Try Turbo-1's Habanero Sauce - Hot Stuff!

[turbo]

Darn, Astro! Backyard Farms is expanding their (largest enclosed acreage of any building in Maine) greenhouse with yet another greenhouse. With all the tomatoes they grow, surely someone needs to start growing some peppers so that salsa can ensue! Can Mrs. Astro commit to such a project? My wife and I would both love it if you could be Mainiacs!

 

[Evo]

turbo, you would have enjoyed the show on hot food on "Unwrapped" on the Food Network tonight. They showed Blair's death Rain Habanero potato chips, with a scoville rating of 600,000. They are in the Guinness World records as having the hottest foods available.

I don't know how you and astronuc can eat this stuff. For me there is a point where the heat prevents me from tasting the food.

http://extremefood.com/product.php?id=20

 

[Astronuc]

turbo, you would have enjoyed the show on hot food on "Unwrapped" on the Food Network tonight. They showed Blair's death Rain Habanero potato chips, with a scoville rating of 600,000. They are in the Guinness World records as having the hottest foods available.

I don't know how you and astronuc can eat this stuff. For me there is a point where the heat prevents me from tasting the food.

http://extremefood.com/product.php?id=20

Blair's makes some good stuff.

I tried one my hot Portugals last night. One tiny piece and it was firey. It was great!

 

[turbo]

I don't know how you and astronuc can eat this stuff. For me there is a point where the heat prevents me from tasting the food.

http://extremefood.com/product.php?id=20

Surprisingly, the habanero relish is wonderfully tasty with not much mouth-burn as long as you limit quantities somewhat. After eating a hot-dog with 1/2 tsp of that stuff on it though, your scalp will be wet with sweat. The father of the fellow who rebuilt my Evinrude loves hot food, so today I took him down a big bag of all kinds of chilies (along with beets, carrots, and Bell peppers for his wife) and a jar of the habanero relish that I made a couple of years back from store-bought chilies. It's nowhere near as snarly as the stuff I make from home-grown peppers, but I still told Phil to warn his dad to use caution. I gave a jar to a friend of my fathers a couple of years back because his paraplegic son claimed to LOVE hot stuff. He dipped a taco chip in it, took one bite, and acted like he was going to die.

The old guy has to go in for dialysis every couple of days and recently underwent more than a week of hospitalization for a severe E coli infection (heavy rains causing run-off from a dairy farm a mile away to contaminate their well). He's a crusty old character, and if I can keep him eating healthy stuff (like peppers) that he loves, I'll do it. My wife and I used a standard dill-pickle brine recipe to can a mix of chopped jalapeno and Russian garlic a couple of days ago. It hasn't had sufficient time to brine, yet, but she put some in some fresh salsa this morning and I tried a spoonful of the dilled relish neat. Mmmmm! We put up 36 half-pint jars of that, and I may have to make more. It will be great on sandwiches and in salads.

 

[turbo]

Brine for dill pickles is really simple. A good ratio is 1:2 vinegar:water with a cup or less of kosher salt per quart of vinegar. Bring to a boil, and pour into jars packed with chopped jalapeno chilies, garlic (use LOTS of garlic) and fresh dill. Use the yellow dill florets if possible, but fresh dill weed will suffice. Ladle the boiling brine into each jar, leaving 1/4-1/2" head-space in each jar. Cap and seal the jars (lids and jars MUST be sterilized by boiling before use) and process for a minimum of 20 minutes in boiling water. This stuff is just too easy to make.

NOTE: to anyone who hasn't canned before, get a book on the subject by Ball, Kerr, or some other company that sells canning supplies and read up on processing temperatures, processing times, pH, salt brining, etc. Unsanitary conditions and/or inadequate processing can allow anaerobic nasties like Listeria or botulism to develop, so you've got to follow the rules. I have been eating home-canned foods over the past 55 years or so and have never been sickened by it - my mother and grandmother were always very meticulous about their canning.

 

[Moonbear]

I don't know how you and astronuc can eat this stuff. For me there is a point where the heat prevents me from tasting the food.

Everyone has different tolerance levels. Things my mom and stepdad can't eat at all because they claim it's too spicy, I can't even taste heat in. They're going for the water and bread and I'm sitting there confused why they're having a problem because I don't taste any heat at all.

As for the flavor, I can still taste flavor even when the heat is approaching the limits of what I can tolerate, but of course there has to be flavor there in the first place. For example, I think of Buffalo wings. I've had ones that make my lips burn after eating the first one, yet can taste tons of flavor because they're made well with a very flavorful sauce. I've also had ones that are just mildly spicy, but have almost no flavor at all, because the sauce focuses on heat rather than flavors. It probably has to do with what peppers are used to make the sauce...sort of the pepper equivalent to the way tomatoes can either taste sweet and full of flavor when fresh from the garden, or they can be the flavorless things in the grocery store in the middle of winter. They can be all heat with no flavor, they can have lots of flavor but not much heat, or they can have both heat and flavor.

