I love spicy foods so much I grow my own peppers.
However, as frosts sweep through in the fall and winter, sometimes you’re stuck picking a whole bunch of peppers all at once in order to save them from the cold.
Since peppers are edible and tasty in all stages of growth, why not make yourself a big batch of hot homemade pepper sauce?
Even better, why not make yourself a big batch of SMOKED hot pepper sauce? I love cayenne peppers but you can use any pepper you like.
Last week I showed you how I turned my StoveTec rocket stove into a makeshift smoker.
Today I’ll show you how to take your smoked peppers and turn them into a hot homemade pepper sauce that’s so savory and incredible that it would make Chuck Norris cry. That is, if he had tear ducts.
Ready? Let’s make it!
A Smoked Hot Pepper Sauce Recipe
First, start with a batch of smoked hot peppers.
Homegrown smoked peppers make amazing homemade pepper sauce.
Red and green cayennes, jalapenos, habaneros, paprikas… I even threw in a handful of green tomatoes.
Now chop off the stems. I use my pair of small Felco picking shears. (RANDOM PRODUCT PLACEMENT!!! EVIL CAPITALISMS!!! Hehhehheheheheheh)
Throw your peppers in the blender.
It doesn’t have to be a grungy hard-water-marked thrift store blender like mine. It can be a nice new blender. Any blender will do, really.
Now cover the peppers in vinegar. If you like cider vinegar, use that. I’ve used white wine vinegar and it was excellent. This time I only have white distilled vinegar, so I used it. It still will taste amazing – trust me.
After you’ve covered your hot peppers with vinegar, run the blender!
I know, that stuff looks like a baaaaaaaaaaaaad college weekend, but stick with me.
Now it’s time to add a tablespoon of salt.
This sauce has a rich, smoky-hot flavor that will make you want to eat more and more of it. I’ve been enjoying it on my eggs every morning, as well as in my chili… on my chicken… in my ice cream…
It’s really good. Try and see. Homemade pepper sauce is pretty simple… but it will have your guests raving over your incredible culinary skills.
So long as they don’t see the grungy blender you made it in. That’s our little secret.
Enjoy!
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18 comments
Blender doesn't look that bad in pictures
Just made this and it is delicious
Didn’t bother canning it as I don’t think it will last that long
That is awesome! Great work, Nikki.
I’ve started smoking peppers then fermenting them in a covered mason jar for a year. I’ve used cayenne, cobra, serrano, habanero, ghost, and scorpion peppers. I blend the peppers with just enough water to run in a blender, add a Tbsp of raw sugar, a Tbsp of kosher (pickling) salt, and a Tbsp of juice from fresh sauerkraut. Place in a mason jar and cover loosely. You want the air to burp out if it runs vigorous. I stir once a week, bottom to top, for 4-6 weeks, then once a month for the rest of the year. You can tell it is getting close when the seeds are almost all fermented and not visible. I take out about 1/3-1/2 cup of mash, place it in the blender with the same amount of vinegar. Add garlic and kosher salt to taste.
That sounds amazing. Thank you for the secret recipe. I need to get my hot peppers growing again so I can experiment.
REPLY: Adam, it should make you a couple of cups, depending on the size of your tomatoes. Mike from Chili Pepper Madness. I have a good crop of cayenne peppers but they have not gone red because of our short growing season at 53 degrees north in England. Will they work as well as red chillies whilst green or do you recommend another recipe? I have used Basket of Fire chillies to great effect with this recipe
Just wanted to say, I’ve been using this recipe for several years with peppers from my garden and my smoker, and everyone, especially me, loves it! Thanks!
That is awesome – thank you, Steve.
What kind of smoke do you like for hot sauce? Hickory, apple wood, cherry?
Hickory or mesquite.
Mostly hickory now. Sometimes oak from the yard. I like both.
aw, yum! now i’m hungry……
Hi David, how much head space do you use for canning this stuff? Thanks!
I use 1/4″ on half-pints, about 3/8 inch on pints. 1/2 on quarts.
The link for how to smoke peppers on a rocket stove does not exist. I wish it did.
It’s fixed. The article was still on my site, but the link got broken.
Can this be fermented into a Tabasco analog?
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