How To Make Louisiana Hot Sauce

What Is Louisiana Hot Sauce

Louisiana hot sauce is a spicy condiment that is made by blending hot peppers, vinegar, and salt to make a generally thin, bright red sauce with a moderate heat level. Most producers pride themselves on making a product that is provides some heat, but isn’t too hot. There are many uses for this condiment, and it is famously included in many Cajun and Creole dishes it is also a feature of the classic Bloody Mary, a cocktail that blends tomato juice, clam juice, vodka, and hot sauce for a fiery kick.

Both cayenne and tabasco peppers can be used to produce Louisiana hot sauce. Some famous brands include the Original Louisiana Style Hot Sauce, Tabasco®, Crystal, and Frank’s Red Hot. Sauces made with tabasco peppers, such as the eponymous Tabasco® sauce, tend to be more peppery, while cayenne-based sauces can be more moderate. Many of these producers continue to make their products in the state that it is named for Tabasco®, for example, is still made on Avery Island, Louisiana, where some of the peppers for the famous sauce are grown.

How To Make Mexican Hot Sauce

Mexican hot sauce is differentiated from other sauces by the use of dried chili peppers.

The hot sauce also includes the addition of onions, tomatoes, oregano, and cumin to round out the flavor.

Mexican Hot Sauce Ingredients

• 1 Pound Dried Chili Peppers chopped, A mix of Guajillo Peppers, Pasilla Chili Peppers, New Mexico Red Chili Peppers
• 5 Garlic Cloves minced

Add all the ingredients to a pan over medium high heat. Simmer for 10 minutes until the chilies are soft. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, then blend till smooth. Add additional vinegar to get the perfect consistency / taste. Strain the mixture and bottle.

Refrigerate this hot sauce, use within a few days.

Frog Bone Cajun Pepper Sauce

MadisonvilleThis one has a cute animal mascot: a frog stirring a pot of sauce. We dont know where the bone comes in, but were pretty certain theres no actual frog in the condiment. Frog Bone distinguishes itself in two ways here: first, its slightly darker than competing sauces, and you can easily see flecks of spices floating about. Second, this is not a purist sauce, as it contains both onion and garlic flavors, as well as the standard peppers, vinegar, and salt. Our panel judged this positively, with high marks all around. “Theres plenty of vinegar in this one.” Ken says. “No sweetness, really, just vinegar and spice.”

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A Basic Hot Sauce Recipe Lets Make Some Hot Sauce

Here is a very simple hot sauce recipe that you can use a base. It is a non-fermented recipe made Louisiana style with only chili peppers, vinegar and salt.

Ingredients

• 1/2-1 tablespoon salt

Cooking Directions

Wash the peppers and remove the stems. Remove the seeds, if desired. Add them to a food processor along with the vinegar and salt and process until smooth.

Add the mixture to a pot and bring to a quick boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to develop.

Remove from heat and cool. Add them to serving bottles, or strain out the pulp first for a much thinner sauce and bottle.

Makes about 2 cups or so of hot sauce.

Obviously you can change things up A LOT with this recipe, as discussed in the ingredients section below. You can introduce a mixture of peppers of varying flavors and heat levels, add in vegetables like tomato, onion, garlic, and/or carrots for big flavors, try fruit for sweetness, toss in interesting seasonings, and so much more.

I will keep adding to this last as I make the sauces. There are so many! I love it.

Double Berry Habanero Hot Sauce

This is a straightforward fermented mash recipe that capitalizes on the fruitiness of habanero chiles. Its inspired by a Louisiana-style saucewith a similar texture and tang. Because habaneros are thin-walled, dry peppers, I use a combination of blueberries and blackberries to add moisture and plenty of natural sweetness. The berries also temper the aggressive heat of the peppers, and are rich in pectin, which helps produce a smoother sauce. Bonus: The berries lend a vivid, crimson-purple color that looks great on the plate, or in the bottle.

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How To Make Caribbean Hot Sauce

Caribbean hot sauce is identified by two main factors, the use of very spicy peppers, and the inclusion of sweet fruit like mangos or peaches.

Classic Caribbean hot sauces often use scotch bonnet peppers, a very hot pepper- so use sparingly.

Caribbean Hot Sauce Ingredients

Add all the ingredients to a pan over medium high heat. Simmer for 10 minutes until the chilies are soft. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, then blend till smooth. Strain the mixture and bottle. Add additional vinegar to get the perfect consistency / taste.

Refrigerate this hot sauce, use within a few days.

How To Make Tabasco Sauce

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Tabasco sauce is easily made from tabasco chili peppers, vinegar, and salt. The taste of the sauce will vary depending on where the peppers are grown and the quality of the vinegar used. In order to make tabasco sauce, combine the ingredients, cook the sauce, then strain and store the sauce.

