The Homemade Pantry's Hot Sauce

By
Caroline Russock
Caroline Russock is a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Caroline Russock
Caroline Russock is a writer who splits her time between Philadelphia and the Caribbean covering food, travel, leisure, lifestyle, and culture.  Her writing is featured in PhillyVoice, Eater, Eater Philly, Serious Eats, and The Tasting Table. 
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Updated August 30, 2018
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This Hot Sauce adapted from The Homemade Pantry by Alana Chernila takes a blend of chiles (dealer's choice), chars 'em up, and blends them with two sour elements—white vinegar and lime juice—and a touch of sugar for a sauce with a nice balance of heat, pucker, and sweet. But of course, your sauce is ultimately contingent on the chiles you pick, so give 'em a little taste before you take the hot sauce plunge.

What Worked: Store bought is great, but customizing your own personal blend of chiles for hot sauce is even better—brag-worthy even.

What Didn't: Chiles are trial by fire in a very real way, so be prepared for all sorts of heat, or lack thereof. Oh, and that part about wearing gloves should be taken very seriously.

Suggested Tweaks: This recipe is really just a template. Feel free to play around with not only the chiles but the sugar and acid components as well.

Reprinted with permission from The Homemade Pantry by Alana Chernila. Copyright © 2012. Published by Clarkson Potter. Available wherever books are sold. All rights reserved.

Recipe Details

The Homemade Pantry's Hot Sauce

Active 15 mins
Total 30 mins
Serves 24 servings
Makes 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients

  • 1 pound mixed chiles

  • 1 cup distilled white vinegar

  • 1 tablespoon salt

  • 1 tablespoon lime juice (from 1/2 lime)

  • 2 tablespoons honey

Directions

  1. Preheat your broiler (on a medium setting, if it has one), and set a rack 10 inches from the top of the oven. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment.

  2. Lay the chiles on the sheet and puncture each with a fork. Broil until the chiles are black and bubbling, 5 to 10 minutes depending on the heat of your broiler. Flip the chiles with tongs and broil until the other side is black and bubbly.

  3. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and put all the chiles in a medium bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let sit for 15 minutes, then the chiles will be ready to come right out of their skins.

  4. Put on your gloves. Slide each chile out of its skin, then remove the stem and as many seeds as you can.

  5. Transfer the chiles into a food processor or blender and add the vinegar, salt, lime juice, and honey. Blend until smooth, about 1 minute.

    Store covered in the fridge for 6 months.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
15Calories
0gFat
3gCarbs
0gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 24
Amount per serving
Calories15
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g0%
Saturated Fat 0g0%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 266mg12%
Total Carbohydrate 3g1%
Dietary Fiber 0g1%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 27mg137%
Calcium 4mg0%
Iron 0mg1%
Potassium 63mg1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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