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. Hey, there is never enough hot sauce! My garden is EXPLODING with all sorts of peppers this year, but one of my most prolific plants is my Scotch Bonnet plant. Talk about production! I’ve received many pounds of Scotch Bonnet peppers this year and I’m hugely thankful for them. Scotch Bonnets are great peppers and they offer up a nice level of heat. Scotch Bonnets are very often used in Caribbean cooking, where they originated and are widely grown. Dishes like jerk chicken or Jamaican Hot Pepper Sauce require the flavor and heat of the Scotch Bonnet. Learn more about Scotch Bonnet peppers here. Today I’m going to make a quick and easy Scotch Bonnet hot sauce that is infused with curry powder, garlic and lemongrass. The flavor is very much like a spicy curry sauce. You can easily make a big batch of this recipe and use it as a curry sauce for chicken, beef, pork or seafood, or use it as a nice finishing hot sauce for your curries or other dishes. The heat level is quite hot, so if you’re plan is to use it as a curry sauce, you may want to cut it with other ingredients or milder peppers. Let’s talk about how we make the hot sauce, shall we? This recipe makes 10 ounces curry sauce, strained. Enough to fill 2 5-ounce woozy bottles.
How long will this Hot sauce keep?
This hot sauce 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 3.5 or so, to account for errors. This particular sauce measured 3.7 pH for me, so if you’d like it to last even longer, add more vinegar or a citrus (such as lemon juice or lime juice) 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. Also, I would lower the pH to 3.5 if you’re running them through a water bath. The National Center for Home Food Preservation provides home canning instructions and many recipes that have been tested for food safety. NCHFP.uga.edu. NOTE: This recipe was updated on 4/15/20 to include new information. It was originally published on 10/7/19.
