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How to use Hot Pepper Mash and Fresh Hot Peppers

How Hot Is It

The heat in hot sauce comes from the capsaicin compound found in all hot peppers.  The human tongue can detect as little as 1 part per million of capsaicin.  The amount of capsaicin in a type of pepper determines how hot the taste will be.  The Scoville Heat Units (SHU) scale was developed in 1912 by William Scoville to rate the perceived heat of hot peppers.  SHU rating identifies the parts per million of capsaicin in a pepper.  The SHU numbers given here are standard averages based on the best data available.  The actual capsaicin level of a given pepper will vary due to growing conditions, age since harvest and other natural factors.
 

Pepper Mash 

The best hot sauces are made from pepper mash which is a fermented product.  This type of fermentation is called dry or salt fermentation and little is understood about the exact process other than it makes better hot sauce.  The pepper mash is pure pepper.  They are not concentrates or blends. Please treat these products using the safety guidelines under Handling Hot Peppers.

Preparing Fresh Peppers 

Using fresh peppers from the farmers market or your own garden will make high quality hot sauces. Peppers purchased from the supermarket will work well but they may be old and are usually waxed to make them more attractive. 

There are two methods of preparing peppers for your sauce.  One is to blanch the peppers and the other is to roast them. In both methods, the safety instructions are the same.  The capsaicin mentioned above is not only hot on the tongue, it is brutal on the eyes or in cuts on your fingers.  When preparing peppers you can wear rubber gloves to protect your hands and keep your hands clean.  Capsaicin has a way of staying on your hands even after washing.  Safety glasses will help you avoid splashes or touching your eyes while cutting and cleaning peppers. 

Cleaning & Blanching  

Cleaning your peppers of all veins and seeds will reduce the bitter and hot character greatly.  This also applies to sweet red and green peppers.  Wash the whole peppers in running water to remove any pesticides and dirt.  Remove the stem end of the pepper and then cut the pepper along its length into quarters.  Lay each quarter flat on the cutting board and slice out the seeds and veins.  Any good flesh left around the stem can be cut away too.  Wash the cleaned peppers again in running water. 

Prepare a boiling pot of enough distilled white vinegar to cover the cleaned peppers.  Do not use any aluminum cookware.  The acids in the vinegar and the peppers will break down the aluminum and put it in your sauce!  The steam from boiling vinegar is very strong.  Avoid breathing it.  Place the peppers into the boiling vinegar for 2 or 3 minutes.  This will kill any bacteria and soften the pepper flesh making it easier to process.  Remove the peppers and allow to drain.  Save the vinegar for use in your recipes and blanching more peppers later.

Roasting Peppers

Sauces and salsas made with fresh roasted peppers have that extra flavor only an open flame can provide.  Wash the whole peppers in running water to remove any pesticides and dirt.  Place the peppers over low heat on a gas grill or the burner of a gas stove.  Turn the peppers regularly and allow them to roast until the skin blisters and turns black.  Place the hot peppers into a clean brown paper bag and close it up. Allow them to cool for 10 to 15 minutes.  Remove the peppers from the bag and peel away the burnt skin with your hands or a soft cloth.  Remove the veins and seeds as described above.  There is no need to blanch roasted peppers.