Hot Sauce Recipes and Instructions

Homemade Hot Sauce Recipes

Make your own hot sauce, fresh salsa, spicy BBQ sauces and great rib rubs with these exotic peppers and spices. By doing it yourself you have complete control over the flavor and heat. Please note that on the hot pepper varieties listed here we have provided the Scoville Heat Units.

The SHU scale was developed in 1912 by William Scoville to rate the preserved heat of hot peppers. SHU rating identifies the parts per million of capsicum in a pepper. Capsicum is the substance which gives peppers their heat. The human tongue can detect as little as 1 part per million of capsicum.

Hot Sauce Recipes

GARLIC LOVERS SAUCE

BERMUDA BURNER SAUCE

SOUTHWEST HOT SAUCE

ROASTED JALAPENO SAUCE

HALLOWEEN ORANGE SAUCE

JUST THE PEPPERS SAUCE

HOT SAUCE KIT $29.95
Complete instructions and recipes for making ten different hot sauce styles using fresh peppers or our pepper mash. We teach you how to select and prepare fresh ingredients like cayenne, habanero and jalapeno peppers. Then we have you blend them with the five exotic spices included in the kit to make hot sauces which match your taste exactly. Our homemade hot sauce kit includes instructions, recipes, 4 oz. Pepper Mash, five spice packets, three 5 oz. hot sauce bottles with screw on caps. Hot pepper safety and handling tips too!

How To Make Hot Sauce
   Please read this complete booklet prior to starting your hot sauce adventure. There are many tips and techniques within the text that will help you avoid trouble later.
How Hot Is It
   The heat in hot sauce comes from the capsicum compound found in all hot peppers. The human tongue can detect as little as 1 part per million of capsicum. The amount of capsicum 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 preserved heat of hot peppers. SHU rating identifies the parts per million of capsicum in a pepper. The SHU numbers given here are standard averages based on the best data available. The actual capsicum level of a given pepper will vary due to growing conditions, age since harvest and other natural factors.
Using Pepper Mash
   The best hot sauces are made from pepper mash which is a fermented product. This type of fermentation is call 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 as 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 capsicum 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. Capsicum 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. For more information on hot peppers see our book Grow the Best 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 you 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 pepper 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.
Other Fresh Ingredients
   Adding fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs to your recipes will liven them up and make the sauce more complex. Almost any thing can be used as long as you think the flavor combinations will taste good. The one concern with fresh additives is the amount of moisture they will add to the recipe and the natural bitterness of seeds and skins.
Fresh Tomatoes
   To remove the excess moisture and seeds from fresh tomatoes, cut the tomato in half across it's middle leaving a the stem on one half. Hold the half with the skin side up and gently squeeze the liquid and seeds out. If you wish to remove the skin, place the seeded tomatoes into boiling water for 3 minutes. The skin will loosen and peel right off. Seeded tomatoes can also be roasted just like peppers. Roasting also removes more moisture. The best substitute for fresh tomato is canned tomato juice.
Fresh Fruit
   Fruits can be added to any hot sauce recipe to increase sweetness and flavor. All peel and rind must be removed because it is extremely bitter. Seeds must be removed too! Pulpy fruit like orange and pineapple should be strained unless you are using a food mill as described under Food Processors. The stringy pulp fibers will plug up the dropper inserts in the bottles. Canned or frozen fruit juice works well in place of fresh. There is also the added advantage of the addition flavoring that can be gained from using frozen concentrates.
Fresh Herbs
   Adding fresh herbs to your recipes will increase flavors and let you put in your own special touch. Fresh herbs must be washed and chopped prior to use. Do not use the plant stems. You must use a food mill as described under Food Processors in order to remove the herb particles which will plug up your dropper bottles.
Other Spices
   The use of ground spices is an easy way to add your own touch to any hot sauce recipe. Your kit includes a variety of spices for use in the recipes given here. Please remember that dried and ground spices, which are fresh, have a stronger more concentrated flavor. You may need to experiment with how much to use in order to suit your taste. See our complete line of Hot Spices.
Food Processors
   An electric food processor is perfect for blending ingredients prior to cooking but it is not necessary. A good sharp knife and clean cutting board will do the job too. You should never use an electric food processor after the cooking stage. The reason is the amount of air these machines pump into whatever is being blended.
   After cooking, it is a good idea to run your sauce through a hand crank food mill. These are inexpensive and they are designed specifically for making smooth purees. If one is not available, a kitchen sieve will also work. The objective is to remove or crush any solid matter left in the sauce and squeeze out every drop.
Cooking Methods
   Cooking your hot sauce will help blend the flavors together, break down pieces of solid ingredients and pasteurize the sauce. It is an important step which should only be skipped if the sauce will be used up completely within two days.   The recipes given here will make one 5 ounce bottle of sauce and include instructions for cooking the sauce in the microwave oven. This is a quick way to make a small batch without a lot of cleanup.   Larger batches and some recipes you develop may require cooking the sauce on the stove top. The stove top method offers more control over the cooking process. Your sauce should be simmered over low heat for at least 5 minutes. Constant stirring will prevent boiling and assure that all ingredients are well blended.
Hot Pack Instructions
   This is the most important step in the process. Your hot sauce must be properly canned in order to assure freshness, flavor and shelf life. The procedure is the same as you would use for canning tomatoes.
   Your hot sauce bottles must be clean before starting. Wash them with soap and water and rinse them thoroughly. Do not wash the caps with the white paper seal inside them. If the paper seal gets wet it will be ruined. The seal will sanitize itself later in the process.
   Place a wire rack on the bottom of a pot of boiling water. Place the bottles on the rack making sure they are completely full of water. Let them boil for at least 5 minutes.    When you are ready to pack your sauce, remove a bottle from the boiling water with tongs and drain out the water. Your sauce should also be at the boiling point. Hold the bottle with a dry towel and fill it with sauce using a measuring cup to help you pour. Place the dropper cap on the bottle and screw the cap on tight. Turn the bottle upside down for 10 minutes. This will sanitize the lid. Let bottles cool completely before refrigerating.
Aging
   Your hot sauce is going to improve with age. Keep the sauce in the refrigerator for at least one week prior to using it. The longer the sauce ages, the more complex the flavor will become. Properly packed hot sauce will last six to nine months unopened.
Hot Sauce Recipes
   There are two methods given for each of our recipes. Feel free to mix and match, develop your own recipes and be creative. Be sure to take notes every time you prepare a recipe. You will need those notes to recreate the sauces you like best. You can adjust the heat of a recipe by adding more or less hot pepper.

