Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H. There are some outstanding artisan hot sauce products out there on the market today, and I enjoy many of them, but I also enjoy making my own hot sauce, depending on what I’m in the mood for or on what meals I may be planning in the upcoming week. For this week, I KNEW I would be needing some habanero hot sauce. Making hot sauce is one of them. Yes, you CAN make hot sauce from dehydrated chili peppers. The result is as good as making hot sauce from fresh peppers. And, dehydrated peppers have an advantage in that they won’t go bad. But if you’re in a colder region where it is difficult to obtain fresh peppers, dehydrated will absolutely work for hot sauce making. You only need to rehydrate them by steeping them in very hot water for about 30 minutes or so. They soften right up and are ready for hot sauce. I kept it simple this time around, using only 6 ingredients. Add the remaining ingredients and process until well chopped and combined. Add to a pot and bring to a quick boil. Watch out for the fumes! Reduce heat and simmer. Pour into a bottle and use it all up! This sauce has the consistency of a thick ketchup and goes with anything. Yes, ANYTHING! You can always thin out the sauce by adding a bit of water when processing or by straining out some of the solids, but I like it nice and thick.
How long will this sauce keep?
It should keep a few months easily in the fridge, or even longer. It’s all about the acidity. To be technical, target level ph for shelf stable foods is below 4.6 ph, but should probably be lower for home cooks, around 4.0 or so, to account for errors. If you’re concerned, add more vinegar to lower the ph. Sauces made with fermented chili peppers will last even longer. The best ph meters that I recommend are from Thermoworks. Get yourself a ph meter from Thermoworks today. I am a happy affiliate.
Can I process this hot sauce for longer storage?
Absolutely. Just be sure to use proper canning/jarring safety procedures. Check out more Hot Sauce Recipes or learn more about How to Make Hot Sauce.
