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

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Turbo's habanero sauce is highly anticipated, with a simplified recipe that includes 12 chopped habaneros, garlic, vinegar, salt, sugar, and molasses, boiled and processed in jars. The discussion highlights a recent canning session where various peppers and garlic were combined to create a flavorful pepper relish, described as a hot and tasty condiment rather than a traditional sauce. The participants shared their experiences with gardening, canning, and the challenges of sourcing ingredients, particularly during peak canning season. There is enthusiasm for experimenting with different recipes, including green tomato salsa, and a desire to increase production for personal use and potential sales. The conversation reflects a strong community spirit, with neighbors exchanging produce and supporting each other's gardening efforts. Overall, the thread emphasizes the joy of home canning, the importance of fresh ingredients, and the satisfaction of creating unique, spicy condiments.
  • #151
I wish I had a liquid nitrogen freezer in the basement
 
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  • #152
rewebster said:
I wish I had a liquid nitrogen freezer in the basement
Oh - one has to think big!

I wish I had superconducting supercollider (1000's TeV) in my basement, a 1 km telescope in my attic (assuming I can't get a satellite-based one), and multi-GW fusion reactor in my garage! :biggrin:

Got to have more power! Muahahahahaaaaa!

http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/cosmic_distance.html

Turbo and I have similar interests in hot sauces/relishes and cosmology.
 
  • #153
Astronuc said:
Oh - one has to think big!

I wish I had superconducting supercollider (1000's TeV) in my basement, a 1 km telescope in my attic (assuming I can't get a satellite-based one), and multi-GW fusion reactor in my garage! :biggrin:

Got to have more power! Muahahahahaaaaa!

http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/cosmic_distance.html

Turbo and I have similar interests in hot sauces/relishes and cosmology.

You got to start going to those government surplus auctions --(I heard about some pretty incredible finds at them)
 
  • #154
Astronuc said:
Oh - one has to think big!

I wish I had superconducting supercollider (1000's TeV) in my basement, a 1 km telescope in my attic (assuming I can't get a satellite-based one), and multi-GW fusion reactor in my garage! :biggrin:

Got to have more power! Muahahahahaaaaa!

http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/cosmic_distance.html

Turbo and I have similar interests in hot sauces/relishes and cosmology.
Yep! I had my brother's habanero/jalapeno/mango sauce on my pan-fried blade steak (breakfast) and it's pretty tasty. I'll put up the recipe sometime for those who like to experiment, but I think I'm going to stick with my simpler not-as-sweet sauces.

For those who share my interests in astronomy/cosmology, check out the multi-band animation available here. http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2007/ngc4258/
It shows M106 in X-rays, radio waves, infrared, and visible light. It's from the 2007 imagery from Astronuc's link.
 
  • #155
turbo-1 said:
Yep! I had my brother's habanero/jalapeno/mango sauce on my pan-fried blade steak (breakfast) and it's pretty tasty. I'll put up the recipe sometime for those who like to experiment, but I think I'm going to stick with my simpler not-as-sweet sauces.
Don't loose that recipe - we just need to refine it a little. Think about a chutney. :-p

For those who share my interests in astronomy/cosmology, check out the multi-band animation available here. http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2007/ngc4258/
It shows M106 in X-rays, radio waves, infrared, and visible light. It's from the 2007 imagery from Astronuc's link.
Cool! I'd like to have the separate overlays to play with. Well - actually the raw data and appropriate software.

http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/zoom_images.html :biggrin:
 
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  • #156
My brother's recipe for sweet hot sauce:

20 habaneros
20 jalapenos
2 onions
juice of 2 limes
2 mangoes
2 bulbs of garlic
2 cups orange juice
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup molasses
2 cups vinegar

Grill the peppers
Saute the onions and garlic
Puree onions, peppers, garlic, and mangoes in vinegar.
Simmer puree with OJ, lime juice sugar, molasses for 1 hr on med-low heat.
Puree again.
Follow approved process for canning in sterile jars and let the sauce age for at least a week before using.
 
  • #158
Far Star said:
World hottest pepper? For anyone that missed it:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071026162420.htm
Most of us chili-heads caught that earlier, but thanks for the heads-up. My habaneros allow me to build products that I cannot eat with impunity and have to use sparingly, so I don't think I'll be planting any of these. I've seen reports of these seed selling for $1 or more each, and though it would perhaps confer some bragging rights to grow these, my habs are fine. At some point, heat becomes subjective. My habanero relishes are killer and addictive, but the initial burn is not the high point - it's the the delayed heat/sweat, almost like a sauna.
 
