Try Turbo-1's Habanero Sauce - Hot Stuff!

[Andre]

There is a hard frost forecast for tonight, so I'll have to pick all my chilies - ripe or not. Looks like relish-making is going to be a bit early this year. My habaneros got a very late start and with the dark, wet summer, the chilies on those plants did not do very well. Surprisingly, the jalapenos, Hungarian Wax, and Bell peppers all did very well and the cayenne peppers did OK. Most of my garden was trashed by the torrential rains and constant humidity - powdery mildew and other damp-loving pests got the best of my beans, tomatoes, and other crops. No fungal infections on the peppers, though. I made sure to tend the peppers FIRST before tending tomatoes and beans and other crops that were having infestations, and the peppers stayed clean and healthy.

I would hose everything to get it very wet and then cover it up with big plastic sheets. That would protect against frost.

 

[turbo]

I would hose everything to get it very wet and then cover it up with big plastic sheets. That would protect against frost.

That would work, Andre, but we're headed into a cold spell and I'd have to do that every night for a while. My wife will be able to help me with the processing this weekend, so the timing was right to pick them all. Now that the chilies are picked and chilled, I can take time this weekend to start making my chili relishes. It's going to be a big job, doing this all at once, and it will go quicker with another pair of hands. Last summer I made almost all the pickles, relishes, salsas, etc myself while my wife was at work, and I made LOTS of small batches.

 

[Astronuc]

Roasted Green Chiles and Easy Salsa – a Flavorful Kick
http://www.learn2grow.com/projects/edibles/preservationstorage/RoastedGreenChiles.aspx

Roasting green chile is a Southwestern tradition, and come fall, nearly every market or roadside vegetable stand in the region has a gas-powered chile roaster preparing this delicious pepper treat by the bushel!

 

[Evo]

Roasted Green Chiles and Easy Salsa – a Flavorful Kick
http://www.learn2grow.com/projects/edibles/preservationstorage/RoastedGreenChiles.aspx

A tradition? Never, ever saw this in Houston, and I used to go to the Mexican markets and eateries down around Canal Street at least once a month. Must be a new tradition. Sounds good though.

 

[hypatia]

I love roasted peppers! Pure sweet heat. Its even done here in MI., but I've mostly seen it in Old and New Mexico.

 

[turbo]

I love roasted peppers! Pure sweet heat. Its even done here in MI., but I've mostly seen it in Old and New Mexico.

I love roasted chilies, too, but I don't roast them to peel them because I love the taste of the toasted skins. I put them in a long-handled clamshell-type vegetable basket and roast them on my gas grill.

 

[turbo]

I wish I was physically closer to some PF members. I picked over a bushel of jalapeno peppers today, and had to give away a lot, and still have too much to process and can as relish.

 

[LightbulbSun]

How do you make Turbo's Hot Stuff and what are some of the best uses for it? Could I possibly use it as a dip for corn chips?

 

[turbo]

How do you make Turbo's Hot Stuff and what are some of the best uses for it? Could I possibly use it as a dip for corn chips?

I sometimes make pickles using chili peppers instead of cucumbers. My favorite recipe is to chop chilies and garlic (maybe 4:1) in a food processor, put that into a large stainless steel pot, and cover with cider vinegar. Measure the vinegar cup by cup and for every cup of vinegar you need to add to cover the chilies and garlic, add one tsp of sugar, one tsp of salt and a tbsp of molasses. You can add some chopped dill weed or dill florets (I often do) or some other herbs or seasonings - this is all up to you. Simmer the mix until the ingredients are at the desired consistency, spoon into sterilized canning jars and make sure that liquid covers the solids leaving 1/2" head-space, top with sterilized lids, and process and seal for 20 minutes in a boiling water bath. My description of the canning process is quite minimal here. If you have never canned before, I HIGHLY recommend that you buy a book on home canning by Kerr, Ball, etc, to learn how to can safely and in proper sanitary conditions.

If you make chili relish using this recipe, you will probably not want to use it for dipping - it is generally too hot for that unless you use very mild peppers. It's a great relish to dress hot dogs, hamburgers, sandwiches, etc, and to add to salads.

