Anyone like Hot Sauce? (Lots of pics)

[Anonymous]

When I started working Saturday, my boss told me that one of the things I was going to be doing was prepping the chili peppers he had ordered for the yearly batch of Hot Sauce. Now, I work in a country club, and we're talking commercial quantities here, so don't be surprised by the amounts.

Ok, here's the FIRST case of peppers:

<center> <img src=http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/3329/peppersauce1hl0.jpg> </center> <p>
And the SECOND case of peppers:

<center> <img src=http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/3517/peppersauce2kw2.jpg> </center> <p>
There were A LOT of Habanero and Scotch Bonnet peppers, along with a bunch that I couldn't identify off-hand. I'm counting my lucky stars that I didn't accidently cut through my gloves while I was removing the stems. The case of tomatoes in the background of that pic are also going into the sauce, along with a bunch of onions, about a hundred cloves of garlic, some basil, cilantro, and probably almost 3 quarts of olive oil.

What we're going to do is roast the peppers first, then simmer them until the flavors marry and the peppers cook down. Here's a shot of just ONE roasting pan, out of FIVE, full of pepper goodness:

<center> <img src=http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/7084/peppersauce3sy9.jpg> </center> <p>
And here's the whole mass of peppery goodness, being simmered in a "Trunion Skillet", commonly called a "Tilt Skillet":

<center> <img src=http://img107.imageshack.us/img107/4953/peppersauce4lu9.jpg> </center> <p>
And another shot of the "mash" as it's being cooked down. Since it took me 2 HOURS to clean and de-stem two cases of peppers, the roasting pans went in at intervals. The peppers you see floating on top are from the last pan, and never actually cooked down before we blended the sauce.

<center> <img src=http://img107.imageshack.us/img107/8670/peppersauce5yj7.jpg> </center> <p>
My boss decided we had to try the sauce out, what most cooks jokingly refer to as a "quality check", but it just an excuse to nibble. The boss strained some of the liquid from the Tilt Skillet, then cooked off some chicken wings, and tossed the wings with the sauce. Now, mind you, this shot is AFTER about 4 cooks and a couple wait-staff "sampled" the wings. I had 6, if I remember right.

<center> <img src=http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/5329/peppersauce6sx4.jpg> </center> <p>
And the finished product:

<center> <img src=http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/6109/peppersauce7iz7.jpg> </center> <p>
My Chef isn't exactly sure of how much Hot Sauce he ended up with, but he's estimating it's around 12 - 13 GALLONS! We'll be using this to add zip to food for a year or more.

Note: the picture(s) might not show up due to bandwidth limitations. If the picture(s) are not there, check back at a later time.

HH from Allen in MI

 

[Ev from somewhere]

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[todd[ma]]

look behind the scenes making the hot stuff.

 

[John M (Ct)]

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[Ed SW Fla]

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[Craig in Alabama]

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[MK_(MO)]

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[Anonymous]

We were even joking around trying to decide what to call it. Last year's batch was "Meltdown", and he's used "Nuclear" before. My sous-chef was joking around about calling it "Sweet Baby Jesus", as it would reduce anyone to crying that name out.

In actuality, yes, it's spicy, but not terribly so. I ate 6 of those wings, and noticed the burn more on my lips and the tip of my toungue,than anywhere else. My nose was running by the time I finished the last couple wings, but it wasn't one of those things where your whole head is on fire, you're dripping sweat, etc.

The boss let me have a quart, and I forgot to bring it home. Hopefully, my journeys today will take me near my job, and I'll just pop in and grab it.

HH from Allen in MI

 

[therick]

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[deathwind1]

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[Lawrence in Alabama]

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[charlie (ky)]

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[Bobbie]

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[Anonymous]

plus a couple "bottle" Class C Fire extinguishers in prominent locations in the kitchen.

Or do you mean for the flames in everyone's mouths? The "fire" in chile peppers is caused by Capsaicin, the oil present in peppers. This oil is found in the white pith and seeds. The quantities of this oil different mainly between the types of peppers, but will also vary slightly between different fields, and sometimes plant to plant within the same field.

Since Capsaicin is an oil, drinking water won't help; it will just spread the oil around your mouth and increase the burn. Drink milk, which has some fat in it, that will "absorb" the oil and remove it. Alcohol will also cut through Capsaicin, so beer and/or wine is good. Eat bread (not jalapeno cornbread, though), ice cream, sour cream, etc. I've also heard that sweet tend to counter-act the burn, so fruits are good.

One of the other cooks, after eating one wing, had to go get some milk. He said he just couldn't handle the hot stuff. One of the waittresses tried a wing, and had to spit it out. Again, she can't handle spicy stuff. I love it.

HH from Allen in MI

 

[RobRcer]

always wanted to try one. I love hot sauce. They have a hot wing place around here, and if you eat 6 of their special wings without throwing up, you get a free t-shirt. My uncle said after eating them he was sick for a week. lol

 

[Anonymous]

but I've heard that it has a Fruity/Smokey flavor, and of course, lots and lots of heat.

The sauce I helped make initially tastes like bell peppers, for about 2 seconds, then you start to feel the burn.

HH from Allen in MI

 

[BobinMIZZU]

than a jalapeno. They also have a very distinctive perfumy (fruity maybe?) taste. If ya ever try eating one start with a VERY TINY little piece along with food. If you handle that OK then work up gradually. Good luck!