How do I maximize the shelf life of my homemade hot sauce?

Question

I am planning on putting this year's crop of hot peppers to use by trying my hand at making my own hot sauces.

I've never tried this before, but I've found a number of recipes on the Internet. However, I'm concerned about shelf life, and the variations in preparation methods that I'm seeing in the recipes are a bit confusing.

Some of the recipes simply call for mixing the peppers, some other vegetables (typically carrots, onions or bell peppers), seasoning (such as sugar or garlic) and vinegar. The mixture is then blended in a food processor, and is "ready to eat" with no cooking.

Others call for simmering the ingredients in vinegar prior to putting them in the food processor.

Yet others actually detail month-long fermentation processes.

Some of the recipes say the resulting sauce will last at least for a year. Others say a month or two.

Since the sauces will be too hot for anyone in the house but myself to use, I would prefer to extend the shelf life as long as possible. If it goes bad in a month, I'll wind up throwing away a ton.

What is the basic method I should use to maximize the shelf life of a combination of hot peppers (bhut jolokia or ghost peppers, if that matters), carrots, garlic, and possibly bell peppers, apples, or grapes (all alternative ingredients I am interested in experimenting with)?

What is the best way to store the results?

What is a reasonable expectation for a safe shelf life for the resulting hot sauce?

Answer 1

Vinegar and sugar make good preservatives. Provided you use sterilised containers - place them in boiling water for twenty minutes, add the sauce, seal, then boil again for ten minutes - you should be fine. Store the bottles/jars in a cool place out of direct sunlight.

Avoid using oil during preparation, as you run the risk of introducing Botulinium into the mix. This would probably be neutralised by the vinegar, but it really isn't worth the risk.

As always, if the sauce smells or looks suspect when you come to use it, throw it out. Again, it's not worth the risk of food poisoning.

Answer 2

The more basic the recipe the greater the shelf life. I create and sell hot sauces here in Chicago for VK Urban Farms. We have a pure Ghost Pepper sauce that is literally Ghost peppers sautéed in vegetable oil and then processed with equal part vinegar. The 50/50 ratio ensures that nothing will ever compromise the integrity of this sauce. (within reason) I've noticed that the safety of hot sauces as with all sauces is directly relative to the variety and composition of the sauce. More fruits and sugars the greater the risk of spoilage without refrigeration. There is a chance of separation in some of the simpler sauces but this rarely affects the actual flavor and safety of the sauce. Give the bottle a good shake and enjoy.

Answer 3

Salt... Salt has been used for thousands of years to preserve vegetables and cure meat. Vinegar does add further benefit to adding shelf life. As a matter of fact you'll find that these are two major ingredients in any big name hot sauce. Beyond this one could even employ canning methods to further the shelf life.

Answer 4

If I wanted preserved hot sauce, I would buy Sri Racha from the supermart.

However, I prefer fresh chili mix. The taste and texture is totally different. And you don't have to flood it with vinegar to destroy the freshness of the taste. As long as you refrigerate (not warmer than 38F and not near the door) as well as consume within 2 weeks.

If you indeed have a garden full of chilies you needed to process - use as much vinegar as suits your taste not the preservation - I think deep freezing them in sterile containers should last them at least 3 months. I don't think you should freeze them longer than 6 months.

It should also depends on whether you cook your chili mix after blending. I prefer mine fresh and uncooked - that's why I trust the freezing to last only two months. Therefore, I have no idea how long further it would last frozen if it had been cooked first.

If you are making fresh chilly sauce, you would have a combination of ginger, spices and garlic or even celery bits or chopped up cilantro mixed in after blending. The vinegar flood would destroy that delectable fresh mix scent and taste of the hot salad dressing.

Have that fresh chili dressing mix sandwiched between two slices of bread melted with cheddar. Yummmy. Or have you tried tortilla with fresh chili sauce? Vinegar flooding will destroy all that.

