how to make hot sauces

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 PepperSauce

Chuck's Chipotle Sauce

Transplanted Sriracha Sauce

Editor’s 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 w rote an entire

book on this subject back in 1996, The Hot Sauce Bible. Unfortunately, that book is currently out of print, but can sometimes be found used at

amazon.com. But, of course, w e still have all the f iles and recipes from the book. So here is a selection on commercial manufacturing, along w ith some

recipes for 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 for making hot pepper sauces commercially, w hich is one of the reasons for the w ide variety of sauces available. Manufacturers

learn by w ord of mouth, and during their experimentation, fashion sauces from virtually every cultivated chile pepper using many different production

methods.

"There are w ide variations in hot sauce production," w rote the editors of Wine & Food Companion in their hot pepper sauce study. "Some

manufacturers salt chile peppers, then mash them; others just toss w hole chiles in brine. Some age the mash in w hite oak barrels; others say you can't

tell the difference betw een ageing in oak and aging in plastic. Some brag about ageing for three years; others say a month is enough."

Since Tabasco® sauce is the longest continually produced hot pepper sauce, let's start w ith their procedure,

w hich the McIlhenny Company has used for more than 125 years. After harvest, w hole tabasco chiles are

crushed in a hammer mill; salt is added in the amount of 8 pounds of salt for every 100 pounds of chiles. This

mash is placed in Kentucky w hite oak barrels w ith salt-sealed w ooden lids that have tiny holes w hich allow

the gases of the peppers to escape during fermentation. The w ooden tops are secured and placed on the



the gases of the peppers to escape during fermentation. The w ooden tops are secured and placed on the

barrels w ith stainless steel hoops (iron hoops disintegrate in the air of the salt and pepper mash).

Each 400-pound barrel is aged for three years, allow ing the carbon dioxide to be released for the f irst tw o

years. After this time, the salt topping hardens and naturally seals the barrel after the fermentation process

ceases. The mellow ing 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 from the top of the barrels. The mash

is inspected for aroma, color, and moisture. Upon being accepted under McIlhenny standards, the mash is

pumped into large blending vats and mixed w ith distilled, all-natural w hite vinegar in the ratio of tw o-thirds

vinegar to one-third mash. (Before being manufactured w ith commercial equipment, the blending process w as

referred to as "pounding," w here the pepper mash w as pushed manually through a strainer, w here the

vinegar w as added, w ith a f lat-headed "pounder". This w as 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 for f ive minutes every hour. Finally, the vinegar-mash solution is strained,

f iltered, and bottled under the familiar trademarked diamond-shaped w hite, green, and red label. The strained mash residue is sold to craw fish boil and

hot pepper cream manufacturers.

Making Mash

Many hot pepper sauces on the market today are made from mash, and Dave w as fortunate enough in 1992 to visit the habanero mash plant of Quetzal

Foods in the appropriately named tow n of Los Chiles, Costa Rica. Stuart Jeffrey and Cody Jordan had set up quite a major grow ing 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

tw enty-four tons of 'Rica Red' mash sitting on their loading dock--w ith 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 manufacturing.

Freshly made mash from Rica Red habaneros

The 'Rica Red' habaneros w ere picked, destemmed, sorted, bagged, and moved to the plant from the f ield by pickup truck. A f low ing w ater w ash

cleaned the chiles, w hich w eree further sorted, and then they w ere treated w ith an organic grapefruit extract for disinfection. The chiles w ere moved

from the w ash by conveyor belt into a revolving cylinder w hich spin-dried the chiles. From the drier, the chiles moved to the grinder, w here they w ere

ground into one-half or one-quarter inch pieces. Salt w as added at this stage to f if teen percent of the w eight of the chiles. The rough mash w as

pumped into sealed tanks and fermented for ten to tw elve days. The fermented mash w as pumped into nylon bags w ith polyethylene liners w hich

w ere supported by heavy w ooden frames. The package is called a "tote" and w eighs 2,200 pounds. The totes w ere sealed w ith nylon ties and are

transported by truck to Limón, w here they w ere sent in containers to Louisiana. The mash continued to ferment about f ive percent more during

shipping. After further aging in Louisiana, the mash w as used by hot sauce manufacturers to add heat to cayenne sauces. At the plant, a pulper

removed seeds and skin particles before it w as blended. Dilution w ith w ater or vinegar reduces the salt concentration to less than ten percent.