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Do You Want To Know A Secret Hot Sauce Isn’t Actually That Hard To Make At Home

For a long time, I thought homemade hot sauce wasnt really worth making. I mean, there are hundreds of choices out there, so why bother making your own? Then, I had a bounty of peppers from the garden one year and figured I would give it a try. As soon as I dove into the world of homemade hot sauce, I realized that its not only easy to make, but its also pretty forgiving, too. So long as you use fresh chilies and a good-quality vinegar, theres really no way to go wrong.

There are many different ways to make hot sauce, from using a single pepper to blending a few together. Some rely on lacto-fermentation for added health benefits, and others call for simmering away on the stove top to let the flavors meld. For this in-depth guide, we wanted to walk you through our favorite recipe. It combines a few peppers that were growing in our gardenfresh habanero and serrano peppersalong with dried arbol chiles for depth. The addition of carrots really gives this sauce a unique spin.

How To Make Nashville Hot Sauce

The best thing about this recipe is that it is really simple to make It essentially involves frying a few dried spices in lashings of clarified butter.

A spoon, a pan, a stove, and you are pretty much set. No messing around!

The heat comes from the inclusion of cayenne pepper. How much heat? Well, we use around two to three tablespoons of the stuff, so you can be the judge of that.

The sauce is actually a little bit sweet too. To bring this out in the sauce, we use a generous helping of golden brown sugar. This caramelizes, mixes with the butter, and helps fry the spices to perfection.

The south, in particular, Tennessee and Nashville, are famous for the smoky flavors in their BBQ dishes. We have given a nod to this by using smoked paprika in this recipe.

Heres a word of caution. When you fry spices, they change in composition and can be pretty intense. Make sure you scale your quantities if you are looking to make a smaller portion.

The recipe can be a little tricky if you are trying to clarify butter, but I am going to help you out. If you are near to an Asian or Indian supermarket, you can buy clarified butter ready made. This is called ghee. However, if you cant find ghee, dont worry too much. The recipe can be created with the addition of oil in its place.

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Advice From Hot Sauce Makers

I reached out to some of the hot sauce makers I know and asked them what advice they would give to would-be sauce makers looking to break into the market. Here is what they had to say.

The advice I would give to would be sauce makers wanting to start a new business is this: Do your research. Initially do your research on food safety and take a food safety course and read pertinent information from both the FDA and local DOH. After that, decide if you want to manufacture yourself or co-pack. Again, research. Starting up is an investment and the more you know before you start shelling out money the less you waste making mistakes. Finally ask questions. Theres tons of sauce makers that have been where you are and will be more than happy to answer questions, just dont expect them to to do your work for you. Finally test your sauces on people who will give you honest feedback. Friends and family will be biased for the most part. Honest feedback may save you from spending a lot of time and money on a sauce nobody wants. Be smart before you start. Jeremy Walsh, Bigfats Hot Sauce .

I tell everyone that asks me this question is that you better be ready to work super long hours and have an extreme passion for the industry. Steve Seabury, High River Sauces

On the light side I would say to remember all the people that said, This is great-you should get it in stores, and remind them of that when you need financing! Bill White, Slap You Silly Hot Sauce

How To Make Louisiana Hot Sauce

Louisiana hot sauce is one of the simplest types to make. Why?

Because its made from only three ingredients!

These hot sauces are often fermented but you can make a quick cooked version as well.

The most popular version of Louisiana hot sauce is made with Tabasco peppers.

But you can really use any type of hot pepper you want!

Louisiana Hot Sauce Ingredients

• 1 Pound Chili Peppers chopped
• 2 Cups White Vinegar

• Add all the ingredients to a pan over medium high heat.
• Simmer for 10 minutes until the chilies are soft.
• Let the mixture cool to room temperature, then blend till smooth.
• Strain the mixture and bottle.

Because of the vinegar, this hot sauce will keep for months.

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Should I Use A Blender Or A Food Processor For Homemade Hot Sauce

Using a blenderlike this helps make the smoothest, creamiest hot sauce in town. But if you only have a food processor, thats fine too. Just be sure to process until liquified and smooth. Consider straining it through a fine mesh strainer if it is not as smooth as youd like.

If you use a blender, make sure your blender can handle hot liquids. If not, wait until the mixture has cooled a bit before you blend it. Weve had aBlendtec for 4+ years and have never had a problem with hot liquids

Also, this sauce tinted our blender a lovely shade of orange. We have been able to get the color out over time, but heads up if you care about the aesthetics of your kitchen appliances!

Choose Your Chile Peppers

Your choice of pepper will have the most profound effect on the flavor and texture of your finished sauce. Sure, you could always throw a bunch of Thai bird chilies in some brine and YOLO it with Scoville units . But sometimes its nice to be a little more deliberate.

