In article >,
George Shirley > wrote:

> On 9/7/2011 10:34 AM, Nicholas Fryer wrote:
> > Greetings one and all!
> >
> > I am new to canning and preserving, so please bear with me
> >
> > I grew a bumper crop of cayenne peppers this year, and I want to make
> > a thin, "Tabasco"-style hot sauce. I want to bottle this sauce and
> > process it so that it is shelf-stable. If I make enough, I would like
> > to give it as gifts to friends and family. The only problem is that I
> > cannot seem to find good instructions on how to accomplish this! Any
> > suggestions y'all may have will be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks in
> > advance!
> Hot sauce is normally made with fermented chiles. I used to make quite a
> lot until they ate out the lining of my stomach.
>
> Basically you need to wash, cap (take off stem), dry, and then fine chop
> the chiles. Put them in a large jar or crock, cover top of chiles with
> about a half-inch layer of pickling or kosher salt. Leave in a dry, cool
> place, like a cellar and keep an eye on the stuff. If it grows mold you
> need to scrap it off. It will mellow out and get good over time.
>
> Alternatively you can just make the stuff the way you want, run it
> through a blender or a food processor until slurried, add about 30% by
> volume of 5% USP white vinegar, mix well and blend.
>
> Tabasco is fermented in a played out salt mine on Avery Island in
> Louisiana. It is in used wooden barrels, salted down and the lids
> replaced and held for a year before processing. The salt mine provides a
> constant humidity and temperature which is used for making fermented
> sauces. YMMV.
>
> Do a Google on this newsgroup and you should find several references to
> "Hot Sauce" from the last nineteen years.
>
> George

D'ya think that's the most asked question here, Jorge? I still have
your stuff in my fridge. It keeps well. :-)

--
Barb,
http://web.me.com/barbschaller September 5, 2011