Mash storage tanks at Cervantes Enterprises, Vado, NM



Mash storage tanks at Cervantes Enterprises, Vado, NM

Manufacturing Montezuma® Brand Hot Sauces

Hot sauce manufacturing at Sauces & Salsas, Ltd., producers of the Montezuma® brand is a multi-faceted manufacturing operation. This small

specialty sauce manufacturer 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 different salsas, including Veracruz Peanut Salsa, Smokey Chipotle® Salsa, and Salsa

Michoacan, as w ell 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 & Confection Show in New York, several Hot Chicken Wing Sauces, BBQ Sauces, Meat Marinades, Pepper Spreads, Taco

and Tex-Mex Chili Spice Mixes, and a full line of Tortilla Chips.

Developing this w ide assortment of chile sauces and salsas required years of experimentation. Many of the recipes have their roots in older recipes

that w ere used fresh; others w ere created by the ow ner 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 tw enty-four different 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 eff icient facility. The chicken w ing sauces are created by grinding the pepper mash (one sauce is made from a red jalapeño mash, the

other from a red habanero mash) through an emulsif ier, w hich totally turns any seeds and solids to liquid, utilizing all of the chile pulp. The pulp is mixed

in a one to one ratio w ith distilled w hite vinegar, garlic, and spices, and the mixture is blended by hand w ith w ooden paddles, thoroughly mixing the

sauce until it reaches a blended and smooth consistency. The f inished sauce w ill set three to four w eeks, and the sauce is stirred intermittently. Both

mashes are aged approximately one to one and a half months before further dilution w ith vinegar. Then the sauce is bottled and labeled.

Sauces & Salsas, Ltd. cooks only tw o of their f if teen hot pepper sauces and four different processes are used to create them. The hot sauces that

originate from a pepper mash are made in the same fashion as the chicken w ing sauces mentioned previously. None of these items are cooked. The

hot pepper sauces that originate from chopped chiles have one additional step, w hich is grinding the chiles to a mash prior to emulsifying the mash to a

liquid. The remainder of the hot pepper sauces start from 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 w ith the spices, salt, garlic, and vinegar. Either w hite distilled vinegar or apple cider vinegar

is used and sometimes utilizing a blend of the tw o. The w hite 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 for the more delicate pepper sauces, giving it a mellow er and more

subtle f lavor.

The rehydrating chiles usually sit for about tw o months, allow ing 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 for a

couple months, the peppers are very soft and grind very easily. After this grinding process, the pepper mashes are put through their ow n additional

grinding process, utilizing an emulsifying grinder that takes the pulp, skins, seeds, and all and reduces them to a liquid. This thick mash is then aged for

another 3 to 5 months and stored. After vinegar is added to the mash until the desired consistency is achieved, the f inished sauce is thoroughly stirred

and set aside until ready for bottling.

The tw o hot pepper sauces requiring cooking are the Spicy Peanut Hot Sauce, w hich is made the same w ay as the other pepper sauces, w ith the

addition of bulk chopped peanuts that also steep in vinegar w ith the chiles during rehydration. After completing the tw o 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

w ill expand in the w armer months and cooking stabilizes the sauce and prevents an overflow ing peanut pepper sauce bottle.

The Montezuma® Aztec Hot Pepper Sauce is produced from 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 w ith 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 w ith a unique spice mixture, garlic,

and apple cider vinegar. The process follow s the same as noted above, f inished by cooking the sauce in order to stabilize the oil from 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 manufacture 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 w ho w ish to experiment w ith making commercial-style sauces at home, w e offer the follow ing recipes that approximate famous

sauces.

