Hot and super-hot peppers

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JASinIL2006

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I've got a decent crop coming of a variety of peppers: habanero, Carolina Reapers, a new Mexican hybrid (from my Ag professor neighbor), and some kind of thin, red Thai-style chili (I was told they were buena mulata but I'm starting to doubt that, as none of them are purple).

Last year, I made an bottled quite a variety of hot sauces as well as some spicy pickles, and I expect to do the same this year. I'm looking for some other ideas as to what to do with all these peppers. I can always dry some, but I'm wondering if you all have any interesting ideas for hot peppers?
 
Habanero is about as hot as I can stand. Ghost peppers are too hot for me. I eat jalapeno peppers almost every day on something.

Habanero has the best flavor in my opinion. One habanero in a pot of beans will be plenty as far as spicy heat and flavor goes.

I eat a breakfast taco almost every morning and I eat hot sauce on my breakfast taco.

I like red Thai peppers in Thai food but they have an Asian taste to me. Cayenne peppers don't.

I love green hatch chili peppers roasted. I mix up hatch green roasted peppers with olive oil and Mexican oregano. I put goat cheese on your favorite cracker with the green chili mixture. It makes a great appetizer.
 
1. Hot pepper relish.
I usually use about 75% jalapeño or Fresno with other hotter peppers for the remaining 25% plus 10% onion. Blend it all up in a food processor with salt. This year is the first time I have fermented the entire batch for 1 week, then add in sugar and apple cider vinegar and cook for 10 minutes. Cool and serve on anything.
2. Try fermenting other stuff with the peppers. I just did a Fresno chilli bosenberry hot sauce that was really nice. About 10% berries in the ferment
 
Glass jar, with glass weights on the peppers to keep them submerged, and a water-filled airlock in the lid. I fermented peppers last year for a couple months. They shouldn’t too funky, but the extra time should develop some really deep flavors in addition to the heat. In theory, anyway…
 
Hunan-style pepper relish is great on tons of things. Red hot peppers, chopped, some salt, and a few weeks in a jar, then refrigerate. This relish is a necessity for many Hunan dishes, but even just spooning it over a whole fish, with slits cut in the side, rubbed with salt, then steaming, produces a dish of some merit.
 
JASinIL2006 said:
Ooh,that looks interesting. I don't suppose you have a recipe you'd care to share?
Click to expand...

Sure, I take 8 Habaneros (or Scotch Bonnet), fine julienne (I remove the seeds; it's hot enough); half head of green cabbage, shredded; half a white onion, julienned; 2 shallots, julienned; 2 medium carrots, julienned; 1 cup white vinegar; 1 cup lime juice (around 10 limes).

Combine the onion and cabbage with 1/2 cup of Kosher salt and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Add carrots, chiles, and shallots, and toss. Let sit 10 more minutes.

Put the mixture in a narrow 2 qt container with an airtight lid. Mash everything down. Put it in the fridge for a day.

Traditionally had with grilled fish and Haitian pork dishes. Also great with pate or anything mild and salty/fatty.
 
Similar to above would be kimchi, but it is fermented so it has no vinegar. It only takes a week to ferment.

For excess peppers you can freeze them. You can freeze whole or dice them.

You can also dry peppers and either grind various chilis into powder or make a hot chili oil with roasted dried pepper flakes.
 
If I have bushels of really hot peppers then I make a hot sauce taught to me by a Haitian woman who everyone called Mama. She usually used habaneros or scotch bonnets and everyone who had gardens would bring in their hauls and she would make gallons of the stuff. It works with smaller volumes as well, but the bigger the batch the silkier smooth the finished texture.

