Here's my only hot sauce recipe - you can use whatever peppers you like. I start with dried peppers and let the vinegar rehydrate them. And since the sauce isn't fermented you don't get that sour, musty taste that I hate about Tabasco.

Fill the Mason jar with the dried chiles and peeled garlic. Dissolve the tablespoon of salt in a cup of white vinegar and pour over the chiles and garlic. Top up the jar with more vinegar and put the jar in a low traffic area to let the chilies rehydrate for a few weeks. Add vinegar as needed to keep the jar full.

After a few weeks empty the contents of the jar into a blender or food processor and puree. Add vinegar (or water) to get to your desired thickness. I like mine to be fairly thick (like catsup with an attitude) instead of runny like Tabasco. As there is plenty of vegetable pulp in this mix, thick is easy.

You can decant into smaller bottles or keep in the quart jug. I have kept some in the ice box for as long as five weeks with no ill effects. I can't seem to get it to last any longer than that. Apparently the longer it sits in the ice box the more of it disappears.

This is a moderately successful attempt to make my own "Huy Fong Sriracha Sauce". It's more garlicky than Huy Fong and moderately spicy and goes well on almost anything. Which, I suspect is why I have never had a batch last more than five weeks.

Devised, made. tested, named and approved in Uncle Dirty Dave's Kitchen. In the heart of the Great American Outback.

From: Dave Drum, Uncle Dirty Dave's Archives
Posted By: Dave Drum, Via: Chile Head Mailing List
Post Date: Sun, 18 Feb 2001