posted by phicks (from Lakeland, FL) on August 28, 2008 at 4:24 PM:
Real Good Article Paul
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on August 28, 2008 at 6:06 PM:
I'm glad you liked it! I hope you'll give the recipe a try... if you find a fun variation, please post it!
:-)
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Posted by phicks (from Lakeland, FL) on August 28, 2008 at 6:08 PM:
Ok
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Posted by Sharran (from Calvert City, KY) on August 28, 2008 at 6:15 PM:
Recipe sounds yummy..thanks.
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on August 28, 2008 at 6:56 PM:
The tomatoes give it a lot of body & richness. I hope you'll try it! :-)
(Hey, if anybody prints it out... please let me know if that background color on the recipe works out OK... that's a new thing I tried, and I like the way it looks but don't want it to mess anybody up!)
...
Posted by Bookerc1 (from Mackinaw, IL) on August 29, 2008 at 12:52 AM:
I printed it, since we have hot peppers and tomatoes coming out our ears about now. It didn't print the background color, just the borders and pictures. Looked great! DH will be so happy, and I'll be glad to reclaim my crisper drawer! LOL
When I hit "Print Preview" and then "Page Set-up" button, it gives me a check-box for if I want to print the background color. It is unchecked by default. HTH
Angie
PS Forgot to say, the article looks great! I keep looking to your articles for layout and design ideas!
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on August 29, 2008 at 1:04 AM:
Thanks, that's good to know! I tried to pick a light enough background color that if somebody did print it out in greyscale with the background color, there'd be enough contrast to be legible.
I appreciate the compliment on the layout... I don't really do anything very fancy with the editor software, but if I can ever be of assistance, just holler!
By the way, this sauce is a great recipe for "lackluster" tomatoes, especially if you're using really hot peppers (you won't notice the flavor of the tomatoes so much over the heat anyway). I've got a couple of plants this year (previous favorite varieties) that are producing absolutely flavorless tomatoes -- like supermarket ones! Bah!
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Posted by Bookerc1 (from Mackinaw, IL) on August 29, 2008 at 1:19 AM:
I think it will be the habanero recipes that will really get DH excited. He loves those little bombs, and we have twice as many plants this year as usual. I can't see how he can TASTE anything other than pain when he eats 'em, but to each his own, I guess.
Sorry to hear about your tomatoes! I've also been a tad disappointed in mine. I tried a bunch of heirlooms I've never had before, and they aren't quite living up to the hype. Maybe it is just the first ones that are kind of bland, and later ones will knock my socks off? I was just dying to sink my teeth into that first Cherokee Purple, and it wasn't really anything that special, though clearly better than a supermarket tomato. The Black Cherry was heavenly, though, and the Mortgage Lifter is quite tasty, too. :o)
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on August 29, 2008 at 1:31 AM:
Here, 'Potato Top', 'Black Russian', and 'Brandywine Yellow' are taste test winners so far, with 'Wisconsin 55' doing very well also (I'm just a little less partial to the reds). But some others are unbelievably bland this year! Give 'Cherokee Purple' another try; this has just been a strange year.
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Subject: Good Job Jill
Posted by MitchF (from Lindsay, OK) on August 28, 2008 at 8:13 AM:
Making all the Salsa that I can is one of my fav. things from working in the garden. I make everything from Fuego and curl your toes action to simple and basics. Thank you for bringing this wonderful to the masses here on Daves.
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on August 28, 2008 at 8:30 AM:
Salsa is fabulous! Whether it's store bought or from our garden, it's even better when we can "doctor" it with homemade hot sauce. I'm glad you liked the article! :-)
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Posted by kniphofia (from Ashington
(United Kingdom)) on August 28, 2008 at 1:17 PM:
What a great article! Loved the photos and the recipe makes my eyes water :)
Great job Jill!
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on August 28, 2008 at 1:47 PM:
I hope you're inspired to give it a try! Not all hot sauce is super-hot. This recipe lends itself well to toned-down versions. We made "Hoppin' Bunny" sauce last year with mild 'Bulgarian Carrot' peppers and some other barely-hot peppers. I can eat it by by spoonful, and friends who can't "handle" hot sauce at all just love it. You can mellow and sweeten it at the end with a splash or two of fruit juice concentrate, too.
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Posted by carrielamont (from Milton, MA) on August 28, 2008 at 4:58 PM:
Yum, yum, and I missed the Farmer's Market today, darn it all. Well, just wait til next week! Thanks, Jill...
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on August 28, 2008 at 6:06 PM:
Hot peppers are probably just starting to come in in earnest, especially if you like red-ripe ones (farmer's markets are one of the few places where I can find red jalopenos and serranos, which have loads of flavor). Pick some up next week and give it a try! (Wasn't your daughter harvesting hot peppers like mad, too?)
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Posted by carrielamont (from Milton, MA) on August 28, 2008 at 7:04 PM:
Yes, she strung them on a thread and took them to Arizona from Boston, LOL. (Coals to Newcastle, ha ha!) But you're saying her plants might not be done?
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Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on August 28, 2008 at 7:07 PM:
I hope she has better luck than I did when I tried that... the fresh chiles that I strung rotted and got fruit flies while we were out of town. Eew! Somebody told me I should have dried them first, then strung them.
Coals to Newcastle, indeed!
Yes, the plants should keep on producing until frost... see any more blooms?
...
Posted by darlindeb (from Claremore, OK) on August 28, 2008 at 7:28 PM:
Hooray! Another enjoyable article by Jill. Good job kiddo.
...
Posted by critterologist (from Frederick, MD) on August 28, 2008 at 8:48 PM:
Hot peppers seem to increase in popularity each year. With all the different varieties available, it's tempting to start dozens of plants. Before you know it, you're harvesting chiles in far greater numbers than you ever intended. When you realize how sparingly you're using the really hot ones, you start to wonder what you can do with them all. Even if you're mostly growing milder jalopenos and chiles with just a touch of heat, you may have more than you can use up in salsas and sauces. It's time to make some hot sauce!
As you use the pique, simply top up the bottle with more vinegar until the peppers run out of zing. You could decant the flavored vinegar and throw away the peppers, but I like the look of the peppers in the bottle as well as the way they continue to add flavor to the sauce. I've got a small glass jar of pique made with bird's eye peppers, one of the very hottest varieties. It's 4 years old and still so hot that I use it very sparingly, drop by drop. 
Hot peppers should be handled with care. I wear gloves when working with them and keep "just in case" remedies close at hand–saline eyewash in case I forget and rub my eye, milk in case I taste something too hot to handle, and a solution of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and dish soap that seems to work pretty well for getting capsaicin (the hot stuff) off my skin.