Destem the peppers. For smaller peppers just leave them whole. Deseed if you don't want crazy hot hot sauce.
Place peppers in a stock pot. Add 1 diced onion and 2 cloves of garlic for every 5 pounds of peppers or so.
The stock pot volume should be only slightly larger than your volume of peppers and veggies.
Fill pot with cold water.
Bring to a boil. Add some salt and stir it up. Be wary of the fumes.
Turn off the heat and cover tightly.
Let steep for a few hours.
Drain water.
Add some Dijon mustard to help hold the emulsion and some olive oil to improve the mouth feel.
Blend it all with a stick blender, food processor or regular blender.
More salt to taste.
Keeps for about 10-12 days in the fridge or a year in the freezer.
 
stringer said:
If I have bushels of really hot peppers then I make a hot sauce taught to me by a Haitian woman who everyone called Mama. She usually used habaneros or scotch bonnets and everyone who had gardens would bring in their hauls and she would make gallons of the stuff. It works with smaller volumes as well, but the bigger the batch the silkier smooth the finished texture.

Destem the peppers. For smaller peppers just leave them whole. Deseed if you don't want crazy hot hot sauce.
Place peppers in a stock pot. Add 1 diced onion and 2 cloves of garlic for every 5 pounds of peppers or so.
The stock pot volume should be only slightly larger than your volume of peppers and veggies.
Fill pot with cold water.
Bring to a boil. Add some salt and stir it up. Be wary of the fumes.
Turn off the heat and cover tightly.
Let steep for a few hours.
Drain water.
Add some Dijon mustard to help hold the emulsion and some olive oil to improve the mouth feel.
Blend it all with a stick blender, food processor or regular blender.
More salt to taste.
Keeps for about 10-12 days in the fridge or a year in the freezer.
Click to expand...
Oh add some fresh squeezed lemon juice at the end too.
 
Cliff said:
Sure, I take 8 Habaneros (or Scotch Bonnet), fine julienne (I remove the seeds; it's hot enough); half head of green cabbage, shredded; half a white onion, julienned; 2 shallots, julienned; 2 medium carrots, julienned; 1 cup white vinegar; 1 cup lime juice (around 10 limes).

Combine the onion and cabbage with 1/2 cup of Kosher salt and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Add carrots, chiles, and shallots, and toss. Let sit 10 more minutes.

Put the mixture in a narrow 2 qt container with an airtight lid. Mash everything down. Put it in the fridge for a day.

Traditionally had with grilled fish and Haitian pork dishes. Also great with pate or anything mild and salty/fatty.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I’m making this! How long does it hold in the fridge? A week or so?
 
stringer said:
If I have bushels of really hot peppers then I make a hot sauce taught to me by a Haitian woman who everyone called Mama. She usually used habaneros or scotch bonnets and everyone who had gardens would bring in their hauls and she would make gallons of the stuff. It works with smaller volumes as well, but the bigger the batch the silkier smooth the finished texture.

Destem the peppers. For smaller peppers just leave them whole. Deseed if you don't want crazy hot hot sauce.
Place peppers in a stock pot. Add 1 diced onion and 2 cloves of garlic for every 5 pounds of peppers or so.
The stock pot volume should be only slightly larger than your volume of peppers and veggies.
Fill pot with cold water.
Bring to a boil. Add some salt and stir it up. Be wary of the fumes.
Turn off the heat and cover tightly.
Let steep for a few hours.
Drain water.
Add some Dijon mustard to help hold the emulsion and some olive oil to improve the mouth feel.
Blend it all with a stick blender, food processor or regular blender.
More salt to taste.
Keeps for about 10-12 days in the fridge or a year in the freezer.
Click to expand...

Okay, I’m making Mama’s sauce, too. Do you discard the water?

I might try a batch with some/all Reapers. Mine are just starting to color up. I’ll probably make some with only habaneros for those who don’t want so much heat.

Thanks! i’ll let you know how it turns out.
 
JASinIL2006 said:
Okay, I’m making Mama’s sauce, too. Do you discard the water?

I might try a batch with some/all Reapers. Mine are just starting to color up. I’ll probably make some with only habaneros for those who don’t want so much heat.

