Taming a batch of hot sauce?

[jfmorris]

So, I had bought habanero and Serrano peppers this week to make a tincture for dosing a keg of beer - basically a Steam Beer (California common) with chili peppers, which I will call "Hot 'n Steamy' on my tap menu. Long story, but it's a result of an ingredient draft in my local home brew club. Not sure which tincture I will use yet - got both pepper types so I can test in small amounts of beer before dosing the keg to taste.

Anyway, I had a nice amount of each kind of pepper left, so decided to cook up some hot sauce following a habanero hot sauce recipe over at Chili Pepper Madness. I basically doubled the recipe, using half habanero and half Serrano. And.... despite the recipe over there saying it's "med-hot", this stuff is super hot in my book!

Here is the recipe I followed:

https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/habanero-hot-sauce/

It may have been a mistake to use all the peppers without getting rid of seeds and stuff inside!

Any thoughts on taming a batch of hot sauce? I made a double batch, about 3 ounces habanero and 4 ounces serrano. Its a nice orange color, but I am thinking, maybe I make another batch (single batch) using just the carrots, onions and other stuff, and combine into the batch I have in a quart mason jar, to dilute the heat? Or add sugar, honey or something else?

Thoughts?

[jtw]

I'm no hot sauce expert, but I thought acid (like vinegar) and sugar can both cut the heat a little bit.
But if you're going to add it to a batch of beer, why not just use less hot sauce to control the heat in the final product?

https://secretaardvark.com/blog/how-to-dilute-hot-sauce/

[jfmorris]

The hot sauce is not going in the beer. I made it with the extra peppers I don't need for the beer... I'm wanting to cut it to make it usable.

[jtw]

Oops, reading fail over here. Now I noticed you mentioned "a nice amount of each kind of pepper left" which should have told me it wasn't for the beer. As a casual homebrewer, I've seen all too many disasters from going a little too wacky with specialty ingredients like chilis so I guess I just had my guard up!

[jfmorris]

Haha gotcha. I am doing a tincture with vodka and diced up peppers to dose the beer. Until I taste in a sample glass not sure which tincture will pair better with the steam beer. Thinking the habanero, just enough to give a little burn on the tongue.

[58limited]

Make another mild batch and combine them.

[jfmorris]

Probably the way I will go.

[Mosca]

This.

[shify]

Sugar, whether via plain sugar, honey or fruit, will offset the heat but will change the flavor.

Assuming you want to keep the flavor fairly consistent, I'd recommend doing a 2nd batch either replacing the serranos/habaneros with jalapenoes or bell peppers/other milder peppers (or really well de-seeded/de-veined serranos/habaneros) and then diluting the hot batch with the mild batch. I wouldn't add just the "base" with no peppers for the same reason as I wouldn't just pour sugar in as it would change the flavor

If you are okay with changing the flavors, based on the recipe, I'd lean towards using mango or pineapple for the sweetness. Can even char them first to give added flavor.

[jfmorris]

I think this makes the most sense. I'll do a second batch with bell/jalapenos/hatch or something mild, and mix them to reduce the heat. I like heat, just not THIS much heat!

[Bkhuna]

Sub poblano for bell pepper. I think the flavor would contribute nicely with the chilies, something a bell pepper won't.

[hoovarmin]

Save it and store it in super-soakers just in case you encounter a cocaine bear.

[jfmorris]

I like it!

[PGH_RAM]

Based on the recipe, I'd try to cut it with carrot juice and vinegar.

[Steve B]

How can this be hot? It’s only habaneros and serranos.

But than again I used to grow Carolina Reapers and make hot sauce with those. So I guess I’m not the one to give you advice here. 🤔😁

[jfmorris]

Well, it was about 3 ounces of habaneros - which was like 5-6 peppers - along with a similar number of Serranos. All cooked and pureed into about 2 cups of liquid. Seeds and all. So all the pepper solids are in suspension after the Ninja worked on it...

[JeffJ]

Make another milder batch and mix is good advice. Also, how long did you let’s the mash steep in the liquid before strain8ng?

[jfmorris]

No straining in the linked recipe - peppers, seeds and all, get pureed after cooking it all for a bit o the stove.

[texastweeter]

I have asbestos tongue, so I don't understand taming hotsauce

[fzxdoc]

Sub poblano for bell pepper. I think the flavor would contribute nicely with the chilies, something a bell pepper won't.

I agree with Bkhuna . Poblanos are a lifesaver in this instance, and for feeding people who are sensitive to the heat of some dishes/sauces. It's my go-to pepper for company dishes when I don't know the heat sensitivity of each guest. It has great flavor without the sweetness and blandness of bell peppers and just a bit of a spicey zing.

Kathryn

[jfmorris]

I am likely the only one who is gonna slog through this quart mason jar of hot sauce in the fridge, with the exception of my son and son-in-laws if they see it out on the counter. I am just trying to tame it for myself, haha. Yvonne is slowly getting her ability to eat spices back but won't be going for hot sauce for a while yet...

[LA Pork Butt]

Keep milk handy!

[jfmorris]

+1 day and I was able to drizzle this sauce over half of a large pepperoni pizza, and live to tell the tale! It actually had mellowed out some sitting in the jar, and while hot, it's not quite as hot as it was coming out of the Ninja blender! . Plus I felt it had a good flavor, and I am digging the orangish color - seems the orange of the habaneros dominated the green of the serranos.

I'm gonna leave it alone.

[Steve B]

There you go Jim. Take it like a man. 🥵😁💪

[Purc]

Wait and see what happens tomorrow before you adjust the sauce.

[bbqLuv]

Tamning a batch of hot sauce sounds cool, the older I get the better I like cooler hot sauce.