  • #159
Well. I figured I should use the least-risk method for drying my habaneros without getting mold, so I have them in a dehydrator at 115 degrees.

Would you guys agree that this is the best way of drying mold prone peppers?
 
  • #160
Math Jeans said:
Well. I figured I should use the least-risk method for drying my habaneros without getting mold, so I have them in a dehydrator at 115 degrees.

Would you guys agree that this is the best way of drying mold prone peppers?
I have never used a dehydrator, so I can't tell you. I certainly would slice the peppers into rings to expose the inner surfaces so they would dry as quickly as possible, though.
 
  • #161
turbo-1 said:
I have never used a dehydrator, so I can't tell you. I certainly would slice the peppers into rings to expose the inner surfaces so they would dry as quickly as possible, though.

I found instructions on the web. They say to cut them into halves, seed them, and place them in the dehydrator face down. I just did that.
 
  • #162
Math Jeans said:
Well. I figured I should use the least-risk method for drying my habaneros without getting mold, so I have them in a dehydrator at 115 degrees.

Would you guys agree that this is the best way of drying mold prone peppers?
Mold is only a problem in areas with moist climates. If one lives in a place like S. Cal, Arizona or NM, ie. SW US, it shouldn't be a problem. Slice in half, put on a sheet and dry them in the sun (or dehydrator at 115 °F should be fine). Also, one can soak the habaneros in vinger before drying.

One way of prolonging the life of cheese is the soak briefly in vinegar. The acidity keeps the mold from developing.
 
  • #163
Tonight we had pork roast, and our home-grown squash and carrots for supper. My brother's sauce went well with the pork (after the fact), and I think next time, we should perhaps use the sauce as a glaze prior to cooking. The sugars should carmelize and seal in the juices, and sweetness is sometimes a good quality in pork dishes.
 
  • #164
Well, I finally ground up the dried habaneros today. I was wearing goggles (swim goggles) and covering my nose with a napkin...and here is what happened.

The moment I opened the cofee grinder, the outside of my eyes started burning, and my nose started burning. The other person in the kitchen ran out gasping for air, and I literally had to disinfect the entire kitchen so as to not kill the next person in there.

Anothe problem is that I do not know how I am going to apply the powder without killing everyone else at the dinner table :biggrin:. I will manage though.
 
  • #165
I warned you about weaponizing habaneros by grinding them finely.

https://www.physicsforums.com/showpost.php?p=1479447&postcount=119

At least you took my "goggles" recommendation seriously - eyes are very sensitive. You might try putting your habanero powder in a small lidded container and punch only one or two holes in the lid to start with - like a scaled-back salt shaker. Just invert it over your food and don't shake it vigorously, or your table-mates will get an airborne dose of the dust and find ways to make your life miserable.:eek:
 
  • #166
The thing that I am not happy about however, is that I used all of the habaneros off of my plant and only got a tiny bit of powder. It was about 15 habaneros too!

Basically, my plan is that when I start growing other types of peppers, I will make different chili powders. That way I can make my foods spicy in a different way depending on the powder.

P.S. My eyes still hurt.
 
  • #167
Math Jeans said:
The thing that I am not happy about however, is that I used all of the habaneros off of my plant and only got a tiny bit of powder. It was about 15 habaneros too!

Basically, my plan is that when I start growing other types of peppers, I will make different chili powders. That way I can make my foods spicy in a different way depending on the powder.

P.S. My eyes still hurt.
Yep! Eyes are that way!

You might want to invest in a nice marble mortar and pestle. They cost about $15-20 bucks, and you can control the fineness of the grind without overheating the spices, peppers, etc that you're grinding. This helps keep the flavor as strong and fresh as possible. I would also suggest not scooping out the placenta and seeds from your peppers, as these are rich sources of heat and flavor.
 
  • #168
We have a new experimenter/chili-relish chef. NeoDevin has a good crop of chilies, so I linked him to the relish recipe and am bumping the thread so he can browse it for ideas.
 
  • #169
Hot chili relish goes great with oily fish and toast, i am not keen on sardines but with chili relish it is a sort of taste explosion.
 
  • #170
My wife and I have been cleaning up our Thanksgiving turkey by making turkey sandwiches on rye bread with Cain's mayonnaise and hot chili relish, served with bowls of turkey soup. Mmmm!

