How to Make Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: March 18, 2020 References

The ghost pepper, also known as the bhut jolokia, is infamous for once being the hottest pepper in the world. Naturally, that makes it fun to incorporate into a hot sauce. You can make a simple sauce with a few vegetables or oven roast the peppers for a different flavor. To balance out the heat, try adding sweet fruits like pineapples. Add the sauce to any recipe you would like, but keep a few glasses of milk on hand to cool your taste buds.

Ingredients

Vegetable Sauce

1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
6 ghost peppers, chopped
1 small onion, diced
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons (30 ml) red wine vinegar
½ cup (120 ml) water

Oven-Roasted Pepper Sauce

6 ghost peppers
1 lb (0.45 kg) cherry peppers
5 cloves of garlic
¾ cup (180 ml) white vinegar
½ cup (120 ml) honey
¼ cup (60 ml) Chinese black vinegar
1 tablespoon (15 ml) dijon mustard
1 teaspoon (5 ml) soy sauce

Pineapple Sauce

16 oz (450 g) pineapple, cubed
4 ghost peppers
1 small onion, cubed
1 carrot, chopped
¼ cup (60 ml) golden raisins
4 garlic cloves
1 lime
¹⁄₂ oz (14 g) ginger, chopped
½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) turmeric
½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) cumin
¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml) cinnamon
¼ cup (60 ml) sugar
1 tablespoon (5 ml) salt
1 ½ cups (350 ml) vinegar

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:
Vegetable Sauce

1
Slice up the onion and tomatoes. Use a sharp knife to cut the ingredients into pieces. Cut the onion into small, finger-sized pieces. Divide the tomatoes into similarly sized chunks too. You can cut them into wedges a little larger than the onions.^{[1]
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2
Cut apart the peppers. These peppers are so hot that they will irritate your skin. Always wear kitchen gloves when handling them. Slice off the stems, then cut the peppers from side to side. Divide them into slices a little bigger than the onions. You don’t have to remove the seeds.^{[2]
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- Be careful of any lingering pepper juice. