Making your own hot sauce

Store-Bought vs Homemade

• Many find mass-market hot sauces “meh”, but a few big brands are liked (e.g., Cholula, Valentina, El Yucateco, Tabasco for its simple heat/acid role).
• People share favorite pairings, especially for eggs and potatoes: smoked Hatch sauces, peri-peri, chili oils and crunchy chili condiments, truffle-based sauces.
• Several commenters say making your own transformed their perception of how good hot sauce can be.

Fermentation Techniques

• Core pattern: peppers + 2–3% salt by weight, submerged in brine or vacuum bags, left at room temp then moved to fridge.
• Strong emphasis on keeping solids under brine using weights (glass, rocks, onion tops, ziplock bags with brine) to avoid surface yeasts/mold.
• Vacuum-sealed bag fermentation (with 2% salt) is popular for compact storage; occasional venting needed for very sugary mixes.
• Some keep sauces fermenting in the fridge for months or years for deeper flavor; others stop fermentation by simmering and prefer that taste.
• Target temperatures: several note that “room temperature” is vague; ~≤75°F is seen as safer for consistent lacto-ferments.

Safety and Botulism Debate

• Repeated reassurance that lacto-fermented hot sauces are low-risk due to salt and acid; botulism is described as extremely rare in this context.
• Multiple people recommend weighing salt, monitoring pH (<~4.6) and basic cleanliness; some sanitize with brewing chemicals or boiling equipment.
• Strong disagreement over instructions to make vessels fully airtight as a botulism precaution; critics argue botulism is anaerobic and acidity/salt are the real safeguards.
• Thread cites statistics showing botulism’s rarity, but others argue low incidence partly reflects current safety practices.
• Anxiety about home canning is common; several recommend using established canning guides for low-acid foods.

Recipes and Flavor Variations

• Wide range of methods from quick, non-fermented blender sauces (vinegar + chiles + garlic/veg) to long ferments.
• Popular add-ins: garlic, carrots, fruit (mango, pineapple, berries, dragonfruit), sugar, kombucha as a starter, smoked/toasted dried chiles for depth.
• Suggestions for very fast condiments: Thai-style fish sauce–chili–lime mixes, simple vinegar-based sauces.
• Tips: use gloves; seeds/pith drive most of the heat; adjust pepper types to tune flavor vs burn. Ideas appear for mild, capsaicin-free or low-heat sauces (bell peppers, tomatillos, ajvar-style spreads, specialty “no-heat” peppers).

Chili Growing and Pepper Characteristics

• Several report big quality gains after growing their own peppers (bird’s eye, piri piri, siling labuyo, NuMex cultivars).
• One link and discussion suggest commercial jalapeños have been bred milder for industrial buyers, explaining perceived heat decline.
• Side discussion on spelling (“chili/chilli/chile”) and regional usage; consensus that conventions vary by country/region.

HN Meta / Expectations

• Some are delighted this topic rose on HN; others were disappointed the linked article stayed high-level without detailed recipes.
• The article’s author (in-thread) says the goal was to encourage experimentation and point readers to more detailed video resources.