 

[LightbulbSun]

I sometimes make pickles using chili peppers instead of cucumbers. My favorite recipe is to chop chilies and garlic (maybe 4:1) in a food processor, put that into a large stainless steel pot, and cover with cider vinegar. Measure the vinegar cup by cup and for every cup of vinegar you need to add to cover the chilies and garlic, add one tsp of sugar, one tsp of salt and a tbsp of molasses. You can add some chopped dill weed or dill florets (I often do) or some other herbs or seasonings - this is all up to you. Simmer the mix until the ingredients are at the desired consistency, spoon into sterilized canning jars and make sure that liquid covers the solids leaving 1/2" head-space, top with sterilized lids, and process and seal for 20 minutes in a boiling water bath. My description of the canning process is quite minimal here. If you have never canned before, I HIGHLY recommend that you buy a book on home canning by Kerr, Ball, etc, to learn how to can safely and in proper sanitary conditions.

If you make chili relish using this recipe, you will probably not want to use it for dipping - it is generally too hot for that unless you use very mild peppers. It's a great relish to dress hot dogs, hamburgers, sandwiches, etc, and to add to salads.

Thanks for the info Turbo. I look forward to trying it on a future hamburger.

 

[Ouabache]

If I had to make a small batch for someone with a sensitivity to vinegar, I would ask if they could tolerate apple juice (for instance) and if so, I would substitute that for the vinegar. The apple juice would make the relish slightly acidic, but not acidic enough to can safely without really long processing times and/or the use of a pressure cooker, which would make the chopped chilies and garlic pretty mushy.

Thanks for the tip! I really would like to can some homemade hot salsa and hot sauce, but need to steer clear of vinegar.. I did can 12 qts of tomatoes so far this season and used lemon juice to bring down the pH (most canning sites recommended 2 tbl per quart). I am tempted to use lemon or lime juice as my acid for the hot sauce.

If I had access to a lab, I would measure the pH of the recipe using vinegar (acetic acid) and see how much lemon or lime juice (citric & ascorbic acids) I would need, to bring it down to that pH. And also see how much that volume of lemon juice, affects the flavor. Unfortunately I don't have a pH meter at home, so will have to go on recommendations from respected sources. You apple juice idea sounds great, but as you noted, it would not be acidic enough for steam canning and I wouldn't want mushy salsa made with the pressure canner

 

[turbo]

If I had access to a lab, I would measure the pH of the recipe using vinegar (acetic acid) and see how much lemon or lime juice (citric & ascorbic acids) I would need, to bring it down to that pH. And also see how much that volume of lemon juice, affects the flavor. Unfortunately I don't have a pH meter at home, so will have to go on recommendations from respected sources. You apple juice idea sounds great, but as you noted, it would not be acidic enough for steam canning and I wouldn't want mushy salsa made with the pressure canner

If you want a citrus taste (not just the low pH) I would suggest trying the apple juice for the bulk of the liquid, flavored with some lime juice. Chili relishes like this are OK to make up in tiny batches (one or two small jars at a time) until you settle on a mix of flavorings, herbs, etc that you like. With small batches, there is no need to sterilize and seal the jars - just refrigerate them promptly. One more tip - when you add your liquid to the chopped chilies and garlic, you don't have to cover them completely. As you simmer the relish, the solids will reduce in size a bit, and you'll probably have extra juice left after jarring the product - I usually have extra liquids after.

 

[turbo]

I weaponized my habaneros and Russian garlic today. I only managed to get 8 jars canned. The crop was small due to the late start and the cool wet weather. Habaneros LOVE sunny heat - the other peppers thrived regardless. I still have a huge crop of jalapenos, cayenne peppers, and Hungarian wax chilies to preserve. I'm going to chop equal parts of each with a good portion of Russian garlic and make a combo relish out of them. I'm planning on using both dill and cilantro in that batch, too. Should be a good dressing for burgers and dogs.

 

[Astronuc]

A tradition? Never, ever saw this in Houston, and I used to go to the Mexican markets and eateries down around Canal Street at least once a month. Must be a new tradition. Sounds good though.