I do like hot sauces with sardines, smoked oysters, smoked clams, cheese, mustard, etc on crackers. Lots of our nieces and nephews loved these snacks with my wife's sweet chili jellies when they were kids, but now they are grown, they seem to gravitate to my hotter chili relishes, and sometimes manage to make off with a jar or two.
 
  • #171
wolram said:
Hot chili relish goes great with oily fish and toast, i am not keen on sardines but with chili relish it is a sort of taste explosion.
I'm curious, Woolie. Did you use my (super-simple) relish recipe, or have you used a different one or tweaked mine? I'm pretty happy with my relishes, but I'm certainly open for suggestions.
 
  • #172
Thanks Turbo, I'll see if I can find time to make a batch this weekend. I don't have a very large crop (I only have 2 plants, and they got off to a bad start, I didn't repot them to bigger pots soon enough), but hopefully enough to make a small batch and experiment for next years crop.
 
  • #173
turbo-1 said:
I'm curious, Woolie. Did you use my (super-simple) relish recipe, or have you used a different one or tweaked mine? I'm pretty happy with my relishes, but I'm certainly open for suggestions.

Yours, but it is so difficult to get the fresh chili peppers, staff at shops look at me gone out when i ask for them.
Do you ever use ginger in relishes?
 
  • #174
wolram said:
Yours, but it is so difficult to get the fresh chili peppers, staff at shops look at me gone out when i ask for them. Do you ever use ginger in relishes?
Thanks. I was curious as to whether you had another recipe - I try stuff out (in little batches), but my most simple recipe seems to do the job pretty well.

My wife and I often use fresh ginger-root grated into stir-fries, but I've never used it in relishes or salsas. I usually can large batches of those, and I would be disappointed if the flavor of the ginger overpowered the tomatoes, green peppers, onions, chilies, etc. It may seems funny to talk about ginger overpowering something as hot as habaneros and jalapenos, but those chilies have distinctive flavors in addition to the heat, which is why I like the simple relish recipe so well - it let's the chili flavor come through, with just a bit of salt, sweet, and sour.

Chilies are pretty easy to grow in containers or in a sunny spot in a garden, so you can get your own chilies without having to use a grocer's shop. The peppers in the stores around here are pretty anemic - my home-grown ones are much more potent and flavorful; especially the habaneros! Even when I have run out of relish and am forced to use store-bought chilies, my wife has a hard time finding them in the supermarkets - one produce manager at a local store was stocking them fairly regularly, but if the demand is low, they can sit around a long time losing flavor. When I make relishes, it's always within an hour or two of picking the chilies.
 
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  • #175
I made a small batch last night. It's pretty spicy. I'm not a big fan of vinegar, so I went easy on the vinegar, but it still has a little taste of it. I was wondering if there was anything I could add/substitute to get rid of the slight vinegarry taste. It's not very strong, but I think it would be better without it. I don't have enough peppers this year to experiment much, especially if I want some left for cooking. Hopefully in the next few years, I'll be able to find a house on an acreage and really start growing some crops.
 
  • #176
The vinegar is there to provide enough acidity to allow safe canning with relatively short processing times. If you are going to make little batches and refrigerate them, you could substitute other liquids that are not so acidic. Apple cider might be good, as well as other fruit juices or wine. If I were going to try a wine, I'd experiment with a full-bodied red wine with some astringency - perhaps an inexpensive cabernet sauvignon.
 
  • #177
Hot stuff update. I just had a hot dog on a roll (both pan-fried in butter) and instead of using my habanero relish and yellow mustard, I dressed it with dill-pickled jalapeno rounds and yellow mustard. Ding, ding, ding! What a nice taste! Essentially, I used our standard kosher dill pickle recipe, but instead of pickling cucumbers, I pickled sliced jalapeno rounds (with all seeds, placenta, etc intact) with a couple of cloves of Russian garlic in each jar. This is killer stuff. The problem is that the sliced jalapeno rounds take up a lot of space in the jar when raw, and they shrink a lot when softened during processing, so each 1/2 pint jar contains enough peppers for just a few sandwiches or hot dogs. Well worth the effort, though! I'm going to have to refine this next year, and maybe chop the chilies and pack them tightly to reduce the volume reduction during processing.
 
  • #178
I save the balsamic vinegar from pickles, it adds a different taste to dishes that need
vinegar.
 
  • #179
This is the plant that produced a few pounds of habaneros last year.

