3/12/2014 How to Make Hot Sauces

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How to Make Hot Sauces
by Dave DeWitt and Chuck Evans

Recipes:
Homemade Tabasco

-Style Sauce
Keeping "Pace

" with Picante Sauces

"Hotter Than Heinz

" Ketchup
Caribbean Sun-of-a Beach Hot Pepper
Sauce
Chuck's Chipotle Sauce
Transplanted Sriracha Sauce



Editors Note: One question that is asked over and over again in email to us is: "How do I make hot sauce?" Well, Chuck Evans and I wrote an entire
book on this subject back in 1996, The Hot Sauce Bible. Unf ortunately, that book is currently out of print, but can sometimes be f ound used at
amazon.com. But, of course, we still have all the f iles and recipes f rom the book. So here is a selection on commercial manuf acturing, along with some
recipes f or attempting to duplicate some of the classic hot sauces that are most popular today.
Commercial Hot Sauce Manufacturing:
Labeling the bottled product.

Commercial Hot Sauce Manufacturing
There is no textbook f or making hot pepper sauces commercially, which is one of the reasons f or the wide variety of sauces available. Manuf acturers
learn by word of mouth, and during their experimentation, f ashion sauces f rom virtually every cultivated chile pepper using many dif f erent production
methods.
"There are wide variations in hot sauce production," wrote the editors of Wine & Food Companion in their hot pepper sauce study. "Some
manuf acturers salt chile peppers, then mash them; others just toss whole chiles in brine. Some age the mash in white oak barrels; others say you can't
tell the dif f erence between ageing in oak and aging in plastic. Some brag about ageing f or three years; others say a month is enough."
Since Tabasco sauce is the longest continually produced hot pepper sauce, let's start with their procedure,
which the McIlhenny Company has used f or more than 125 years. Af ter harvest, whole tabasco chiles are
crushed in a hammer mill; salt is added in the amount of 8 pounds of salt f or every 100 pounds of chiles. This
mash is placed in Kentucky white oak barrels with salt-sealed wooden lids that have tiny holes which allow
the gases of the peppers to escape during f ermentation. The wooden tops are secured and placed on the
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the gases of the peppers to escape during f ermentation. The wooden tops are secured and placed on the
barrels with stainless steel hoops (iron hoops disintegrate in the air of the salt and pepper mash).
Each 400-pound barrel is aged f or three years, allowing the carbon dioxide to be released f or the f irst two
years. Af ter this time, the salt topping hardens and naturally seals the barrel af ter the f ermentation process
ceases. The mellowing and aging process is called steeping, permitting the f lavors and color to intermingle and
mix naturally. The barrels are uncovered and oxidized mash is removed f rom the top of the barrels. The mash
is inspected f or aroma, color, and moisture. Upon being accepted under McIlhenny standards, the mash is
pumped into large blending vats and mixed with distilled, all-natural white vinegar in the ratio of two-thirds
vinegar to one-third mash. (Bef ore being manuf actured with commercial equipment, the blending process was
ref erred to as "pounding," where the pepper mash was pushed manually through a strainer, where the
vinegar was added, with a f lat-headed "pounder". This was a very time-consuming process and took a lot of
manual labor to do large quantities of sauce.)
For a month, this mixture is stirred f or f ive minutes every hour. Finally, the vinegar-mash solution is strained,
f iltered, and bottled under the f amiliar trademarked diamond-shaped white, green, and red label. The strained mash residue is sold to crawf ish boil and
hot pepper cream manuf acturers.
Making Mash
Many hot pepper sauces on the market today are made f rom mash, and Dave was f ortunate enough in 1992 to visit the habanero mash plant of Quetzal
Foods in the appropriately named town of Los Chiles, Costa Rica. Stuart Jef f rey and Cody Jordan had set up quite a major growing and packing
operation, consisting of several hundred acres of their specially developed 'Rica Red' variety of habanero. When Dave arrived at the site, they had
twenty-f our tons of 'Rica Red' mash sitting on their loading dock--with tons of additional mash being produced every day. Stuart and Cody revealed to
us the steps in producing habanero mash, the f irst stage in hot sauce manuf acturing.
Freshly made mash from Rica Red habaneros
The 'Rica Red' habaneros were picked, destemmed, sorted, bagged, and moved to the plant f rom the f ield by pickup truck. A f lowing water wash
cleaned the chiles, which weree f urther sorted, and then they were treated with an organic grapef ruit extract f or disinf ection. The chiles were moved
f rom the wash by conveyor belt into a revolving cylinder which spin-dried the chiles. From the drier, the chiles moved to the grinder, where they were
ground into one-half or one-quarter inch pieces. Salt was added at this stage to f if teen percent of the weight of the chiles. The rough mash was
pumped into sealed tanks and f ermented f or ten to twelve days. The f ermented mash was pumped into nylon bags with polyethylene liners which
were supported by heavy wooden f rames. The package is called a "tote" and weighs 2,200 pounds. The totes were sealed with nylon ties and are
transported by truck to Limn, where they were sent in containers to Louisiana. The mash continued to f erment about f ive percent more during
shipping. Af ter f urther aging in Louisiana, the mash was used by hot sauce manuf acturers to add heat to cayenne sauces. At the plant, a pulper
removed seeds and skin particles bef ore it was blended. Dilution with water or vinegar reduces the salt concentration to less than ten percent.
Mash storage tanks at Cervantes Enterprises, Vado, NM
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Mash storage tanks at Cervantes Enterprises, Vado, NM
