Hot Sauce make!

I've been making my own salsas since I was old enough to hold a knife, but I'd never tried making my own hot sauce and after seeing this video on Etsy and just how simple it is, I had to give it a go -err, uh, a whirl, if you will.

Watch it yourself here: Heatsy!
-Or- for a link to the Etsy recipe, go here: Heatsy! Recipe!

I was curious about the introduction of Sherry in this recipe to infuse the sauce with the flavor of aging in an oak barrel. Ultimately, though, after doing some research on other sauces, I decided on another method. While I'd love to make this and age it in an old oak barrel, since I don't happen to own one, I purchased a grilling plank (and I recommend using one of these as opposed to ordinary lumber to be assured it isn't treated.), sawed it into smallish (2x3 in. or so) bits, then canned my sauce with the heat canning method, inserting a small piece of the wood into each. I reserved one jar of sauce for the refrigerator and after only about a week, I can taste a hint of the wood. The kind of wood you choose will vary the flavors. After finding out that many of the more popular brands of apple cider vinegar are aged in cedar, I decided to try it with my hot sauce, which could prove disastrous but I was interested in experimenting. So far my refrigerator version is pleasantly affected. The kind of wood you choose is your choice, just be certain it's safe to age with and not chemically treated. Most major brands of Tobasco do strain their sauce, whether or not you do is up to you.

Try it yourself!


XO, Debbie