Homemade Tabasco

 

This is a straightforward recipe for making any kind of tabasco. If you want to make Louisiana Style red tabasco, use cayenne peppers. If you want to make green tabasco, use jalapenos. In my case, I had a big tub of both green & red scorpion peppers my mom gave me, so I separated green from red and made separate batches: one Red Scorpion and one Green Scorpion.

In this 2016 list of the hottest peppers, two varieties of Scorpion pepper are listed as hotter than ghost pepper. I'm not even sure what variety we have, but it is HOT and makes for SUPER HOT tabasco. However, as I stated before, the following instructions can be used for making any sort of tabasco: jalapeno, cayenne, etc. You can make it as hot or as mild as you choose! 

 

Here's our sink full of red and green scorpion peppers, along with a few jumbo sized cayennes.

 

Instructions

Step 1. In a covered container, combine:
1 pound of peppers, washed and chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 cup white or apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 cup sugar

Step 2. Cover the container and refrigerate for 24-48 hours.

Step 3. Transfer the ingredients to a saucepot over medium-high heat. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes to soften the peppers. Stir occasionally.

(If you plan to can the tabasco, this is when you'll sterilize your jars and bring a filled water bath canner to a boil.)

Step 4. Use a spoon or ladle to transfer ingredients to a blender or food processer and process until smooth. If you do an enormous batch like I did, you will need to do several rounds of this. Don't leave behind any liquids in the saucepan - the vinegar needs to be included, too.

(As I processed mine, I poured the tabasco directly into sterilized jars for canning.)

Step 5. Enjoy!



The original recipe is supposed to make 1 cup of tabasco, but I ended up with ten times that, as you can see here.

Do you make your own tabasco? Please share your tips and thoughts in the comments. =)