Reapers out produced everything

[zooloo10]

I had a single reaper plant I bought as a joke to my wife. Somehow it out produced 6 other combines schotch bonnet and habanero plants

Super hot hot sauce anyone?

Recommendations for how to tame reaper hot sauce? Really enjoy my straight habanero sauce but think straight reaper will be a little much lol.

 

[chopsaw]

Super hot hot sauce anyone?

Recommendations for how to tame reaper hot sauce?

I did a ferment with sweet peppers and onions added to the reapers .
Blended up with some pineapple and strained to finish .

4 bottles on the left are mixed with pineapple and strained .
The one on the right is not mixed or strained .
Reapers , onions , green bell and Jalapeno .

Watch that vapor !!

 

[zooloo10]

Sounds delish. I might see if my local produce junction has some red long hots, if not I'll probably just mix it with bell pepper and maybe Fresno's if they have them.

Blended up with some pineapple and strained to finish .

Pineapple sounds like a fun add in. Did you ferment it or add it in when you blended?

I did a fermented scotch bonnets and fresh ginger sauce that turned out really nice.

 

[chopsaw]

Added the pineapple after the ferment , while blending .

 

[chopsaw]

If you strain , save the mash . Spread it on some parchment paper on a sheet tray and dry it in the oven . Second pic above shows the mash in the back ground . Then grind that into powder . I used it to make a rub .
After drying I broke it into chips , then ground it up .

This is mixed with turbinado sugar , mesquite powder and other stuff .

 

[zooloo10]

If you strain , save the mash . Spread it on some parchment paper on a sheet tray and dry it in the oven

This is mixed with turbinado sugar , mesquite powder and other stuff .

That sounds incredible. I don't usually strain my sauces since I have a Vitamix and bought some xanthan gum. But I might have to try that. It sounds amazing.

 

[JLeonard]

chopsaw ....You blend your ferments and then strain? Just adding to my notes for when my first ferment is ready for that step.

Jim

 

[chopsaw]

.You blend your ferments and then strain? Just adding to my notes for when my first ferment is ready for that step.

I did . I was in contact with Jeff and Joe when I did this . At first I just blended up for the flavor . I ended up taking it back out of the bottles and straining most of it , because I was clogging up the small shaker top . The other bottle I just left that plastic top off .

 

[zooloo10]

I'll just put my recipie out there in case you want to compare.

For ferment:
1-1.5 gallon glass jar
Fill the jar about 3/4 full with peppers and veggies.
I usually do
1-2 shallot quartered
6-12 garlic cloves
1/2 a lemon or 1 lime quartered skin on
Enough peppers to fill the rest.
Add 5% by weight salt brine with declorinated water e.g 1liter water = 50 grams salt
Cover up to the 3/4 mark.

For finishing:
Vinegar
Sweetener (sugar or honey)
Xanthan gum

Place a gallon freezer bag on top of the water level and add brine to it to help submerge the veggies. Add enough brine so that the bag forms a complete layer on top and ideally brings the overall water level up so that there's only about 1-2" of headroom.

Ferment for however long you please. I usually just let it ride until there aren't any more bubbles being produced. But usually after 2 weeks it's pretty much done. If you don't have one of those bubbler things (I don't) don't forget to burn the ferment ever day once it gets going. Or I like to wrap a rubber and around the lid latch 4 or 5 times. That keeps it sealed but when the pressure builds up it can release it's self.

Strain the veggies from the brine. Reserve the brine for later.

Remove andything you don't want blended in your final sauce. For me that's the lemon or lime, they've usually given all their flavor in the form of the acidity and oils in the skin.

Blend the crap outta the remaining veggies in batches adding just enough brine to make it work. Alternately you can use vinegar as well. I usually wait to add vinegar until after it's all blended so that I can try to adjust by taste. If you want to add anything extra nows the time, pineapple like chopsaw was saying or ginger like I said. An immersion blender can do this fine and for many years I used one. I finally got a Vitamix though and it definitely makes a much smoother sauce without straining. Combine all the batches into one vat for final additions.

Last thing while blending. I like to add xanthan gum. It's a cheap flavorless powder that will help to stabilize your hot sauce. It acts as a thickener stabilizer and prevents the sauce from separating the solids from the liquids. If you look at any major hot sauce it will be included in the ingredients. A little goes a long way. I usually start with 1/4 teaspoon and you must add while blending. It will clump immediately upon touching the liquid. So sprinkle it in slowly while blending.

This is where you get to make choices about your hot sauce.

For something like Sriracha you would add very little brine and keep it thick. They might add some extra salt here and package it and call it a day.

For something more like Louisiana hot sauce you'd add a lot of vinegar instead of the brine and strain the solids out.

For me I like to add some sweetener like white sugar or honey and add a little vinegar to bump up the acidity. I do this by taste since the volume of hot sauce carries drastically depending on how much what you start with. Generally I might add something like a 1/2 cup of vinegar and a 1/4 cup or less of sweetener. I start with the vinegar and get the acidity where I want it and then try to mellow both the heat and the acidity with sugar until it isn't as sharp.

You'll definitely have a new appreciation for hot sauce when you realize you basically have to taste the pure essence of heat with a spoon to balance the sauce out.

Any way. Final step or two. Bottling. I like 5oz woozy bottles. I but then in like 25 or 50 packs from restraunt supply stores or online. I also like to get the drippers for them so unsuspecting guests don't have any major mishaps.

I'll fill the bottles to where the neck just begins. And then usually I'll pasteurize them in a tall pot with an inch of water. Ill stand as many as I can fit in the bottom with the lids just barely on.
Once the water is boiling I'll put the lid on and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. This ensures the bacteria don't become active again and start a secondary ferment eating all the sugar I added.

Trust me. You do NOT want a hot sauce bottle to become a bomb when you opening. I have had this experience. It is not fun opening habanero hot sauce and it shooting directly into your face at 100 psi. And also the explosive decompression will turn some not inconsiquential amount into breathable vapors.

The salt and acidity will keep it shelf stable. Once opened. I never fridge mine. They will change color if you leave them out in the open. So only do that if you are going to finish a bottle in a month or so.

Pics attached of the hot sauce that turned into a bomb. I had apparently forgotten to pasteurize two of the bottles in my last batch and found one of them. This is only a risk if you add sweetener and don't pasteurize properly. Notice all the bubbles.