Manufacturing Montezuma Brand Hot Sauces
Hot sauce manuf acturing at Sauces & Salsas, Ltd., producers of the Montezuma brand is a multi-f aceted manuf acturing operation. This small
specialty sauce manuf acturer has created a diverse line of f if teen hot pepper sauces, including America's number one selling brown hot pepper sauce,
Montezuma Smokey Chipotle. They also produce eight dif f erent salsas, including Veracruz Peanut Salsa, Smokey Chipotle Salsa, and Salsa
Michoacan, as well as their f lagship Fiesta Salsa. Other products include Jamaican Jerk Marinade, a f inalist in the condiment category at the 1991
International Fancy Food & Conf ection Show in New York, several Hot Chicken Wing Sauces, BBQ Sauces, Meat Marinades, Pepper Spreads, Taco
and Tex-Mex Chili Spice Mixes, and a f ull line of Tortilla Chips.
Developing this wide assortment of chile sauces and salsas required years of experimentation. Many of the recipes have their roots in older recipes
that were used f resh; others were created by the owner of the company, coauthor Chuck Evans. All recipes have been developed and modif ied to
achieve a desired f inished product that compliments the taste characteristics of the any of the twenty-f our dif f erent chiles that Chuck uses in his
products.
This diverse line requires several unique processing methods and an unusual array of grinding and cutting equipment to process all of these items in
the small, but ef f icient f acility. The chicken wing sauces are created by grinding the pepper mash (one sauce is made f rom a red jalapeo mash, the
other f rom a red habanero mash) through an emulsif ier, which totally turns any seeds and solids to liquid, utilizing all of the chile pulp. The pulp is mixed
in a one to one ratio with distilled white vinegar, garlic, and spices, and the mixture is blended by hand with wooden paddles, thoroughly mixing the
sauce until it reaches a blended and smooth consistency. The f inished sauce will set three to f our weeks, and the sauce is stirred intermittently. Both
mashes are aged approximately one to one and a half months bef ore f urther dilution with vinegar. Then the sauce is bottled and labeled.
Sauces & Salsas, Ltd. cooks only two of their f if teen hot pepper sauces and f our dif f erent processes are used to create them. The hot sauces that
originate f rom a pepper mash are made in the same f ashion as the chicken wing sauces mentioned previously. None of these items are cooked. The
hot pepper sauces that originate f rom chopped chiles have one additional step, which is grinding the chiles to a mash prior to emulsif ying the mash to a
liquid. The remainder of the hot pepper sauces start f rom dried Mexican chiles. The chiles need to be reconstituted and rehydrated to a plump and juicy
state. This is done by placing the dried chiles in plastic pails with the spices, salt, garlic, and vinegar. Either white distilled vinegar or apple cider vinegar
is used and sometimes utilizing a blend of the two. The white distilled vinegar is generally used in the hotter pepper sauces as this vinegar adds a bite
and sharper edge to the already hot pepper mash. The apple cider vinegar is used f or the more delicate pepper sauces, giving it a mellower and more
subtle f lavor.
The rehydrating chiles usually sit f or about two months, allowing the chiles to gain f lavor through the spices and vinegar and to gain plumpness by
absorbing the vinegar. The entire mixture is then processed in a grinder, making a thick and strong pulp mash. Since the chiles have steeped f or a
couple months, the peppers are very sof t and grind very easily. Af ter this grinding process, the pepper mashes are put through their own additional
grinding process, utilizing an emulsif ying grinder that takes the pulp, skins, seeds, and all and reduces them to a liquid. This thick mash is then aged f or
another 3 to 5 months and stored. Af ter vinegar is added to the mash until the desired consistency is achieved, the f inished sauce is thoroughly stirred
and set aside until ready f or bottling.
The two hot pepper sauces requiring cooking are the Spicy Peanut Hot Sauce, which is made the same way as the other pepper sauces, with the
addition of bulk chopped peanuts that also steep in vinegar with the chiles during rehydration. Af ter completing the two grinding processes and
reaching the f inished sauce stage, the sauce is then cooked until reaching a temperature of 185 degrees. This is necessary as the oil in the peanuts
will expand in the warmer months and cooking stabilizes the sauce and prevents an overf lowing peanut pepper sauce bottle.
The Montezuma Aztec Hot Pepper Sauce is produced f rom a very old recipe that dates back to the days of the Spanish conquest in central Mexico.
This is the only pepper sauce that is made with pumpkin seeds (pepitas) and sesame seeds. The seeds are toasted in a dry skillet at medium heat until
they begin to pop (caused by oil in seeds expanding). The seeds are added to the steeping chiles de arbol, along with a unique spice mixture, garlic,
and apple cider vinegar. The process f ollows the same as noted above, f inished by cooking the sauce in order to stabilize the oil f rom the seeds and
bottling the f inished sauce.
The bottling process at Sauces and Salsas, Ltd. is basically still a hand-pack operation and intensive manual labor is required to process their product
line. The manuf acture of the salsas and BBQ sauces requires the mixing of the specif ic ingredients and hot-f illing the jars once the sauces reach the
required temperature. Utilizing a single-stroke piston-f illing machine, the jars are then capped by hand, protective bands are added in their distinctive
solid red color, lid labels adhered by hand, and the product label is manually placed to f inish the package.
For home cooks who wish to experiment with making commercial-style sauces at home, we of f er the f ollowing recipes that approximate f amous
sauces.
Homemade Tabasco