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/6963/habaneros1005444rz4.jpg
 
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  • #180
Ok, I'll have to experiment a little when my current jar runs out, and see what I can come up with. Hopefully next year I get a really good crop. My whole balcony is going to be covered in plants.
 
  • #181
That's one productive plant Astronuc! I had a whole row of habanero plants this year. If they had all produced like that, I'd have enough relish made up for 3-4 years.
 
  • #182
turbo-1 said:
That's one productive plant Astronuc! I had a whole row of habanero plants this year. If they had all produced like that, I'd have enough relish made up for 3-4 years.
That was a great plant. I wish I knew how I did that. It was one of 4 and the only one to take off like that! This year, I had 4 plants, but some critter (probably deer) ate the tops and they never recovered.

I once had 4 tomato plants that produced shopping bags of large tomatoes. We had so many tomatos, we had to give away bag fulls. They produced well into November, and IIRC into December!
 
  • #184
Here you go! Just scale it down so you can make small batches and experiment. If you decide to add cilantro, tear the leaves and stir them into the salsa just after you're done cooking it. Keep your recipes simple, but don't be afraid to tinker with them.

https://www.physicsforums.com/showpost.php?p=1420890&postcount=18

This recipe works well for green tomatoes and red ones, or a mix of the two.
 
  • #185
I got some Dave's Insanity for valentines day. I don't know if any of you have had that stuff, but I swear the scoville count on that is more than my habaneros.

So I tried some on my finger and it was really fun :biggrin:.
 
  • #186
Math Jeans said:
I got some Dave's Insanity for valentines day. I don't know if any of you have had that stuff, but I swear the scoville count on that is more than my habaneros.

So I tried some on my finger and it was really fun :biggrin:.
I have a collection of Dave's sauces and one jar of relish. It's OK. I believe Dave's is based on habaneros. The thing to remember is that the hot sauces are a solution of the capsaicin, so it reacts readily with the tissue it contacts. If one chews on a habanero pepper, there is a delayed reaction because the capsaicin has to be released from the plant cells. If one takes the ribs of the habanero pepper and purees them, and then places that on the tongue, one gets an immediate reaction.

http://www.fiery-foods.com/dave/capsaicin.asp
 
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  • #187
Well. I think that its more than habaneros because it doesn't say that it is habaneros in the ingrediants. It just states, hot peppers, (something else about peppers that I can't remember), and pepper extract, then a few other things.

So is taking the ribs from the pepper and pureeing them how you make extract? Because I would enjoy using that much more than chili powder.
 
  • #188
I've been using turbo's relishes to improve Bread & Butter pickles. I take a jar of B&B pickles and then place a few tablespoons worth of turbo's relish in the jar. The hot pickles are great.

Yesterday, I mixed turbo's relish with some pickle relish to make some hot relish. Also very good!
 
  • #189
Astronuc said:
I've been using turbo's relishes to improve Bread & Butter pickles. I take a jar of B&B pickles and then place a few tablespoons worth of turbo's relish in the jar. The hot pickles are great.

Yesterday, I mixed turbo's relish with some pickle relish to make some hot relish. Also very good!
I have made bread and butter pickles and dill pickles with chilies in them, and last summer, I pickled a big batch of jalapeno rings and garlic using my standard dill pickle recipe (but with no cucumbers). Man! are they good! I think I'll use those on my sandwich tonight - we're making grilled tuna-melt sandwiches with home-made tomato soup for supper.
 
  • #190
Yep! The dill-pickled jalapeno rings were fantastic on the grilled tuna-melt sandwich. For anyone who hasn't made these, butter two slices of rye bread and place them butter-side down on a hot skillet. Add sliced cheese to one piece of bread and top with mustard. When the bread has browned and the cheese has melted, spread tuna salad on that slice, top with hot peppers (or pickles if you don't like hot stuff that much) and put the other slice of bread on top. With some home-made tomato soup, that sandwich is heaven.

During supper, my wife suggested that the dill-pickled jalapeno rings might go real well with sour cream on potatoes. We'll try that sometime soon.
 
  • #191
turbo-1 said:
Yep! The dill-pickled jalapeno rings were fantastic on the grilled tuna-melt sandwich. For anyone who hasn't made these, butter two slices of rye bread and place them butter-side down on a hot skillet. Add sliced cheese to one piece of bread and top with mustard. When the bread has browned and the cheese has melted, spread tuna salad on that slice, top with hot peppers (or pickles if you don't like hot stuff that much) and put the other slice of bread on top. With some home-made tomato soup, that sandwich is heaven.

