Habanero madness, batch II
Welcome to the world the second batch of Crazy Otter Pineaple-Habanero Madness.
The color comes from the orange of the habaneros, the yellow of the pineapple, and some arbol and guajillo pepper I put in. The red peppers don’t add much heat compared to habs, but the color difference is awesome.
This batch was larger. Last time I only made a few bottles, planning to give two away and keep the other. My wife used half a bottle, and then gave away the rest. So much for the bottle I was planning to keep. The only option was to make a larger batch so we can give more away.
My bottle of sauce is the very large bottle that originally contained “Gold Peak Sweetened Tea” (wonderful stuff). It was considerably bigger than the gift bottles. I sterilized the bottle and the lid with hot water and bleach, so it’s safe. I took out my big portion of the sauce first, so we can maybe give a few of the little bottles away. Does that make me stingy?
The other thing I’ve been learning is just how hot you have to make a sauce that is going to be used on meats. I don’t know how it happens, but chicken and pork and beef just seem to suck all the scovilles out of the sauce. If it’s not seriously intense straight, it’s not going to do anything on a meat dish. I have to taste the hot sauce in order to check the balance of heat to sweet to savory. There are about two dozen habanero peppers in there, so the first and second tastings were pretty intense. It’s tasty, but it is not mild.
Tomorrow for breakfast: eggs and pain.
You are so sick. Someday I hope to taste one of these.
Comment by Darrin Thompson — 2009-April-22 @ 01:25
Tks.
After recovering overnight, I had it on eggs this morning. I like it. It is finally thinned to the right consistency so it stays put but it doesn’t pile up. It tastes like habeneros, not like a vinegar hot sauce that has some habaneros in it, but like habeneros. There are some extras in there to enhance it, but it’s really really good.
Comment by Tim — 2009-April-22 @ 01:57
I’m less equipped than ever to endure spicy food. It’s a sad fact, but one that I have to live with.
Comment by Glen — 2009-April-22 @ 09:02
Interesting concept, adding pineapple. Does the extra sugar mellow it out any?
I wonder if it is, or could be, as hot as the “spicy pork” that Pete Gross talked me into eating in Korea. 8-0
Oh, and say I to Glen for me.
Comment by Walter Moore — 2009-April-23 @ 11:29
In the caribbean, they use tropical fruits and scotch bonnet peppers (habaneros) together quite often. It does mellow the pepper, partly because of dilution and partly from the acid in the pineapple juice. I balance those with some more savory elements.
Still, if you have ever eaten a nice, ripe, sweet habanero straight you would find that it tastes much the same. Everything else was for preservation, consistency, color, a bit of depth and balance.
Comment by Tim — 2009-April-24 @ 01:54