DIY Hot Sauce
Makes 4 to 5 (4-ounce) bottles
Chiles, vinegar and salt are all you need to create your own hot sauce, but if you’re feeling a little more adventurous, you can experiment with other flavorings. Start with smaller amounts of add-ins (like 2 garlic cloves or half an onion) and add more to taste. You can always put more in but can’t take away. Blending raw chiles will have a bright, spicy kick. If you’d rather mellow the sauce a bit, lightly toast the peppers or poach them in the vinegar before proceeding with the recipe. Two caveats: You need some protection. There are few things more painful than a chile finger rubbed in the eye, so gear up in gloves. The second is to be sure to crack a window. Roasting peppers first means there’s always the chance you’ll get chile smoke, and that will kill a rager faster than your ex showing up.
1 pound fresh or 6-8 ounces dried chiles of choice, such as jalapeños, habaneros, Thai red chiles, guajillos, chipotle, poblano, hatch, fresno 3 to 4 cups white or cider vinegar (enough for each person to cover their chiles) Additional flavorings and aromatics: garlic cloves, onions, carrots, citrus zest and juice, sherry, brown or white sugar, mangoes, peaches, and herbs or spices, like dried oregano, cloves, cumin, cilantro, coriander, paprika. Kosher salt 4-5 small bottles or jars per batch to bring home different types of hot sauce.
Instructions: If using dried chiles, reconstitute first: Toast quickly in a pan until chiles just start to turn color and become fragrant, taking care not to burn. Stem peppers and cover with boiling water for 30 minutes. Weight down peppers with a plate to keep them submerged in the water. Remove chiles and proceed with recipe. Save soaking liquid to thin sauce. If using fresh chiles, first stem them. Place chiles in a bowl and cover with vinegar. Let sit for 15-30 minutes. Transfer chiles to blender, along with 1 cup of the soaking vinegar, 2 tablespoons salt, plus more to taste, and any desired add-ins. If using onions or garlic, you can cook and cool first to temper the bite before adding to the peppers. Blend until smooth. Add water or vinegar to thin as needed. Dried peppers will have less water, so they will need more liquid to thin (you can use the soaking water). If using something very hot, like habaneros, it’s a good idea to boil the peppers to temper the heat for about 5 minutes first before pureeing. Strain through a fine mesh strainer, pressing on the solids. Pour into jars or bottles. You can use some of the sauce right away, but it’s best if it sits for at least 1-2 days.
Recommended flavor combinations: Jalapeños with garlic, coriander and lime juice; habanero with onions and peaches (or mango); dried guajillo with sherry, garlic and oregano; Thai red chile peppers with ginger, fish sauce, brown sugar and lime.
Serve your guests: Fun nibbles that would make good hot sauce vehicles so you can try them out — deviled eggs, crackers and cheese, roasted vegetable crudites, plain chicken wings, quesadilla wedges or boiled shrimp. To drink, offer something cold and bright or rich that will cut the heat, like beer, or gin and tonic cocktails.