 

[turbo]

Blair's makes some good stuff.

I tried one my hot Portugals last night. One tiny piece and it was firey. It was great!

What family are the Portugals from?

 

[Astronuc]

Some Like It Hot! Making Hot Sauce from Homegrown Chile Peppers
http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1543/



turbo - I think the Portugals are like a cayenne - long and skinny.

I've got some Carribean Reds (variant of habanero - they are more red than orange) and those guys pack a punch. For some reason, they didn't do so well in the upper garden. The rain hasn't been too good either, and I should have watered them more often.

I have something called a 'Cherry Bomb', and I'll post some pics later.

 

[turbo]

Here is the link that Astronuc got by accident when posting about symbiotic fungi in How Does Your Garden Grow? It's pretty basic and those who have been following this thread and trying recipes may have moved past this level of recipe. It's a reminder, though that all the truck-stops that I frequented in the deep south had vinegar on the tables with chilis and (usually) garlic floating in the vinegar. The infused garlic and chili juices flavored the vinegar nicely - it was fantastic on collards and turnip greens. Their recipe is drop-dead simple, and I may have to keep little jar of this stuff in the fridge. I have a bit of a problem with timing - my peppers and garlic are ready when my favorite greens (spinach, Swiss chard, beet greens...) have gone by, bolted, or have gotten too tough to eat as steamed greens. I may still make a bit of the hot vinegar to eat with our frozen greens as we pull them out of the chest freezers after the garden slows.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1543/

 

[Astronuc]

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/356/cherrybombs1006524ue8.jpg
A bowl of Cherry Bombs!

http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/4914/hotpeppers1006525fm4.jpg

The big dark pepper is a Holy Mole, and the smaller ones on the left are hot Portugal's, which are hotter than cayenne. I'm not sure about the big red ones on the right (they are 6+ inches and 1-inch wide at the top) because I misplaced the tag.

 

[turbo]

Those look like fun, astro! If the ones on the right initially started growing pointing up, then started sagging as they got bigger, they might be related to the Super Chilies that we grew last year. They were very nice peppers - hotter than jalapenos with a very nice flavor. I used a lot of them to boost the heat of dill cucumber pickles.

 

[Astronuc]

All those red one's were hanging. I do have 2 varieties where the fruit grows vertically. One is an Apache hot pepper. Unfortunately, they don't have the scientific names on the tags.

Most of the peppers are red. There is another one with long orange peppers, and I'm trying to find the tag for that one. The other long orange ones are a variety called Inferno.

 

[Evo]

Next year I want to grow a variety of peppers. The jalapenos have been producing non-stop, much better than the bell peppers. I now chop at least one fresh jalapeno into everything I make. I now chop 4 jalapenos into my homemade potato salad. I can't believe that I never thought of it before.

 

[Redbelly98]

Have any of you ever taken a sip of coffee after ingesting jalapenos?

 

[George Jones]

Have any of you ever taken a sip of coffee after ingesting jalapenos?

We eat peppers that are a little hotter the jalapenos. I don't drink coffee, but my wife does, and she says that she doesn't recall anything special. Maybe we don't drink hot drinks (tea for me) right after a meal.

 

[Redbelly98]

I find hot coffee, when it follows jalapenos (actually medium-spicy salsa, I assume it's spicy from jalapenos), creates a spicy-tingly-almost-burning sensation in my tongue. Considerably more intense than the salsa by itself produces.

edit:
I didn't notice this until I was in my late 30's and had been a regular coffee drinker for 10 years.

 

[turbo]

Next year I want to grow a variety of peppers. The jalapenos have been producing non-stop, much better than the bell peppers. I now chop at least one fresh jalapeno into everything I make. I now chop 4 jalapenos into my homemade potato salad. I can't believe that I never thought of it before.

Try to find seeds for Hungarian Wax peppers. They are extremely productive and the flavor is killer. They are not excessively hot, but the flavor... Did I mention the flavor...?

Hungarian Wax chilies are the point-man in a lot of recent stir-fries. Got onions, garlic, sweet sausages, Bell peppers, and summer squash? You've got the fixin's for a wonderful stir-fry with these Hungarian chilies. Season, stir-fry in peanut oil, and serve over a bed of rice or noodles. I love Basmati rice, and sometimes have to season that with Javin Brand curry powder. My wife and I have been exploring variations of this general team-up all summer.

 

[wolram]

I made this today and it is one of my better ones.

Vegi hell.

