Carolina Reaper Hot Pepper Sauce
Carolina Reaper Hot Pepper Sauce
Carolina Reaper peppers may just be the hottest peppers on the planet and I am a lucky girl to have a friend who grows these beauties! I believe it's time to make some HOT sauce.
I received these shiny bright red peppers from Bob earlier this fall and they have been stored carefully in my spare refrigerator for a few weeks. They are not often sold in stores because of the difficulties in shipping and handling, You really need to grow these yourself or find a friend who does if you would like some.
Most people have heard of Ghost Peppers but these Carolina Reapers are the clear winners when it comes to the Scoville heat units.
Here is a great article from Pepperscale called Carolina Reaper Vs. Ghost Pepper: PepperScale Showdown. I've found some really good information from this blog. If you are interested in hot peppers you might check them out.
One thing you should very seriously consider is wearing gloves and eye protection while handling these peppers. Knock on wood, I haven't had any problems yet but I sure wouldn't want any of this stuff in my eye!
I made some hot sauce and some really hot salsa with the peppers I received from Bob last year and I was surprised at how easy making hot sauce really is. I did give a few bottles to friends but I still have 1 1/2 bottles here to keep me supplied for the next few months so I've decided to let this new batch do a little bit of aging with some oak chips. The oak chips I have were created for distilling whisky to mimic aging in an oak cask.
The first thing I do is gather my ingredients and then carefully remove the stems from 20 rinsed peppers by pulling them straight out. This is fairly easy to do without rupturing the skin of the fruit. I cut each pepper in half by pinching the pepper with my fore finger and thumb then making one smooth cut with a very sharp knife. I toss it immediately into 2 cups of water in a small pot. This keeps the HOT from spreading anywhere I don't want it, like all over me or the cutting board.
I then coarsely chop a small sweet onion, peel a small head of garlic ( leave the cloves whole) and add those vegetables plus 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of avocado oil to the pot.
I bring this to a slow boil with the lid on and let it cook for 10 minutes or so without removing the lid.
Keep the peppers covered as much as possible to keep the capsaicin from escaping into the air. Capsaicin is what humans perceive as the "heat" in chile peppers. If you breath it too deeply it can cause coughing and burning sensations in your eyes and sinuses.
Next, I set the pot off of the burner and let it cool down until it will no longer be steaming when I remove the lid.
Keep the peppers covered as much as possible to keep the capsaicin from escaping into the air. Capsaicin is what humans perceive as the "heat" in chile peppers. If you breath it too deeply it can cause coughing and burning sensations in your eyes and sinuses. I cannot stress this enough.
When it's cooled down, I pour the contents of the pot into a blender, add 1 cup of white distilled vinegar and puree with the lid on until it's smooth. I leave the lid on for a few minutes to let things settle, then I pour the hot sauce into a sterilized mason jar with the lid just slightly loose and store it in the refrigerator. The hot sauce will likely do some fermenting over time and I want to be sure the gasses can escape.
I'll keep an eye on this and taste test in a few weeks to adjust the salt or vinegar if I think it needs it and then I will add the wood chips. After the sauce has had a few weeks to ferment, I'll tighten up the lid and let the hot sauce age for at least 6-8 months this time. Last years batch just seems to get better with age.
This years batch tastes great now and is ready to use. Since this makes nearly a quart jar full, I would suggest bottling some to use some now and save the rest for later, aging in the cold storage of a refrigerator.
It is important to learn and follow safe bottling procedures so no one gets botulism. Learn more about safe bottling procedures here at How to Bottle Sauces. by eHow
What's your favorite hot sauce?
Cheers!
~Melisa
Carolina Reaper Hot Pepper Sauce
Ingredients
20 Hot Peppers ( Carolina Reapers or other varieties)
2 cups hot water
1 coarsely chopped sweet onion
1 small head of garlic whole cloves peeled
1 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1 cup distilled vinegar
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 teaspoon citric acid
Method
Carefully remove the stems from 20 rinsed peppers.by pulling them straight out. Cut each pepper in half. Tossing each one immediately into 2 cups of water in a small pot. Add the rest of the vegetables plus 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the pot. Bring this to a slow boil with the lid on and let it cook for 10 minutes without removing the lid.
Next, set the pot off of the burner and let it cool down.
When it's cooled, pour the contents of the pot into a blender, add 1 cup of white distilled vinegar and puree with the lid on until it's smooth. Leave the lid on for a few minutes to let things settle, then add the xanthan gum and citric acid and puree once more to mix. Leave the lid on for a few minutes to let things settle again, then pour the hot sauce into a sterilized jar.
It is important to learn and follow safe bottling procedures so no one gets botulism. Learn more about safe bottling procedures here at How to Bottle Sauces. by eHow
