Jalapeno Hot Sauce

This has been a fantastic year for hot peppers in our garden.  Some years we barely get any, others we do pretty well, but this year?  Abundance.  We grew cherry peppers, habaneros, jalapenos, peppinos, cayennes, and poblanos.  There are still a lot of them out there ripening on the vine, and we’ve made good use of the ones we’ve already harvested.

In this case, Bill really wanted a jalapeno hot sauce.

I looked at a variety of recipes, and used the most common ratio of ingredients that I found, both in books and online.

We used about 20 jalapenos – we didn’t have a lot more than that left after the salsa I made recently and fresh salsas we’ve made…and jalapeno poppers, which I haven’t posted yet because I didn’t like the finished product pictures….but maybe I’ll post it anyway.

I digress.

First thing you do is remove the stems and slice the peppers.

Yep, kept the seeds and ribs in.  The hotter, the better!

Then you combine them with the oil, garlic, onion and salt and cook for a few minutes.

Next up, add the water.

And then you cook the whole mess for twenty minutes.  Don’t forget to stir!

When the twenty minutes is up, let the mixture cool to room temperature.

Because the pot I used retains heat for a long time, I poured the peppers into a thin, stainless steel bowl and set it on a cooling rack near an open window.

Once the mixture has cooled sufficiently, it’s time to puree.

I know, it looks like pea soup, doesn’t it?

At this point, the mixture is pretty thick. 

Time to add the vinegar. 

According to the directions, you pour it in slowly while running the food processor.

Once all the vinegar was in, I scraped down the bowl and processed another minute or so.

And…ta-da!

You’re done, if you don’t mind the occasional seed in your hot sauce.

Since this was Bill’s request, I asked him if he wanted me to strain it.  Yes, please.

So I put the sauce through a fine mesh strainer. 

And that was it.  Pretty simple, really.

It still looks thick, but it’s thin enough to drizzle successfully.

I froze some of the sauce in small containers and kept about a third in the fridge.

Last night we had fish tacos because we both really like jalapeno sauces with fish.

 

Yes, we plan meals around condiments sometimes.

And now onto the important part.

How did it taste?

Fabulous.  Fresh and zingy with plenty of heat and a lot of flavor. 

We ended up with about a cup and a half, to a cup and three quarters of sauce, which will last us a good longtime, unless Bill, in his jalapeno lust, puts it on everything he eats every day.  If that happens, it’ll be gone by Monday.

Here are the ingredients and instructions, below.  If you’ve got a bunch of fresh jalapenos, go ahead and make a batch!

~~~

Jalapeno Hot Sauce

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

20-25 fresh jalapeno peppers (some of ours were small), sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup minced onion

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 cups water

1 cup distilled white vinegar

Directions:

1.  In a non-reactive sauce pan over high heat, combine the oil, peppers, garlic, onion and salt.  Saute for 4-5 minutes.  Add the water and cook for another 20 minutes, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.  It helps if you move the mixture into a different bowl or pot – something that’s not hot.

2.  Transfer the cooled mixture to a food processor and puree until smooth.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and, with the processor running, slowly add the vinegar.  Scrape down again. 

3.  If you like, you can strain the mixture to remove any bits of seeds that escaped the processor’s blades.  Pour the sauce into a sterilized jar with a tight lid and store in the fridge.  It should keep about 6 months, if you don’t consume it all before then.  I froze about 2/3 of it in smaller containers.  I believe there are recipes with directions for canning the sauce, using a hot water bath, but we didn’t make enough sauce to make it worth doing that. 

Maybe next summer, if we have EVEN MORE jalapenos than we did this year.

We can only hope….

Comments

[Anna]

Did you strain the water before you processed it?
Thanks

[Jayne]

Hi Anna,

No, a lot of the water cooks off, and the rest helps keep the mixture liquidy so its a sauce rather than chunky like a salsa. Hope that helps!

Jayne

[Patrick]

Did you put a lid on the pot or cook it open kettle, tried to make some today, was really watery, i used a lid on the pot.

[Jayne]

Hi Patrick,

No, I didnt use a lid when I cooked the peppers.

[Kath]

I too had so many jalepeno last season, and still have some frozen. Would you recommend same amount of peppers frozen as the amount of fresh? Want to make a couple jars for birthday gifts.

[Jayne]

Hi Kath, yes, the same amount should work whether frozen or fresh. Have fun!

[Nabeela]

Hi Jayne,
Just wanted to let you know I tried your hot sauce last year and the flavor was fabulous(if a little less salty that we'd like in our house). I picked some 75 jalapenos(small to medium ones) at a farm today and was thinking I'll double your recipe and can it this time. How many minutes do you think I should process it for? 10 or 15?

[jayne]

Hi Nabeela,

I'd say ten for an 8 oz jar or smaller, fifteen minutes for a pint. Glad you liked it!

[Sam A.]

I made a small batch (2/3) with poblano and some small red pepper I found at the farmers market. Turned out amazing! I put the sauce on my wife's pulled pork made with Chinese 5 spice and it rocked! Can't wait to experiment more!!

Thanks!!!

- Sam

[Todd]

This is a fantastic recipe. I used about 25 - 30 large jalapeños and adjusted the ingredient measurements accordingly. When I was done, I took half of the amount and left the seeds in and strained the other half. Had plenty to freeze in a small container, process 1 pint in a water bath, and a little extra to keep in the refrigerator. This was my first time making a hot sauce and I am glad I chose this recipe, thank you!

[Denise]

I am hearing so many different things about canning a hot sauce.does it have to be water bath or pressure canned? I sell powder seasonings to the public and I am wanting to try a mixed hot sauce, does anyone know how hot sauce needs to be canned for safty?
Thank you :D

[Susan Silsdorf]

Just made this sauce August 11, 2017 and it was fabulous! Our crop of jalapeno peppers was over 50, so I doubled the recipe. Our peppers grew green, then changed to red, plus we added a couple of cayenne peppers. I took out most of the seeds, but left a little. My husband thoroughly enjoyed this hot sauce!!

[Andrea]

Hello , do you think this recipe would work also with cayenne or habanero peppers. I have so many peppers. Is year.
If not do you any recipes for others peppers as well?
Thank you

[Jane]

Hello , do you think this recipe would work also if the peppers are boil and then follow your process of adding the remaining ingredients. I have so many peppers and would like to can them after adding the rest of your ingredients, let me know. Thank you!