This hot sauce recipe is made with fiery devil's tongue peppers for a nice level of heat, along with lots of garlic, ginger, turmeric and honey for a touch of sweet. Let's make hot sauce!
It's hot sauce making time in the Chili Pepper Madness kitchen again, my friends. Then again, when is it NOT hot sauce making time. I make hot sauces all year long, but right now I'm making a lot more because my garden is exploding with peppers.
Literally EXPLODING! I don't know how many pounds of peppers I've pulled from my wonderful little garden. And I am truly a lucky man to have all of these wonderful chili peppers.
I preserve chili peppers in so many different ways, but making hot sauces is one of my favorites. Hot sauces will last for many months (or longer) and you can drizzle them on just about anything. I grew more than twenty varieties of chili peppers this year and one of the most productive plants by far was my Devil's Tongue pepper plant. Holy peppers!
I got dozens and dozens of pods from that plant. I am freezing some, drying some for making powders, creating some quick chili pastes, and of course making hot sauce with them, which I'm sharing with you below.
About Devil's Tongue Peppers
Devil's Tongue peppers are similar in color and shape to the Fatalii pepper, but with smaller pods and smoother skin. The peppers mature to a bright yellow or yellow-orange and has a sweet, fruity flavor, if you can get past the intense heat.
The peppers were discovered in Pennsylvania growing among other habanero peppers, so it would appear it is a habanero type, though its exact origins are unknown. The heat level rivals that of the habanero and is still much hotter than most peppers.
Learn more about Devil's Tongue Peppers here.
Let's talk about how we make our own devil's tongue hot sauce at home, shall we?
Devil's Tongue Hot Sauce Ingredients
- Devil’s Tongue Peppers. See notes for alterative peppers.
- Carrot. Peeled.
- White Onion. Peeled.
- Garlic. I like a lot of garlic!
- Ground Ginger.
- Ground Mustard.
- Honey. Optional.
- Turmeric.
- Sea Salt. I used smoked sea salt.
- Ground Black Pepper.
- Apple Cider Vinegar.
- Water.
How to Make Devil's Tongue Hot Sauce - the Recipe Method
First, chop the peppers, carrot, onion and garlic. Add them to a pot with the remaining ingredients.
Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. You can simmer longer if you’d like to develop the flavors more.
Cool slightly then pour the mixture into a food processor or blender. Process until smooth.
Add a bit more water if you’d like to thin the sauce out a bit to your preference.
You can serve it as is or strain it through a fine mesh sieve for a much smoother hot sauce.
Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator.
BOOM! Done! That's it, my friends! Look at that vibrant color. Looks wonderful, doesn't it? It's nice and SPICY. I love it. I hope you enjoy it.
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Yield. This recipe makes 1.5 cups strained when I added a touch more water. You can thin it out further with more water, or skip the straining for a chunkier sauce. It also upscales very nicely, so if you want to make a double batch, just double all of the ingredients.
- Heat Factor. HOT. Devil’s tongue peppers pack a nice punch of heat.
- If you can’t find devil’s tongue peppers, use habanero peppers or scotch bonnet peppers instead. Realistically, this hot sauce recipe will work with ANY type of pepper.
- pH/Acidity. I measured this sauce at 4.1 pH. If you’d like to preserve the hot sauce in a water bath, I suggest adding more vinegar or a citrus, like lemon or lime juice, to achieve a pH of 3.5 or lower.
- Safety. It is best to wear gloves when working with hot peppers. Hot peppers contain oils (capsaicin) that can cause burning sensation on your bare skin. Gloves will help. If you do feel the burn on your skin or when eating peppers or hot sauce, see my post on How to Stop the Chili Pepper Burn.
Frequently Asked Hot Sauce Questions
Here are answers to some of the most common questions I get about other hot sauces:
How long will this Devil's Tongue Hot sauce keep?
This hot sauce should keep a few months easily in the fridge, or even longer. It's all about the acidity. To be technical, target level pH for shelf stable foods is below 4.6 pH, but should probably be lower for home cooks, around 3.5 or so, to account for errors. This particular sauce measured 4.1 pH for me, so if you'd like it to last even longer, add more vinegar or a citrus (such as lemon juice or lime juice) to lower the pH. Sauces made with fermented chili peppers will last even longer.
The best ph meters that I recommend are from Thermoworks. Get yourself a ph meter from Thermoworks today. I am a happy affiliate.
Where'd You Get those Hot Sauce Bottles?
I find them locally sometimes, but I also order through Amazon. Here is a link to some bottles I like (affiliate link, my friends!): Swing Top Glass Bottles, 8.5 Ounce - Set of 4. If you like the smaller bottles (woozy bottles) that most hot sauce makers use, here's another link: Hot Sauce Bottles (Woozy Bottles), 5 Oz - 24 Pack.
Can I process this hot sauce for longer storage?
Absolutely. Just be sure to use proper canning/jarring safety procedures. Also, I would lower the pH to 3.5 if you're running them through a water bath.
The National Center for Home Food Preservation provides home canning instructions and many recipes that have been tested for food safety. NCHFP.uga.edu.
What should I do with hot sauce?
Aside from drizzling it over anything you please, here's a post I did about How to Cook with Hot Sauce. As if you need even MORE reasons to eat hot sauce. I hope you find it helpful!
Try Some of My Other Popular Hot Sauce Recipes
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Devil's Tongue Hot Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 ounces devil’s tongue peppers see notes for alterative peppers
- 4 ounces carrot peeled
- 4 ounces white onion peeled
- 2 ounces garlic or more as desired – I like a lot of garlic
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon ground mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey optional
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon sea salt I used smoked sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup water + more as desired
Instructions
- Chop the peppers, carrot, onion and garlic. Add them to a pot with the remaining ingredients.
- Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. You can simmer longer if you’d like to develop the flavors more.
- Cool slightly then pour the mixture into a food processor or blender. Process until smooth.
- Add a bit more water if you’d like to thin the sauce out a bit to your preference.
- You can serve it as is or strain it through a fine mesh sieve for a much smoother hot sauce.
- Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator.
Notes
Heat Factor: HOT. Devil’s tongue peppers pack a nice punch of heat.
If you can’t find devil’s tongue peppers, use habanero peppers or scotch bonnet peppers instead. Realistically, this hot sauce recipe will work with ANY type of pepper.
pH: I measured this sauce at 4.1 pH. If you’d like to preserve the hot sauce in a water bath, I suggest adding more vinegar or a citrus, like lemon or lime juice, to achieve a pH of 3.5 or lower.
Nutrition Information
Colin says
I made this today, with a variation. I used Red Scorpion chilies. I also added 1lb of pears. It’s good.
Mike H. says
Thanks, Colin!
Colin says
Also did your pickled red onions. I shall let those settle for 2 weeks, and then I’ll let you know.
Cheers, Colin.
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome! I hope you enjoy that, too! Cheers, Colin.