I didn't know about green chile sauce until I met some folks from New Mexico, and apparently there, green chile sauce is the tradition. For some reason, it didn't catch on in Houston. I wonder if it's more popular in San Antonio.

 

[Astronuc]

Keen cook died after eating red-hot chilli sauce as a dare
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/article4842531.ece

An aspiring chef died after eating a super-hot chilli sauce as part of an endurance competition with a friend.

Andrew Lee, 33, challenged his girlfriend’s brother to a contest to see who could eat the spiciest sauce that he could create.

The fork-lift truck driver, who wanted to cook for a living, prepared a tomato sauce made with red chillies grown on his father’s allotment. After eating it, however, he suffered intense discomfort and itching. The following morning he was found dead, possibly after suffering a heart attack.

Toxicology tests are being conducted to try to establish if he suffered a reaction to the food.

An inquest was told that Mr Lee, from Edlington, West Yorkshire, was in perfect health and had just passed a medical examination at work. He was a keen cook and would often prepare meals for his parents. It is believed that Mr Lee had never prepared a dish as hot as the one he made the night before his death.

Mr Lee’s sister, Claire Chadbourne, 29, said that he took a jar of the sauce to the home of his girlfriend, Samantha Bailey, and challenged her brother Michael, 29, to see who could eat it. “Andrew just ate the chillies with a plate of Dolmio sauce,” she added. “It was not a proper meal because he had already eaten lamb chops and potato mash after work.

. . . .

Hmmmm. I wonder how hot it was?

 

[Evo]

I didn't know about green chile sauce until I met some folks from New Mexico, and apparently there, green chile sauce is the tradition. For some reason, it didn't catch on in Houston. I wonder if it's more popular in San Antonio.

Could very well be, San Antonio and Houston are like two different worlds when it comes to Mexican cooking.

My little sister lives in Austin and it's very different.

 

[Evo]

Keen cook died after eating red-hot chilli sauce as a dare
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/article4842531.ece
Hmmmm. I wonder how hot it was?

That's sad. People don't realize how potent this stuff is and how different people tolerate different things.

There is some stupid trick that people are pulling, it has to do with those 600,000 scovil habanero potato chips. Some idiots are mixing them into bowls of regular potato chips at parties and someone unwittingly eats one. The morons think it's funny. The reaction that someone could have not expecting it could be dangerous.

 

[turbo]

That's sad. People don't realize how potent this stuff is and how different people tolerate different things.

There is some stupid trick that people are pulling, it has to do with those 600,000 scovil habanero potato chips. Some idiots are mixing them into bowls of regular potato chips at parties and someone unwittingly eats one. The morons think it's funny. The reaction that someone could have not expecting it could be dangerous.

I never ever do crap like that! I warn people about treating my salsas like commercial salsas (They don't always listen!) and I make people try my salsas before they ever try my chili relishes. Last summer, my father asked if I could give him a jar of my hot stuff to give to his friend so that he could pass it on to his parapalegic son who loves hot stuff. I gave him a jar, and the son tried a bit of my relish on a chip, and it damned near killed him.

 

[Evo]

I never ever do crap like that! I warn people about treating my salsas like commercial salsas (They don't always listen!) and I make people try my salsas before they ever try my chili relishes. Last summer, my father asked if I could give him a jar of my hot stuff to give to his friend so that he could pass it on to his parapalegic son who loves hot stuff. I gave him a jar, and the son tried a bit of my relish on a chip, and it damned near killed him.

As long as they are anticipating it to be hot, they won't accidently choke.

I know with my esophagus that anything that hot would probably send me to the hospital.

 

[turbo]

I have created a monster. My niece and her husband stopped in a couple of weeks ago and I gave them a jar of my 2008 chili relish mix (jalapeno, cayenne, and Hungarian wax chilies with LOTS of Russian garlic) and a jar of last season's tomato-based salsa. Her husband has always liked my tomato-based salsas, but he is addicted to this new relish creation. My niece has asked for the recipe so she can make a batch before the jar is gone. She says that she doesn't have to guess what he's eating when she hears him say "wow!" from the kitchen - it will be that garlic-y chili relish on corn chips.