Homemade Tabasco® -Style Sauce

Because the chiles are not aged in oak barrels for three years, this w ill be only a rough approximation of the famous McIlhenny product. You w ill have

to grow your ow n tabascos or substitute dried ones that have been rehydrated. Other small, hot, fresh red chiles can also be substituted for the

tabascos.

1 pound fresh red tabasco chiles, chopped

2 cups distilled w hite vinegar

2 teaspoons salt

Combine the chiles and the vinegar in a saucepan and heat. Stir in the salt and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, cool, and place in a

blender. Puree until smooth and place in a glass jar. Allow to steep for 2 w eeks in the refrigerator.



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 from similar ingredients, their f lavors differ 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 w ill 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 jalapeño 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 for 15

minutes on medium heat to thicken the sauce.

Add the jalapeños and continue cooking for 15 more minutes. Remove from the heat, cool to room temperature, and serve w ith chips.

Yield: About 4 cups

Heat Scale: Medium

Not for the faint of heart:Cooking a superhot sauce using2,000,000 Scoville units chile extractcalls for protective gear.

"Hotter Than Heinz®" Ketchup

With salsa overtaking ketchup in sales volume in 1992, it made sense that the ketchup makers w ould 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 brow n sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

Dash of w hite pepper

1/2 teaspoon habanero pow der (or more to taste)

1 cinnamon stick, halved



1 cinnamon stick, halved

1/2 w hole nutmeg, tapped carefully w ith a hammer to split

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon fennel 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 softened, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Press the tomato mixture through a f ine sieve, pressing hard on the solids w ith the back of a broad w ooden spoon to release the puree. Return the

puree to the pot and discard the solids.

Add the vinegar, sugar, salt, w hite pepper, and the pow dered 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 froth that rises and stir dow n the sides. When the mixture is very thick, remove the tied spices.

Ladle the ketchup into a jar. Allow it to cool, and refrigerate. It keeps indefinitely.

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 w ere a typical eastern Caribbean hot sauce, this might be it. It has hints of Trinidad, Barbados, and even Grenada. To be perfectly 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 w hite onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup lime juice (or lemon juice)

2 tablespoons w ater

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 food processor and puree (you may have to do this in batches). Remove to a shallow bow l.

Combine the vinegar, lime juice, and w ater 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 w ill last up to eight w eeks in the refrigerator.

Yield: 3 to 4 cups

Heat Scale: Hot

Chuck's Chipotle Sauce

This chipotle sauce is a version of coauthor Chuck's best-selling brow n hot sauce, Smokey Chipotle® Hot Sauce, manufactured by Sauces & Salsas,

Ltd. under the Montezuma® brand. A tasty w ay to reconstitute dried chipotle chiles is to place them in a bow l and cover them w ith cider vinegar. After



Ltd. under the Montezuma® brand. A tasty w ay to reconstitute dried chipotle chiles is to place them in a bow l and cover them w ith cider vinegar. After

several days, the chiles w ill be reconstituted and w ill be plump.

12 dried chipotle chiles, stems removed, reconstituted as above or soaked in hot w ater for 1 hour

1 medium w hite onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic, sliced

3 cups w ater

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup tomato sauce

Salt to taste

2 cups w hite 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 food processor or a blender until a paste-like, seeded mixture is achieved.

Combine the paste and the vinegar in a bow l and stir w ell. 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 after a seaside tow n in Thailand. Increasingly popular, this

sauce is found 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 fresh red serrano, cayenne, Thai, or chile de arbol chiles, stems removed

2 1/2 cups rice vinegar (substitute w hite distilled vinegar)

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon salt

Remove the stems from the chiles. Place the chiles and vinegar in a saucepan and heat to boiling. Turn off the heat and add the sugar and salt and stir

until dissolved. Place the saucepan contents in a food 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 for several hours, place in glass containers, and refrigerate. The consistency should be

slightly thinner than ketchup.

Optional: Strain the sauce through sieve and discard the solids for a smooth, seedless consistency.

Yield: 3 to 4 cups

Heat Scale: Hot

Photos/Illustrations by Harald Zoschke

how to make hot sauces

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