During supper, my wife suggested that the dill-pickled jalapeno rings might go real well with sour cream on potatoes. We'll try that sometime soon.
:-p :approve: I also remember some great jalapeño poppers.

I had some left over spaghetti sauce, and several bottles of hot sauce that were just about empty, so I combined them all in the jar to make a really nice spicy tomato sauce.
 
  • #192
Astronuc said:
:-p :approve: I also remember some great jalapeño poppers.

I had some left over spaghetti sauce, and several bottles of hot sauce that were just about empty, so I combined them all in the jar to make a really nice spicy tomato sauce.
Mmmm! Grilled jalapeno poppers. We'll have to make a big batch next time you're up. A recipe update for those who don't want to wander all over the thread:

- Slice fresh jalapeno peppers in half lengthwise.

- If you want 'em hot don't clean out the placenta and seeds. If you're going to be feeding some people who can't take the heat, remove the placenta and seeds and the poppers will be relatively mild.

- Crumble lots of crispy fried bacon and mix the crumbles bits into a bowl of cream cheese (you can experiment with spices and herbs, too)

- Fill the halved chilies with the cream cheese/bacon mix and top them with shredded Monterey Jack cheese.

- Put a sheet of aluminum foil on a very hot pre-heated grill, put the stuffed peppers on the foil and cook them to your preferred done-ness. I like to have at least some of the Monterey Jack browned for the flavor.These poppers are sooo easy to make and they are addictive. Only the fat and calories keep us from making them more frequently.
 
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  • #193
All the spicy food caught up to me. I have a stomach ulcer :frown:.
 
  • #194
Math Jeans said:
All the spicy food caught up to me. I have a stomach ulcer :frown:.
That's terrible! You know the old saying "too much of a good thing". You need to go easy on that hot stuff, it can really aggravate your stomach if you are susceptible to getting an ulcer.
 
  • #195
I bought some spear chilies they are about 6 inches long and yes spear shaped, any ideas as to how to use them?

Sorry to hear about you ulcer MJ, may be you can drink some milk after eating chili.
 
  • #196
Math Jeans said:
All the spicy food caught up to me. I have a stomach ulcer :frown:.

Once more for the record, peptic ulcers are believed to be caused by helicobacter, nowadays. Do not buy stress stories. Insist on a proper blood check. It's cureable with antibiotics and I'm most happy with that.l
 
  • #197
Darn, MJ! Has your doctor prescribed a course of treatment? While spicy/acidic foods can inflame an ulcer and cause pain, these are symptoms and are generally not the cause of ulcers.

Ulcers are usually caused by a bacterial infection (Helicobacter pylori). There are relatively simple non-invasive tests for this infection, and treatment is pretty straightforward, as well. If your doctor has not performed diagnostic tests and prescribed a course of treatment, ask to be referred to a gastroenterologist. If you indeed have an ulcer, it needs to be diagnosed and treated properly. Good luck.

Edit: Oops! Andre jumped in while I was writing my overly-long answer, and he is absolutely right.
 
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  • #198
wolram said:
I bought some spear chilies they are about 6 inches long and yes spear shaped, any ideas as to how to use them?
How hot are they, Woolie? If they are about as hot as a jalapeno, you use them in a lot of stuff. I like chopping jalapeno peppers, mushrooms, and onions, and sauteing them in butter with some garlic, then folding them into an omelet. Serve with salsa on the side.

They are also really good in shepherd's pie. Saute chopped chilies with onions and crushed garlic. Brown some hamburg with these vegetables, and season (salt, pepper, other spices to taste) and fill the bottom of a baking pan with the mix. Make up a spicy tomato sauce and pour that over the mix, then cover that with a layer of whole-kernal corn and a thin layer of very sharp cheese. Top all that with a layer of mashed potatoes, and bake until the potatoes have browned on top and the sauce is bubbling.
 
  • #199
Yea. I've been licking baking soda.

I don't think it was only the spicy foods that caused it, I have been really stressed about school lately, which I think was a large component.
 
  • #200
Math Jeans said:
Yea. I've been licking baking soda.

I don't think it was only the spicy foods that caused it, I have been really stressed about school lately, which I think was a large component.
Have you been to the doctor? A stomach ulcer and heartburn are not the same thing.
 
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