Grand experiment version 2.0

[flamin lib]

Grand experiment version 2.0

100 ml rum
50 ml red wine vinegar
50 ml water

two habanera peppers seeded
tsp fresh thyme
tsp fresh oregano
½ tsp sugar
½ tsp all spice
½ toe garlic

Puree all and let sit for two-three days in the ‘fridge. I switched to fresh herbs on the hope that they might offer more flavor than dried. Added sugar and garlic because all the recipes I find on-line have those ingredients.

Initial impression is this stuff is hot right now and it doesn’t dissipate very quickly. Right now it’s too hot to taste any of the spices. I’ll let ya’ know in two days.

Version 1.0 is here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=236x64804
and the verdict on 1.0 is here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=236x65059

The goal is to come up with a hot sauce that actually has flavor as well as heat, can sustain some heat but not blow your head off hot.

Some have suggested Siracha sauce but that comes under the heading of blow the top of your head off hot. I put two dashes in two quarts of bloody mary mix and it’s almost too much.

It’s a delicate line to walk. If this doesn't please me I’ll try a combination of Jalapeno and Habanera peppers. Japs for the fruity pepper flavor and Habs for the shear heat.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

1. Siracha is blow your head off hot?

I eat it straight on crackers.

[bicentennial_baby]

2. I put two dashes in a single Bloody Mary

Makes it MUCH better :9

[flamin lib]

3. Well good for you guys. It's hellatious hot. Period. There are

hotter condiments out there to be sure but lets put things into perspective.

Look at the ingredients which are listed by volume: first ingredient is pepper. Water and vinegar are down the list.

Yeah, I know there's a certain machismo/a to likin' it hot but mere mortals are more interested in flavor than braggin' rights.

Oh, and if you're one of those who bite the tip of the pepper and offer it to someone else, shame on you!

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

4. It's not made with habeneros

If you're looking for something less hot, you picked the wrong pepper to experiment with.

[flamin lib]

7. No, it's not. It is made with some unnamed pepper from SE

Asia. There are peppers out there that make habaneras look mild. The stuff is hot. Way hot. No flavor beyond heat.

Nothing wrong with that, it's just not what I'm looking for. Cholula has heat and a lot of flavor to back it up but too much vinegar for my taste. It's close but no cigar.

I know that hot sauce aficionados are loyal to their favorites and I'm not trying to assail personal taste. I'm trying to arrive at a whole different condiment.

I still have to figure out if the rum and vinegar will cure the mix instead of cooking it. Heating it will definitely change the flavor and I'll have to start over.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

9. Actually, habeneros are the hottest peppers on the scoville scale

[flamin lib]

14. Nope, there are several hotter than habeneras.

But that aside, lots of other factors can adjust heat.

Didn't mean to start a controversy.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

8. You've got a tender palate......

I'm not particularly macho - macha - but I do like a good hot sauce, and Sriracha doesn't qualify as one. It's got some zing to it, but it's not "blow your head off" hot. Jeez, around here, we cover pizza with it before eating, and it just gives the pie a whole other dimension.

Funny that you get so defensive because someone has a different taster than yours. "... braggin' rights"?

It's just how we taste things differently, that's all.

Good luck with your experiment...............

[bicentennial_baby]

10. I love it on eggs

And I make a killer Sriracha pasta dish. :9

:hi:

[Tangerine LaBamba]

11. Hash browns,

toss it with some, and in salad dressings, just for a zing.

My most recent favorite thing - I don't feel so good when I'm done, but it's worth it - is to take one of my favorite Doritos:



and squirt some Sriracha on it.

It is so good, I get weak and a little weepy.

So, big girl, how did the fete go? Are you wearing garlands and waving to the adoring public?

I'll be off to the Post Office early next week - I'll let you know when to watch your mailbox.......................

:toast:

[bicentennial_baby]

12. Ooh, I'll have to try that!

I haven't tried that flavor yet.

It was fun! I only had to stand and get clapped for 3 times! :P

I got to take a lot of pictures with my friends and our professors. I'm really going to miss my Profs.

And yay! I'm excited. :)

:fistbump:

[Tangerine LaBamba]

13. THREE TIMES!!!

And you're just starting, kid.

Way to go, honey..................

[flamin lib]

15. My palet isn't particularly tender. Pickled japs strike me as about

5 on a scale of 10. Tabasco falls into that zone but too vinegary - is that a word?

Perhaps we're talking about different sauces. That's all I can figure, 'cause the stuff I bought isn't something most people would eat a lot of.

[Warpy]

5. I warned you about how hot sauces bloom

Consider how much hotter a pickled jalapeno is than a fresh pepper.

Those 2 habaneros are likely to be one and a half too much. You will quite likely find yourself mixing that stuff into a vat of chile one drop at a time.

They don't call 'em Yucatan killers for nothing.

[flamin lib]

6. Yeah, I kinda' figured that. The idea is to find degrees of heat

balanced against flavor. I anticipate 2.0 will be way hotter than I want but hopefully I can blend 1.0 with 2.0 to achieve a blend that satisfies.

I've tried to keep the ingredient volumes to near equal so blending the finished sauces will yield a result similar to what I'm looking for. Then I can change the recipe to achieve the desired effect first time 'round.

1.0 was too mild when mixed with food; it had no staying power so to speak. 2.0 will probably be way to hot but stay with the tongue and possibly build slowly as more of the meal is consumed.

For what it's worth, I have a very well fed garbage disposal ;-) not ashamed to admit a mistake!

Now, I need a source for bottles to serve this stuff in . . .

[Blues Heron]

16. what kind of texture are you getting - is it coming out thick?

Or is it thinner like tabasco?

I really like the belizian hot saces (marie sharps, and Jardine's Sontava) they're made with carrots for taste and color, and have a lot of flavor. they're nice and thick too

here's the list of ingredients for the Jardine's "Sontava"

habanero peppers
carrots
onions
lime juice
vinegar
garlic
salt

Good luck with v.2.0!

:hi:

on edit - just found out that jardines is made by marie sharps - it's the same sauce! no wonder I thought it was just as good as marie sharps!

[flamin lib]

17. Thanks for the ingredient list, I think I'll try something like that

as well. This one will require some cooking to extract the flavor from the carrots. I think all the available sauces are cooked, if for no other reason than to pasteurize them for shelf life.

Version 2.0 assessment is up now.