-Style Sauce
Because the chiles are not aged in oak barrels f or three years, this will be only a rough approximation of the f amous McIlhenny product. You will have
to grow your own tabascos or substitute dried ones that have been rehydrated. Other small, hot, f resh red chiles can also be substituted f or the
tabascos.
1 pound f resh red tabasco chiles, chopped
2 cups distilled white vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
Combine the chiles and the vinegar in a saucepan and heat. Stir in the salt and simmer f or 5 minutes. Remove f rom the heat, cool, and place in a
blender. Puree until smooth and place in a glass jar. Allow to steep f or 2 weeks in the ref rigerator.
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Remove, strain the sauce, and adjust the consistency by adding more vinegar if necessary.
Yield: 2 cups
Heat Scale: Hot
Note: This recipe requires advance preparation.
Keeping "Pace

" with Picante Sauces

Although most commercial salsas and picante sauces are made f rom similar ingredients, their f lavors dif f er because of spices, cooking techniques, and
the proportion of ingredients. Perhaps this home-cooked version outdoes the original--you tell us. It is important to use only Mexican oregano, as
Mediterranean oregano will make this taste like a pasta sauce.
6 to 8 ripe red tomatoes (about 4 pounds), peeled, seeded, and chopped f ine
2 onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup cider vinegar
2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Salt to taste
6 jalapeo chiles, seeds and stems removed, chopped
In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, combine the tomatoes, onions, garlic, vinegar, oregano, and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cook f or 15
minutes on medium heat to thicken the sauce.
Add the jalapeos and continue cooking f or 15 more minutes. Remove f rom the heat, cool to room temperature, and serve with chips.
Yield: About 4 cups
Heat Scale: Medium
Not for the faint of heart:
Cooking a superhot sauce using
2,000,000 Scoville units chile extract
calls for protective gear.

