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Roasted Ghost Pepper Sauce

Name: Roasted Ghost Pepper Sauce – Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 ounces ghost peppers (about 5-6 average sized ghost peppers); 6 ounces carrot (about 1 medium sized carrot); 3 garlic cloves; 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar; ¼ teaspoon lemon extract (or use the juice from 1 lemon); Salt to taste; ½ cup water (for thinning, or use more as desired)

by Mike Hultquist · Oct 26, 2018 · 66 Comments · Jump to Recipe

This roasted ghost pepper sauce recipe roasts several ghost peppers with carrots and garlic to make a very spicy yet also sweet sauce that can be used to enhance many dishes.

More ghost pepper recipes, my friends! This time in the form of HOT SAUCE! Super excited.

Hot sauces always excite me. There isn't a better condiment out there. Hot sauces can be used to flavor and spice up practically every food there is - we're talking breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, dessert, snack time, come on! When DON'T we need hot sauce?

Don't answer that. Because I always need a good hot sauce on hand to add that pizzazz we all crave.

If you want to cook with ghost peppers, you need to be ready for the heat. Ghost peppers, aka Bhut Jolokias, top out at over 1 Million Scoville Heat Units, which is roughly 200+ times hotter than an average jalapeno pepper.

Learn more about ghost peppers here.

Hot sauces are one of my favorite things to make. I've become a bit fanatical about it, really. You can tell by the growing collection of Hot Sauce Recipes on the web site.

I've made a number of different ghost pepper sauce and hot sauce recipes on the web site - I'll link to those below - but for this sauce I'm oven roasting the ghost peppers first along with garlic and carrots to bring a unique and satisfying flavor.

Wait, Carrots? YES!

Carrots have an innate sweetness that brings that quality as well as substance to the finished sauce, especially when they're roasted. You'll be surprised at the flavor of the finished sauce.

Let's talk about how we make this particular ghost pepper sauce, shall we?

How to Make Roasted Ghost Pepper Sauce - The Recipe Method

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Slice the ghost peppers in half lengthwise (be sure to wear gloves!) and place them on a lightly oiled baking sheet.

I removed the seeds from my ghost peppers, but you don't have to.

Next, peel and slice the carrots in half and set them on the baking sheet.

Slice the ends off of the garlic cloves and set them on the baking sheet. This will let them squeeze out of their skins easily.

Bake the veggies for 20 minutes, or until the carrots have sufficiently softened.

Remove and give the carrots and ghost peppers a rough chop. Set them into a food processor.

Squeeze the garlic out of their skins into the food processor.

Add in a bit of apple cider vinegar, lemon extract, salt to taste and about a quarter cup of water. Process until smooth. It should be fairly thick at this point.

Adjust the consistency of the sauce with a bit more water to your personal preference. Enjoy!

Recipe Tips

Ghost Peppers. The recipe calls for 2 ounces of ghost peppers, which is roughly 5-6 average weight pods. However, you can add more of them if you'd like more heat and more pronounced ghost pepper flavor.
Add Sweetness. If you're looking for a sweeter version of this sauce, add in a bit of honey or agave nectar to the mixture. Fruits are also great for this. Brown sugar would be an interesting addition as well.
Flavor Adjustments. You can also round out flavors to your preference with fresh or dried herbs, other chili peppers, and/or powders.
Water Alternatives. Instead of water, consider broth or beer, but I would simmer the sauce about 15 minutes first to let those flavors meld.

Safety Advice

When working with hotter peppers, including superhots, it is important to wear gloves when handling the peppers both in raw and dried forms. The oils can get on your skin and cause burning sensations. See above.

Need help? How to Stop the Chili Pepper Burn On Your Skin.

Also, the fumes from the chili peppers and/or the fine powders may get into the air if you are not working in a well ventilated room, so you may want to wear a mask and goggles. Superhot chili peppers, truly, are called superhots for a reason.

Here are some answers based on the many comments I get on other sauces. Here goes:

How long will this hot sauce keep?

It 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 4.0 or lower, to account for errors. I have not measured the ph of this sauce, but I won't have it around very long anyway. If you're concerned, add more vinegar or a citrus to lower the ph.

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 that hot sauce bottle?

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 that most hot sauce makers use, here's another link: Hot Sauce 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.

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 Popular Ghost Pepper Recipes

Check out more Hot Sauce Recipes or learn more about How to Make Hot Sauce - The Ultimate Guide.

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.