The Best Hot Sauce Recipe

Aka, Not Hyperbole Hot Sauce

Yes, you can put this sh*t on everything. I love this hot sauce. A deep, true love. It is sweet without sugar (hey, apple), way tastier than Frank’s because it uses real, live vinegar vs. white vinegar (barf), and has the extra tastiness of garlic (a not-so-secret ingredient in some of your favorite sauces, like Sriracha) and Himalayan pink salt.

 WARNING: always use latex gloves when handling hot peppers and hot sauce. These babies can BURN your skin!!
NOTE: this recipe makes about 1 x 5-oz bottles of hot sauce plus a little extra for nibbles

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 super hot peppers, like Scotch Bonnets (or less hot if you prefer a less spicy sauce)

  • 2 medium hot peppers like Fresno or Jalapeno

  • 4 cloves garlic

  • 1/2 apple, peeled and chopped

  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

  • 1/2 cup water

  • 3/4 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt

DIRECTIONS

1.     Remove the stems and roughly chop up the cayenne peppers along with garlic cloves and apples, and add them to a pot with the water and the salt. You can remove the seeds if you want a milder sauce.

2.     Bring the mix to a boil, then cover the pot and reduce the heat to low and simmer everything for 8 minutes or so, until the peppers and garlic are just soft. Make sure there is still water in the pot, adding a tablespoon of water if it evaporates.

3.     Cool the mixture slightly, then transfer it to a food processor or blender. Add the vinegar and process until the sauce is nice and smooth, about 20 to 30-seconds. Adjust to taste, adding more salt if desired.

4.     Too thick? You can add a bit of water and vinegar, adding 1 tablespoon of each at a time to make sure acidity is balanced.

5.     Fill bottles or jars with a funnel and cap.

6.     Let cool to room temperature and refrigerate. Hot sauce should last at least 1 year in the fridge. How do you know if it has gone bad? It will get moldy.

PASTEURIZED, BOTTLED & SHELF-STABLE VERSION

Really similar, but a little different in that this baby is preserved and filled using a proper method so that your hot sauce can be shelf stable, meaning it can be gifted and sit on the shelf for awhile before you open it (then you need to refrigerate it).

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 super hot peppers, like Scotch Bonnets (or a less hot variety if you prefer a less spicy sauce)

  • 2 medium hot peppers like Fresno or Jalapeno

  • 4 cloves garlic

  • 1/2 apple, peeled and chopped

  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

  • 1/2 cup water

  • 3/4 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Roughly chop up the peppers along with garlic cloves and apples, and add them to a pot with water and 1 tablespoon salt.

2. Bring the mix to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer everything for 8 minutes, until the peppers are nice and soft.

3. Cool the mixture slightly, then transfer it to a food processor or blender and add the vinegar. Process until the sauce is nice and smooth. Adjust to taste, adding more salt if desired.

4. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve if you'd like a smoother sauce, or

5. Return the mixture to the pot and heat until it reaches 190F on a heat-safe thermometer (usually just a few minutes).

6. Turn the heat to low and pour it into bottles while it is still super hot.

7. Cap and flip upside down for 5 minutes. Then, flip them right-side up and let cool for 12 hours, then hand them out to all your friends!

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR PRESERVING YOUR HOT SAUCE: 

Use Quality Hot Sauce Bottles And Caps

Use food safe, high quality hot sauce bottles and caps.

Follow Sterilization Protocol

Make sure all supplies are properly sterilized (hot water is fine).

 Avoid Using Oil

Oil can introduce a botulinum toxin and a poisonous protein.

 Ph For Shelf Stable Hot Sauce

A pH measurement of 3.4 or lower creates a sufficiently acidic environment to prevent bacteria from growing. To achieve this balance, use citrus fruits like lemons or limes, fruit such as apples or pineapples, and a high-quality vinegar that is at least 5% acidity. Don’t add more water than vinegar. Don’t add extra vegetables without adding more vinegar. Try to maintain a balanced ratio like this recipe, even if you are swapping ingredients.

SHOPPING LIST

This recipe calls for fresh cayenne chili peppers, but if you don’t have them, you can substitute habanero, jalapeno or whatever fresh chili peppers you can find.

Note: chili peppers are extremely HOT, so please be careful. Always use latex gloves—or dish gloves or even a plastic bag over your hands—when handling any hot peppers. These babies can BURN!! This recipe makes 12 (2oz) bottles of hot sauce, or 1 ¾ full quart jar, or two 12 oz jars, whatever you have around! You can re-use old jars for this recipe.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 super hot peppers, like Scotch Bonnets (or less hot if you prefer a less spicy sauce)

  • 2 medium hot peppers like Fresno or Jalapeno

  • 4 cloves garlic

  • 1/2 apple, peeled and chopped

  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

  • 1/2 cup water

  • 3/4 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt

EQUIPMENT

  • A stove to cook ingredients

  • 1 Small pot with a lid

  • 1 Cutting board

  • 1 Knife

  • 1 Blender or food processor

  • Latex or similar gloves

Laena McCarthy