"Hotter Than Heinz

" Ketchup
With salsa overtaking ketchup in sales volume in 1992, it made sense that the ketchup makers would f ight back. There are several dozen brands of hot
and spicy ketchup on the market these days, and more to come.
6 pounds ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 small purple onion, peeled and chopped
2 teaspoons dried Italian parsley
1 1/2 cups malt vinegar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
Dash of white pepper
1/2 teaspoon habanero powder (or more to taste)
1 cinnamon stick, halved
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1 cinnamon stick, halved
1/2 whole nutmeg, tapped caref ully with a hammer to split
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon f ennel seeds
Place the tomatoes, onion, and parsley in a 4 to 5 quart heavy pot. Bring the ingredients to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium, and cook
until the tomatoes are sof tened, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Press the tomato mixture through a f ine sieve, pressing hard on the solids with the back of a broad wooden spoon to release the puree. Return the
puree to the pot and discard the solids.
Add the vinegar, sugar, salt, white pepper, and the powdered habanero chile to the puree. Tie the remaining ingredients in several layers of
cheesecloth, and add them to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium, and cook 2 to 2 1/2 hours, uncovered. As it
cooks, periodically remove the f roth that rises and stir down the sides. When the mixture is very thick, remove the tied spices.
Ladle the ketchup into a jar. Allow it to cool, and ref rigerate. It keeps indef initely.
Yield: 2 1/2 cups
Heat Scale: Medium
Soon to be Hot Sauce:
Fresh habanero chiles in a
60-gallon industrial
steam-jacketed kettle.


Caribbean Sun-of-a Beach Hot Pepper Sauce
If there were a typical eastern Caribbean hot sauce, this might be it. It has hints of Trinidad, Barbados, and even Grenada. To be perf ectly authentic,
you should buy or grow the red habaneros so popular in that part of the Caribbean, called Congo or bonney peppers.
1/2 pound red habanero chiles, seeds and stems removed
1 white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup lime juice (or lemon juice)
2 tablespoons water
1 medium papaya, boiled until tender, peeled, seeded, and f inely chopped
1 tomato, f inely chopped
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
Combine the chiles, onion, garlic, papaya, and tomato in a f ood processor and puree (you may have to do this in batches). Remove to a shallow bowl.
Combine the vinegar, lime juice, and water in a saucepan and heat until it reaches a slight boil, then sprinkle the thyme, basil, nutmeg, mustard, and
turmeric. Pour this hot, spiced mixture over the reserved puree and mix thoroughly. It will last up to eight weeks in the ref rigerator.
Yield: 3 to 4 cups
Heat Scale: Hot
Chuck's Chipotle Sauce
This chipotle sauce is a version of coauthor Chuck's best-selling brown hot sauce, Smokey Chipotle Hot Sauce, manuf actured by Sauces & Salsas,
Ltd. under the Montezuma brand. A tasty way to reconstitute dried chipotle chiles is to place them in a bowl and cover them with cider vinegar. Af ter
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Ltd. under the Montezuma brand. A tasty way to reconstitute dried chipotle chiles is to place them in a bowl and cover them with cider vinegar. Af ter
several days, the chiles will be reconstituted and will be plump.
12 dried chipotle chiles, stems removed, reconstituted as above or soaked in hot water f or 1 hour
1 medium white onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
3 cups water
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup tomato sauce
Salt to taste
2 cups white distilled vinegar (more or less, depending on the thickness of the sauce you desire)
Combine all the ingredients except the 2 cups of distilled vinegar in a saucepan, cover, and simmer over low heat until the sauce is reduced to about 1
1/2 cups. Puree the mixture in a f ood processor or a blender until a paste-like, seeded mixture is achieved.
Combine the paste and the vinegar in a bowl and stir well. Strain through a sieve to remove the seeds and discard the solids.
Yield: 3 to 4 cups
Heat Scale: Hot
Transplanted Sriracha Sauce
A table condiment to similar to ketchup--but much more pungent--sriracha sauce is named af ter a seaside town in Thailand. Increasingly popular, this
sauce is f ound on the tables of Thai and Vietnamese restaurants all over North America. Fresh red chiles are the key to the f lavor of this recipe.
1 pound f resh red serrano, cayenne, Thai, or chile de arbol chiles, stems removed
2 1/2 cups rice vinegar (substitute white distilled vinegar)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon salt
Remove the stems f rom the chiles. Place the chiles and vinegar in a saucepan and heat to boiling. Turn of f the heat and add the sugar and salt and stir
until dissolved. Place the saucepan contents in a f ood processor or blender and puree until a smooth thin-paste consistency. Add additional rice
vinegar if the mixture is too thick. Allow the mixture to steep f or several hours, place in glass containers, and ref rigerate. The consistency should be
slightly thinner than ketchup.
Optional: Strain the sauce through sieve and discard the solids f or a smooth, seedless consistency.
Yield: 3 to 4 cups
Heat Scale: Hot
Photos/Illustrations by Harald Zoschke