Fresh Peppers Versus Dry Peppers

For starters, its helpful to select fresh peppers that have maximum microbial potential. Look for peppers that havent been surface-treated with pesticides, coated in wax or petroleum oil, or irradiated to extend their shelf lifeall of which run the risk of inhibiting the growth of lactic acid bacteria. Organic peppers tend to check these boxes, but an organic label isn’t a guarantee of that. Your best bet? Grow your own chiles or, if you cant grow your own, find a friend who does. If you cant find a friend, then look for a local farmers market or co-op. And if you cant find either of those…then you go to the grocery store and roll the dice on commodity peppers .

Nevertheless, using dried peppers opens up a new realm of distinct flavors. The drying process concentrates flavor and creates earthy aromas reminiscent of dried fruits. In some cases, dried chiles take on a brown or deep red appearance due to mild, non-enzymatic browning via Maillard reactions. And chiles dried with smoke, such as chipotle morita chiles, have an intense flavor that carries over into a finished fermented sauce.

Spice Level

Thick or Thin Skin

Thick or Thin Wall

Membranes and Seeds

Actual Flavor

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Wait Do You Have To Ferment Homemade Hot Sauce

Dont get intimidated! This is a super easy fermentationeven easier than sauerkrautand it gives a complex, interesting flavor to the hot sauce. Heres how easy it is to ferment your own hot sauce:

Trappey’s Bull Louisiana Hot Sauce

New Iberia While Trappeys may not be a household name outside of Louisiana, its one of the oldest hot sauce brands in the United States, going back to the 19th century, when a former Tabasco employee decided to forge his own spicy trail. The company may now be owned by B& G Foods, which is based in New Jersey , but since its been producing the same Louisiana pepper sauces for over a century, we figured it warranted inclusion here. The two most notable Trappeys offerings are Bull and Red Devil, both of which are familiar LA-style red pepper sauces. Our distinguished panel of judges all enjoyed the Bull, but it didnt do anything particularly special to stand out from the pack, other than to be a thoroughly trustworthy hot sauce. Solid marks for flavor here, but few for originality. “Very traditional,” Bill says.

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What Goes Into Hot Sauce What Does Vinegar Do To Hot Sauce

The main ingredients of most hot sauces are vinegar and chili peppers. Both of these ingredients have natural preservation properties that keep your sauces safe to eat for longer periods of time. The capsaicin in the peppers also helps to prevent the growth of bacteria, and even older bottles of hot sauce are unlikely to cause major illness if consumed after an expiration date.

Additional food safety issues can arise when you begin to add other ingredients into your sauces. Many hot sauce makers are adding a variety of vegetables or using sweet fruits, like pears and apricots, to enhance the flavor of their hot concoctions. These ingredients can lessen a hot sauces shelf life.

Some Like It Hot Essentials: Louisiana Hot Sauce

I love different hot sauces, and I love making my own. This version is as close as I can get to a good Southern hot sauce. It is tangy with heat, and a vinegar hit that is common in this type of sauce.It takes about two weeks to properly ferment, but oh so worth it.So, you ready Lets get into the kitchen.

• peppers, more on this later
• 1/2 c rice vinegar, non-flavored, or distilled white vinegar
• 1/2 c filtered water, more on this later
• 1 tsp salt, more on this later
• OPTIONAL ITEMS

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Making Hot Sauce From Fresh Peppers

There is a MASSIVE variety of chili peppers available to you for hot sauce making, with a range in not only heat but flavor. You can mix and match peppers as well for interesting combinations and heat levels.

Think anywhere from jalapenos to serranos to cayenne peppers to Thai peppers, habanero peppers, superhot peppers like 7 Pots, scorpions, the Carolina Reaper and so much more.

Fermented Hot Sauce Versus Vinegar

Hot sauce is nothing new to the kitchen pantry. Every spice-lover has a mainstream favoriteto say nothing of the vast catalogue of mashes and pastes that includes condiments like sambal oelek, gochujang, or yuzu kosho. For the purposes of this article, though, Im going to focus on puréed, pourable hot sauces.

Broadly speaking, there are two roads to hot sauce: vinegar and fermentation. Vinegar-based hot sauces like Cholula or Valentina can be as simple as blending chiles, vinegar, and salt for a vibrant, sharp, and punchy condiment. These sauces are generally shelf stable thanks to the pH-lowering benefits of the vinegar, which inhibits spoilage.

But what about fermentation?

With a little careful planning and time, making fermented hot sauce can be just as straightforward, and arguably more delicious. Many of the sauces you know and love are fermented, including standbys like Tabasco and Sriracha. Though “fermentation” might sound intimidating, its actually quite straightforward: Chop up some peppers, mix in some salt and maybe some water, and jar it all up. Over the course of a week or two, the pH of the mix will lower thanks to lactic acid bacteria fermentationthe same process thats used to make pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi, and other typically shelf-stable* crowd-pleasers. From there, you simply take the sour and tangy fermented peppers , blend them up into a purée, and enjoy.

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