One pepper
One carrot
Half red onion
2oo grm tin red beans in chili sauce
200 grm tin baked beans
2 spear chilis, these ones are about 3 inches long and quite hot
1 large potato
2 cloves of garlic
1 beef stock cube
200 grm strong cheese

Rough chop all the veg and layer in baking tin, chop garlic and add, crumble stock cube in,
add 1/4 cup water, slice potato thin and cover veg, season, drizzle olive over potato, add
cheese topping, bake for about 45mins at 160.

 

[Ouabache]

You'll taste it soon enough! It's pretty easy to make, since my wife decided to further simplify the recipe.

Chop 12 habaneros and 2-3 cloves of garlic in a food processor. Transfer to saucepan with 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1/2 tsp sale, 1/2 tsp sugar and 1 tbsp molasses. Bring to a boil, then transfer to sterilized canning jars and process in a boiling-water bath for 15 minutes.

We doubled the recipe this time, and used a whole large bulb of fresh Russian garlic from our neighbor's garden. Mmmm!

I'd like to can some hot salsa, using habaneros but am allergic to vinegar. As you are quite skilled in hot sauce canning methods, I wonder do you know of any that are vinegar-free?

 

[Ouabache]

Have any of you ever taken a sip of coffee after ingesting jalapenos?

I've had some in my hot cocoa. It give the cocoa a pleasant kick.
(I think it was a Mayan idea). Hmmmm I wonder how it would taste in brownies

 

[wolram]

I've had some in my hot cocoa. It give the cocoa a pleasant kick.
(I think it was a Mayan idea). Hmmmm I wonder how it would taste in brownies

No one will take me seriously but, chili in cake is fantastic, i make a heavy cake with mixed fruit and chopped chilis in.
Also one with ginger powder and hot chili powder, honest you will not want ordinary cake
after trying one of these.

 

[turbo]

I'd like to can some hot salsa, using habaneros but am allergic to vinegar. As you are quite skilled in hot sauce canning methods, I wonder do you know of any that are vinegar-free?

If I had to make a small batch for someone with a sensitivity to vinegar, I would ask if they could tolerate apple juice (for instance) and if so, I would substitute that for the vinegar. The apple juice would make the relish slightly acidic, but not acidic enough to can safely without really long processing times and/or the use of a pressure cooker, which would make the chopped chilies and garlic pretty mushy. In such a case, I would make a small batch, put it into reusable containers and make sure the recipient keeps the relish refrigerated.

You can get plastic lids for conventional canning jars, and that's what we use when making small batches of stuff that is not going to get boiling water-bath processing. I just finished up a small jar of unprocessed dill jalapeno and garlic pickle relish this morning with my breakfast.

 

[turbo]

No one will take me seriously but, chili in cake is fantastic, i make a heavy cake with mixed fruit and chopped chilis in.
Also one with ginger powder and hot chili powder, honest you will not want ordinary cake
after trying one of these.

My wife makes apple bread from an old family recipe, and it's really good. The apples are coming in fast and furious, so if she decides to make some, I'll ask her to try making a loaf with chopped jalapeno chilies added. That might taste pretty good with the apples, nutmeg, cinnamon, etc. She uses chopped raw apples with the skins on, so the bread is pretty colorful already - chilies would add a touch, though.

 

[turbo]

There is a hard frost forecast for tonight, so I'll have to pick all my chilies - ripe or not. Looks like relish-making is going to be a bit early this year. My habaneros got a very late start and with the dark, wet summer, the chilies on those plants did not do very well. Surprisingly, the jalapenos, Hungarian Wax, and Bell peppers all did very well and the cayenne peppers did OK. Most of my garden was trashed by the torrential rains and constant humidity - powdery mildew and other damp-loving pests got the best of my beans, tomatoes, and other crops. No fungal infections on the peppers, though. I made sure to tend the peppers FIRST before tending tomatoes and beans and other crops that were having infestations, and the peppers stayed clean and healthy.

 

[Evo]

A lot of people I work with have gardens and they all said the lack of summer this year just ruined them. Most have already started pulling up their plants.

It's been a weird year. I have one jalapeno bush that is very compact and a heavy producer, it would be lovely inside. I think I am going to bring it in and set a grow lamp over it and see if it will do anything this winter.

 

[Andre]

There is a hard frost forecast for tonight, so I'll have to pick all my chilies - ripe or not. Looks like relish-making is going to be a bit early this year. My habaneros got a very late start and with the dark, wet summer, the chilies on those plants did not do very well. Surprisingly, the jalapenos, Hungarian Wax, and Bell peppers all did very well and the cayenne peppers did OK. Most of my garden was trashed by the torrential rains and constant humidity - powdery mildew and other damp-loving pests got the best of my beans, tomatoes, and other crops. No fungal infections on the peppers, though. I made sure to tend the peppers FIRST before tending tomatoes and beans and other crops that were having infestations, and the peppers stayed clean and healthy.