What you should do is, process the chilies, ginger, garlic and spices and freeze them. And even vacuum bottle them before freezing. When you need a bottle, after defrosting, then only mix in fresh chopped {celery/cilantro+sweet peppers+onions}, which would refresh the scent and taste of a forgotten frozen bottle of "fresh made" chili sauce/dressing.

If you don't mind oregano or sesame oil, you should mix them in before freezing. I have anecdotal feeling that oregano contributes somewhat to the preservation of the chilies. However, be warned, my experience is - ginger may acquire staleness of taste after long periods of freezing. But then, if you had flooded it with vinegar, you would not notice the difference.

I don't know why sesame oil ... let me check wikipedia: A-ha! wikipedia says

This is because it contains two naturally occurring preservatives, sesamol and sesamin.

My test of quality of fresh chili sauce is having it on poached salmon - too much vinegar, sesame or oregano and the ruined taste of the salmon would let you know. Too watery, it would mush up the salmon steak. To test the staleness, I think, but it may not work with everyone, that placing chili sauce (or any spoiled fluid) into the yolk cavity of a cooled hard-boiled egg seems to amplify any staleness of scent of the chili sauce to me. May be it's because I'm sensitive to changes in smell of egg whites.

Disclaimer is, I have never tried vacuum bottling so I do not know its effectiveness.

Answer 5

I recommend pasteurizing the sauce first. Read about it online. You need to get the temperature right for a moment and then put the sauce in glass jars to cool. (Like good old jam containers) Pasteurized sauces would have a shelf life of about three months if refrigerated. Also it depends on how sterile the jars are.

Also you need to treat the jars with sodium benzoate solution first. That kills the bacteria efficiently.

If you want maximum shelf life, then i suggest using sodium benzoate as a preservative. It is very effective. Just be sure to use the right amount of it. It wouldn't hurt lowering the ph a bit with vinegar but that isn't necessary at all.

Keep them refrigerated.

Sodium benzoate is one of the oldest preservatives and it's quite safe if you follow the dosage. At least if you get it right, your sauces could last one year in the refrigerator.

Answer 6

I have been making hot sauces for about 20 years. .....not much scientific knowledge going into it, but I have "seriously hot" mashes & whiskey hot sauces, wing sauces, etc. Some have been aging for more than 15 years. They get better w/ age. (most really old ones are refrigerated, never frozen). All have some vinegar, & salt. Early ones I would crush up vitamin C & dissolve out the C from the "pill" (ascorbic acid) for an added preservative. Canning sections of the store have benign preservatives which can be used. The only ones that last less than a year are mashes with little vinegar, & contain oil(usually canola). All are cooked. They will change color (lighten up) and start to lose their zing. I throw them out. I believe that the success of these potions is that I will use only "perfect" specimens of pepper. If in question, cut open and look before ruining an entire batch. Over ripe (...or?) sometimes get mildew, or moldy inside even when they look pretty good on the outside. But.......if you want to save ALL of your crop & do not want to process all as it is extremely time intensive?..........the one word answer is ....dehydrate! (but that is a whole new subject that is quite worthwhile for hot pepper growers) .....Oh...Hot Vodka, Hot Bourbon, & Hot Scotch...let them sit for at least a year before using.

Answer 7

Boil your jarred chili sauce in the oven with the lids on at 270°C until the liquid boils. Watch it doesn't boil over and make sure you raise the heat gradually to save the jars from breaking. Do this for 4 minutes at 270°C and then place the jars in the fridge immediately. This sucks the tin lids down onto the jar. The chilli sauce lasts 3-4 months. Once opened consume within 3 weeks.

Answer 8

I've been using Chef Emeril's hot sauce recipe (from food network) http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/homemade-red-hot-sauce-3645026 for 5 years now with some ingredient modifications that do not alter the pH. (such as dried spices, variations of vinegar, and fresh horseradish) I only use peppers that have zero defects, no brown/black inside, etc. In my experience this sauce lasts for up to a year in the fridge easy.

Answer 9

Raise the acidity and reduce the water.

Garlic is antifungal. Rosemary and other herbs are preservatives.

Some microorganisms are friendly: research kim chee, miso, sauerkraut, and sourdough bread.