Garlic Lover's Hot Sauce

Pepper Mash Method

2 Tbs. Cayenne Mash

1 tsp. Garlic Powder

1 ea. Plum Tomato

1/4 cup Distilled White Vinegar

1 tsp. Black Cumin

1/2 tsp. Curry Powder

1 tsp. Allspice

1 Tbs. Sugar

1/4 tsp. Salt

Prepare tomato as described under Fresh Tomatoes. Place all ingredients into a food processor and puree until smooth. Place puree into a microwaveable glass measuring cup and add vinegar to make 5 ounces. Microwave until mixture starts to steam. Remove from oven and mix well. Return to oven and heat again. Stir mixture and bottle as described under Hot Pack Instructions.

Fresh Pepper Method

6 ea. Cayenne Peppers

4 ea. Garlic Clove

1/4 cup Distilled White Vinegar

1 ea. Plum Tomato

1 tsp. Black Cumin

1/2 tsp. Curry Powder

1 tsp. Allspice

1 Tbs. Sugar

1/2 tsp. Salt

Seed and blanch peppers as described under Preparing Fresh Peppers. Prepare tomato as described under Fresh Tomatoes. Place all ingredients into a food processor and puree until smooth. Place puree into a microwaveable glass measuring cup and add vinegar to make 5 ounces. Microwave until mixture starts to steam. Remove from oven and mix well. Return to oven and heat again. Stir mixture and bottle as described under Hot Pack Instructions.

BERMUDA BURNER HOT SAUCE

Pepper Mash Method

3	tsp.	Habanero Mash
1-1/2	tsp.	Garlic Powder
1/4	cup	Distilled White Vinegar
1/4	cup	Diced Onion
1-1/2	tsp.	Jamaican Jerk
1/2	tsp.	Ginger
1	tsp.	Allspice
1/2	cup	Mango
1	Tbs.	Molasses
1/2	tsp.	Salt

Prepare fruit as described under Other Fresh Ingredients. Place all ingredients into a food processor and puree until smooth. Place puree into a microwaveable glass measuring cup and add vinegar to make 5 ounces. Microwave until mixture starts to steam. Remove from oven and mix well. Return to oven and heat again. Stir mixture and bottle as described under Hot Pack Instructions.

Fresh Pepper Method

4	ea.	Habanero Peppers
3	ea.	Cloves of Garlic
1/4	cup	Distilled White Vinegar
1/4	cup	Diced Onion
1-1/2	tsp.	Jamaican Jerk
1/2	tsp.	Ginger
1	tsp.	Allspice
1/2	cup	Mango
1	Tbs.	Molasses
1/2	tsp.	Salt

Seed and blanch peppers as described under Preparing Fresh Peppers. Prepare fruit as described under Other Fresh Ingredients. Place all ingredients into a food processor and puree until smooth. Place puree into a microwaveable glass measuring cup and add vinegar to make 5 ounces. Microwave until mixture starts to steam. Remove from oven and mix well. Return to oven and heat again. Stir mixture and bottle as described under Hot Pack Instructions.