I would hose everything to get it very wet and then cover it up with big plastic sheets. That would protect against frost.

 

[turbo]

I would hose everything to get it very wet and then cover it up with big plastic sheets. That would protect against frost.

That would work, Andre, but we're headed into a cold spell and I'd have to do that every night for a while. My wife will be able to help me with the processing this weekend, so the timing was right to pick them all. Now that the chilies are picked and chilled, I can take time this weekend to start making my chili relishes. It's going to be a big job, doing this all at once, and it will go quicker with another pair of hands. Last summer I made almost all the pickles, relishes, salsas, etc myself while my wife was at work, and I made LOTS of small batches.

 

[Astronuc]

Roasted Green Chiles and Easy Salsa – a Flavorful Kick
http://www.learn2grow.com/projects/edibles/preservationstorage/RoastedGreenChiles.aspx

Roasting green chile is a Southwestern tradition, and come fall, nearly every market or roadside vegetable stand in the region has a gas-powered chile roaster preparing this delicious pepper treat by the bushel!

 

[Evo]

Roasted Green Chiles and Easy Salsa – a Flavorful Kick
http://www.learn2grow.com/projects/edibles/preservationstorage/RoastedGreenChiles.aspx

A tradition? Never, ever saw this in Houston, and I used to go to the Mexican markets and eateries down around Canal Street at least once a month. Must be a new tradition. Sounds good though.

 

[hypatia]

I love roasted peppers! Pure sweet heat. Its even done here in MI., but I've mostly seen it in Old and New Mexico.

 

[turbo]

I love roasted peppers! Pure sweet heat. Its even done here in MI., but I've mostly seen it in Old and New Mexico.

I love roasted chilies, too, but I don't roast them to peel them because I love the taste of the toasted skins. I put them in a long-handled clamshell-type vegetable basket and roast them on my gas grill.

 

[turbo]

I wish I was physically closer to some PF members. I picked over a bushel of jalapeno peppers today, and had to give away a lot, and still have too much to process and can as relish.

 

[LightbulbSun]

How do you make Turbo's Hot Stuff and what are some of the best uses for it? Could I possibly use it as a dip for corn chips?

 

[turbo]

How do you make Turbo's Hot Stuff and what are some of the best uses for it? Could I possibly use it as a dip for corn chips?

I sometimes make pickles using chili peppers instead of cucumbers. My favorite recipe is to chop chilies and garlic (maybe 4:1) in a food processor, put that into a large stainless steel pot, and cover with cider vinegar. Measure the vinegar cup by cup and for every cup of vinegar you need to add to cover the chilies and garlic, add one tsp of sugar, one tsp of salt and a tbsp of molasses. You can add some chopped dill weed or dill florets (I often do) or some other herbs or seasonings - this is all up to you. Simmer the mix until the ingredients are at the desired consistency, spoon into sterilized canning jars and make sure that liquid covers the solids leaving 1/2" head-space, top with sterilized lids, and process and seal for 20 minutes in a boiling water bath. My description of the canning process is quite minimal here. If you have never canned before, I HIGHLY recommend that you buy a book on home canning by Kerr, Ball, etc, to learn how to can safely and in proper sanitary conditions.

If you make chili relish using this recipe, you will probably not want to use it for dipping - it is generally too hot for that unless you use very mild peppers. It's a great relish to dress hot dogs, hamburgers, sandwiches, etc, and to add to salads.

 

[LightbulbSun]

I sometimes make pickles using chili peppers instead of cucumbers. My favorite recipe is to chop chilies and garlic (maybe 4:1) in a food processor, put that into a large stainless steel pot, and cover with cider vinegar. Measure the vinegar cup by cup and for every cup of vinegar you need to add to cover the chilies and garlic, add one tsp of sugar, one tsp of salt and a tbsp of molasses. You can add some chopped dill weed or dill florets (I often do) or some other herbs or seasonings - this is all up to you. Simmer the mix until the ingredients are at the desired consistency, spoon into sterilized canning jars and make sure that liquid covers the solids leaving 1/2" head-space, top with sterilized lids, and process and seal for 20 minutes in a boiling water bath. My description of the canning process is quite minimal here. If you have never canned before, I HIGHLY recommend that you buy a book on home canning by Kerr, Ball, etc, to learn how to can safely and in proper sanitary conditions.

If you make chili relish using this recipe, you will probably not want to use it for dipping - it is generally too hot for that unless you use very mild peppers. It's a great relish to dress hot dogs, hamburgers, sandwiches, etc, and to add to salads.

Thanks for the info Turbo. I look forward to trying it on a future hamburger.