 

[Astronuc]

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/7184/1006571smalljy7.jpg ​

Some new additions. A Little Nukey is pretty good.

The Z bottle (middle) claims 4 million Scoville units (habanero based from CaJohns Fiery Foods), and that might be close. It's pretty hot. The bottle has a recommendation for 'one drop at a time'. I like to splatter it, so my first taste test was several splotches on the tongue - maybe about half a teaspoon or so. I slathered some on pizza tonight. It also warns to 'avoid contact with eyes or sensitive areas', and to 'keep away from children'. I've had similar stuff that warns - 'keep away from children and pets'.


The Apricot-Ginger glaze is really good. Not too spicy, but it's very tasty.


I was also given two bottles of Emeril's green and red pepper sauces. They are terrible. If he approved these, then he knows nothing about hot sauce. They have little pepper taste, no heat, and taste more like vinegar and salt water - way too salty!

 

[turbo]

Astronuc, you've got to come up for a visit. I've still got a bit of last year's red habanero relish tucked away, and it is killer on 'dogs. This year's milder chili relish with lots of Russian garlic has turned into a favorite. Luckily, I managed to can several quart jars before scaling down to the pints and half-pints, so we can probably make it through to next summer.

 

[wolram]

The chili relish i made has lost it's heat, how long should it keep? is there any way to revitalise it?

 

[turbo]

The chili relish i made has lost it's heat, how long should it keep? is there any way to revitalise it?

I keep mine sealed up in jars in the 'fridge and it keeps its heat well. Never ran into that problem.

 

[physics girl phd]

The title of this thread made me laugh because just as I was about to get my Ph.D., one of my by-then former, and not-on-my-committee professors called me "hot-stuff" at the department winter holiday party! (Don't worry, he was probably less than 10 years older than me, and pretty put together at the party himself, so I wasn't creeped out or anything.)

Hence, I thought someone was givin' turbo-1 a compliment on being hot stuff! But since they weren't, somebody's got to...

Hey everybody... Turbo-1's HOT STUFF!

 

[turbo]

Aw, shucks!

 

[Math Jeans]

I got some new hot sauce called 357 Magnum (and it has a bullet literally tied to the bottle-neck).

The stuff is a blistering 600,000 Scovilles. Probably the best hot sauce I've ever had.

 

[Math Jeans]

On a different note: Does anyone have any good beef jerky recipes? I got a dehydrater a while ago and I haven't had the chance to make jerky with it.

I'm looking for a good sauce recipe to marinade the meat in before I dry it.

 

[turbo]

Hi, MJ! I started making beef jerky one day and never finished. I cut up some nice tender strips of sirloin steak and marinaded them overnight in a mix of orange juice, beer, and some peanut oil. I added lemon juice for a little extra tartness, salt and pepper, and of course hot sauce.

I have a tall Brinkman smoker so I could put the grill on the top level and let the steak strips hang in the smoke. I fired up the charcoal, loaded the fire-pan with chunks of soaked hickory and hung the strips. I just stuck a toothpick through an end of each strip and used the toothpick cross-ways on the grill wires so the steak wouldn't fall into the bottom. I covered up the smoker and waited. In the meantime, my cousin and her family showed up for our yearly Christmas day all-day snack-fest. Her oldest daughter loved helping me cook and she likes hot stuff, so I asked if she wanted to check the "jerky". The meat was lightly cooked on the outside, tender and rare inside, juicy and delicious. We pulled all the meat out of the smoker ("testing" a few more in the process - quality-control, you know) and a new yearly favorite was born. Every year, I asked the girls what special treat they wanted for Christmas and every year after that it was smoked hot jerky - her sister always asked for my wife's fresh-made spicy shrimp eggrolls.

So sorry, no good jerky recipe, but if you want to experiment with marinades and smoking, you might come up with some really tasty hot stuff like this. If you don't go too nuts on the chili sauce, your family might really like it, too. Leave the 357 Magnum in the cupboard when you're cooking for others.

 

[Math Jeans]

Leave the 357 Magnum in the cupboard when you're cooking for others.

I'm sorry. That comment is just so funny in too many ways.

I'll try your advice, thanks.