Thanks! i’ll let you know how it turns out.
Click to expand...
Yeah we always discarded the water. I'm sure if you were really adventurous you could try and do something with it. Maybe as the base for a spicy soup or beer or something. Idk

This is one of the spiciest ways I know how to make hot sauce for one of those little dab will do you hot sauces. But by letting it steep and cook for awhile, I think it's a little easier for your body to process than one that is made with dried chili powder or fresh raw chilies. It will still rip your backside open on the way out if you aren't careful.
 
Here is some habaneros hot sauce I made last week. It is hard to eat it all before it goes bad as it is very hot. I think I will try your recipe next.

IMG_0445.jpg
 
How long it will keep will be a function of 3 things. Salinity, pH and what was alive in the mixture to start.

With high enough salt content it will last forever. Same if the pH is less than 4.0

Another option to make things last longer is paturization. You can bring everything to a boil and then cool. Will extend the self life considerably
 
Cliff said:
Sure, I take 8 Habaneros (or Scotch Bonnet), fine julienne (I remove the seeds; it's hot enough); half head of green cabbage, shredded; half a white onion, julienned; 2 shallots, julienned; 2 medium carrots, julienned; 1 cup white vinegar; 1 cup lime juice (around 10 limes).

Combine the onion and cabbage with 1/2 cup of Kosher salt and let it sit for 10 minutes.

Add carrots, chiles, and shallots, and toss. Let sit 10 more minutes.

Put the mixture in a narrow 2 qt container with an airtight lid. Mash everything down. Put it in the fridge for a day.

Traditionally had with grilled fish and Haitian pork dishes. Also great with pate or anything mild and salty/fatty.
Click to expand...

Made my first batch last night with my first harverst of habaneros this summer! Can't wait to try it.

habaneros.jpg

pikliz.jpg
 
Ema Datshi, a staple of the Bhutanese diet. I think you can freely play with the chili varieties and the cheese, IMO, doesn't need to be yak or dzomo but making it without red rice is just wrong.
 
LostHighway said:
Ema Datshi, a staple of the Bhutanese diet. I think you can freely play with the chili varieties and the cheese, IMO, doesn't need to be yak or dzomo but making it without red rice is just wrong.
Click to expand...

That looks really interesting, but I'm afraid it would be lethal if made with superhots... I might try it with some other varieties, though! My sister actually travelled through Bhutan several years ago (not a country that allows many tourists, from what I understand), so I would make some in honor of her!
 
JASinIL2006 said:
Just tried it yesterday! I really like it; it has just enough heat to be noticeable. (Although my wife desribed it as 'hell in a jar', but she's a bit of a pepper wimp.) I need to find someone to share it with, though, because a quart and a half of that stuff will last a long time...
Click to expand...

Sharing is a good thing. When I made my Habanero hot sauce, I took some over to a friend of mine which happens to be a pepper head also. He actually eats ghost peppers which are too hot for me.

Speaking of sharing. I have been taking a small Ziplock bag full of habaneros over to my local Taco stand by me every Tuesday. I went over for a Taco on Thursday he had already sold out. He now has a following which likes his mom's habanero hot sauce. His mom makes it great. He won't give out the recipe. I now can't keep up with the demand. I only have 4 habanero bushes. I will need to plant more next year.
 
JASinIL2006 said:
Just tried it yesterday! I really like it; it has just enough heat to be noticeable. (Although my wife desribed it as 'hell in a jar', but she's a bit of a pepper wimp.) I need to find someone to share it with, though, because a quart and a half of that stuff will last a long time...
Click to expand...

I'm so glad! Yes, for me too. One jar lasts awhile. I have it alongside fatty things like pork shoulder that could use some zip. I've also found friends who love it as much as I do.
 
Cliff said:
I'm so glad! Yes, for me too. One jar lasts awhile. I have it alongside fatty things like pork shoulder that could use some zip. I've also found friends who love it as much as I do.
Click to expand...

Pikliz is a hit! I gave some to my sons, but I haven't heard how they're using it. I like it with pork chops, and it's actually really good on hot dogs! It was delicious on a pulled pork sandwich, too.
 
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