[brewmichigan]

Has anyone ever done this here? I have a whole plant of orange thai chiles that would probably make an awesome hot sauce.

I was thinking of just grinding them up in a blender with a tablespoon or two or vinegar, can always add more if needed, and some salt and garlic. I might add a cayenne or two to fill it out since the thai chiles are small. I was then going to strain the mixture, or not, into a glass jar for spooning onto my favorite foods or some chili.

How about it, sound good?

[EHall]

Usually you would do what you said but add some water too, you don't want to use all vinegar. Add small amounts at a time til you get the consistency you want... You usually have to age it for a couple weeks too. I usually mix it all up, seal it in a jar and put in a cool dark cabinet for about 2 weeks then put it in the fridge and go crazy. Also know that some hotsauces are fermented and some even aged in barrels or longer periods of time... just depends on what you're trying to 'clone'.

[brewmichigan]

Thanks E. Not really trying to clone anything. I just have some peppers available in the garden and I like hot sauce.

[jeffy]

You may want to experiment with adding some other, sweet ingredients, like carrots or fruit.  It can still be as hot as you want, but adds another dimension to the flavor.
Be careful how you store it, too.  A friend of mine made some hot sauce by boiling down peppers and water for a long time and bottled it, but it started to ferment after bottling for some reason.  It can be a real nasty surprise to open a carbonated bottle of hot sauce.  Wear safety glasses.

[euge]

I think the fermentation is the key. Otherwise just dry the peppers and use them all winter.

I've tried concocting my own and could tell the fermentation is vital to making the sauce taste right.

[tubercle]

I think the fermentation is the key. Otherwise just dry the peppers and use them all winter.

I've tried concocting my own and could tell the fermentation is vital to making the sauce taste right.

 I think so too.

I saw a feature on the History Channel where one of the famous pepper makers ferment the peppers in wood barrels for some time. I guess it would be a lot like making kraut. Looks like they were putting the pods in the barrels first without drying and then coating with salt.

 I just put this on my list of things to do.

[thirsty]

I grow a lot of hot peppers, but I just dry them for winter use.

Making sauce would be a good way to control the dosage. Probably easier on my poor finger tips too. Touch the wrong part of the pepper while chopping them...... ouch.

[tschmidlin]

I just made a batch with jalapenos to show my sister how.  I ground them up in a blender with some salt and as little water as I could use to get it to grind them up.  Put it in a jar covered with a paper towel for a week or so, I told her to taste it and decide when it had the tartness she wanted.  I used a tiny amount of yogurt whey (1/4 tsp?) to add some lacto bacteria, just in case.

[1vertical]

I just made a batch with jalapenos to show my sister how.  I ground them up in a blender with some salt and as little water as I could use to get it to grind them up.  Put it in a jar covered with a paper towel for a week or so, I told her to taste it and decide when it had the tartness she wanted.  I used a tiny amount of yogurt whey (1/4 tsp?) to add some lacto bacteria, just in case.

Try a bit of lime juice and loose the water if it were me....

[tschmidlin]

I just made a batch with jalapenos to show my sister how.  I ground them up in a blender with some salt and as little water as I could use to get it to grind them up.  Put it in a jar covered with a paper towel for a week or so, I told her to taste it and decide when it had the tartness she wanted.  I used a tiny amount of yogurt whey (1/4 tsp?) to add some lacto bacteria, just in case.

Try a bit of lime juice and loose the water if it were me....

You could do that or use vinegar, but I wanted the tang for this batch to come from the lactic fermentation.

[euge]

How long of a fermentation will you need Tom? I'm going to have a nice crop of jalapeños in a week or two and want to try it. They won't be all that hot but maybe I could throw a couple habaneros in to liven things up.

[tschmidlin]

Based on what I've done in the past I'd say it's pretty variable, but 2-3 weeks should be a good start.  I usually just taste it until it tastes the way I want it to, then stick it in the fridge.  Sometimes I strain out the chunks, sometimes not.

[euge]

How much salt? Do you have a guideline? I was thinking of using some fishsauce instead of salt.

[tschmidlin]

I want to say the rule of thumb is to use salt equal to 1.5% of the vegetables.  But I just eyeball it and add it to taste (a bit salty).  And of course, use non-iodized salt.

[rjharper]

I've gone down the vinegar route.  Fire roasted green jalepenos, tomatilloes, & onions, plus garlic and lime juice. Peel, deseed, & blend it all up with just enough cider vinegar to get pH<4, boil for 15 mins or until consistency is reached, salt and pepper to taste, then transfer to clear glass Modelo bottles, crown cap loosely (dont crimp it hard) then boil as if canning, remove and hard crimp the caps.  Keeps forever, and you simply have to pop the cap and jam in a plastic speed pourer...

Not the hottest, but its good for mild smokiness.