Habanero Hot Sauce

The bounty of peppers continues at my office. This time it’s a mixed bunch of habaneros. Good thing, because my last precious bottle of Marie Sharp’s is almost empty and I don’t have another trip to Belize to pick up more scheduled for anytime soon.

For this recipe, I’m looking for a good amount of heat. The orange habaneros run about 350,000 Scoville units, and the red savina will go to a whopping 580,000. But it’s not all about the heat – the veggies and fruit juice are there to tone down the burn and help round out the flavor.

NOTE: Before you even think about making this sauce, turn on your stove’s exhaust vent, open your windows, and don a pair of latex gloves. These peppers will give you a burn that keeps on giving, and you don’t want that near your eyes or any other sensitive parts, if you get where I’ve drifted.

18-20 Habanero chiles, roughly chopped
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 medium carrot, chopped
1/2 c cider vinegar
Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
Juice of 1 orange (about 4 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon kosher salt

In a small stock pot, saute the onion and garlic in oil until soft. Add the carrots with a 1/4 cup of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until carrots are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the vinegar, lime juice, orange juice, and peppers. Cover pot pot with a lid and cook until peppers are soft, about 10 minutes.

Let mixture cool. Place mixture in blender and puree until smooth. Add more vinegar if the mixture is too thick. Pour into a bottle and store in the fridge.

The Verdict: ★★½☆☆
Oh, sweet baby Jebus, please make the burning stop!!! This stuff is HOT! What the hell was I thinking? A bushel of freaking carrots and a tree full of limes wouldn’t knock the heat outta this stuff. Okay, whew, relax, it’s not face melting/mind-numbing hot, but it’s a WHOLE LOT HOTTER than I thought it would turn out.

I’m going to stick this pint o’ napalm way in the back of the fridge for a bit and see if it mellows any. Failing that, I might just bottle this up into little jars and give it away to “special” people on my Xmas list ;).

One thought on “Habanero Hot Sauce”

  1. Nice job, Dave, even if it does peel paint:)

    I hope it mellows some because you deserve a good result from this effort.

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