Home made hot sauce- was Re: [Sca-cooks] re:long peppers, etc.

[marilyn traber 011221]

> So, is that stuff any good?

Yes, it is ;-)

> What I had done was describe to Phlip what I had done with an odd  
> assortment of fresh chiles I had on hand: some ripe jalapenos, some  
> Scotch Bonnets, and some weird African ones whose name escapes me:  
> they look something like chocolate jalapenos, but taste different 
> and  are much hotter.

I used an assortment I had picked up from the grocery store- some jalepenos, 
a couple habeneros, some serranos, and a couple others.

> Basically I followed what my understanding was for the process of  
> making Tabasco: the peppers sliced, salted and fermented/pickled in  
> their own brine, then pureed with vinegar and aged a bit before use. 
>  The primary difference seems to be that the peppers aren't cayenne, 
>  and this stuff is not aged for several months to a year in wooden kegs.
> 
> What I've got is a nice, predictable, quite hot, generic Hot Sauce  
> that is a little thicker and hotter than Tabasco, but fairly similar 
>  in tanginess and overall flavor. More than one person has suggested 
>  it would be great on scrambled eggs... I have not yet tried it in a 
>  Bloody Mary ;-).
> 
> Adamantius

In my case, they came out a little too salty- I think I used too much salt in 
the initial fermentation. And, as I told you, I used balsamic vinegar, rather 
than plain cider. One of my objections to most commercial pepper sauce blends 
has been that they're too vinegary, which is why my usual preference is for 
the original tabasco sauce, which isn't.

I'm going to do it again, when this batch gets closer to the end, and the 
changes I'll make will include less salt ;-), and probably, if I can find 
some, the addition of chipotles at the blending stage. I'll keep the balsamic 
vinegar. It adds a nice richness to the blend, without that too vinegary bite 
I dislike.

It's good stuff as it is, but being a cook, I'm thinking I can make it 
better ;-)

Bloody Mary sounds good- wonder if R&M have any vodka?

Phlip