SOUTHWEST HOT SAUCE

Pepper Mash Method

2	Tbs.	Jalapeno Mash
1	ea.	Red Bell Pepper (roasted)
1/2	cup	Distilled White Vinegar
1	ea.	Garlic Clove
1-1/2	Tbs.	Ancho Pepper
1-1/2	tsp.	Curry Powder
1	tsp.	Black Cumin
1/2	tsp.	Salt

Roast and peel red pepper as described under Preparing Fresh Peppers. Place all ingredients into a food processor and puree until smooth. Place puree into a microwaveable glass measuring cup and add vinegar to make 5 ounces. Microwave until mixture starts to steam. Remove from oven and mix well. Return to oven and heat again. Stir mixture and bottle as described under Hot Pack Instructions.

Fresh Pepper Method

6	ea.	Jalapeno Peppers
1	ea.	Red Bell Pepper (roasted)
1/2	cup	Distilled White Vinegar
1	ea.	Garlic Clove
1-1/2	Tbs.	Ancho Pepper
1-1/2	tsp.	Curry Powder
1	tsp.	Black Cumin
1/2	tsp.	Salt

Seed and blanch Cayenne peppers as described under Preparing Fresh Peppers. Roast and peel red pepper as described under Preparing Fresh Peppers. Place all ingredients into a food processor and puree until smooth. Place puree into a microwaveable glass measuring cup and add vinegar to make 5 ounces. Microwave until mixture starts to steam. Remove from oven and mix well. Return to oven and heat again. Stir mixture and bottle as described under Hot Pack Instructions.

ROASTED JALAPENO HOT SAUCE

Pepper Mash Method

2	ea.	Sweet Green Peppers (roasted)
3	tsp.	Jalapeno Mash
1/4	cup	Distilled White Vinegar
1	tsp.	Chipolte Pepper (smoked Jalapeno)
2	ea.	Garlic Clove
1/2	tsp.	Curry Powder
1/2	tsp.	Black Cumin
1/2	tsp.	Salt

Roast and peel peppers as described under Preparing Fresh Peppers. Place all ingredients into a food processor and puree until smooth. Place puree into a microwaveable glass measuring cup and add vinegar to make 5 ounces. Microwave until mixture starts to steam. Remove from oven and mix well. Return to oven and heat again. Stir mixture and bottle as described under Hot Pack Instructions.

Fresh Pepper Method

2	ea.	Sweet Green Peppers (roasted)
3	ea.	Jalapeno Peppers (roasted)
1/4	cup	Distilled White Vinegar
1	tsp.	Chipolte Pepper (smoked Jalapeno)
2	ea.	Garlic Clove
1/2	tsp.	Curry Powder
1/2	tsp.	Black Cumin
1/2	tsp.	Salt

SCARY HALLOWENO ORANGE HOT SAUCE

Pepper Mash Method

3	tsp.	Habanero Mash
1	cup	Orange peeled and seeded
1/4	cup	Distilled White Vinegar
1	Tbs.	Sugar
1	tsp.	Lemon Juice
1/2	tsp.	Black Cumin
1	tsp.	Ginger
1	tsp.	Salt

Fresh Pepper Method

3	ea.	Habanero Peppers
1	cup	Orange peeled and seeded
1/4	cup	Distilled White Vinegar
1	Tbs.	Sugar
1	tsp.	Lemon Juice
1/2	tsp.	Black Cumin
1	tsp.	Ginger
1	tsp.	Salt

JUST THE PEPPERS HOT SAUCE

Pepper Mash Method

1	tsp.	Habanero Mash
1	ea.	Sweet Red Pepper
1	Tbs.	Jalapeno Mash
1/4	cup	Distilled White Vinegar
1	tsp.	Sugar
1	tsp.	Salt

Seed and blanch red pepper as described under Preparing Fresh Peppers. Place all ingredients into a food processor and puree until smooth. Place puree into a microwaveable glass measuring cup and add vinegar to make 5 ounces. Microwave until mixture starts to steam. Remove from oven and mix well. Return to oven and heat again. Stir mixture and bottle as described under Hot Pack Instructions.

Fresh Pepper Method

2	ea.	Habanero or Scotch Bonnet Peppers
1	ea.	Sweet Red Pepper
2	ea.	Jalapeno Peppers
1/4	cup	Distilled White Vinegar
1	tsp.	Sugar
1	tsp.	Salt

Seed and blanch peppers as described under Preparing Fresh Peppers. Place all ingredients into a food processor and puree until smooth. Place puree into a microwaveable glass measuring cup and add vinegar to make 5 ounces. Microwave until mixture starts to steam. Remove from oven and mix well. Return to oven and heat again. Stir mixture and bottle as described under Hot Pack Instructions.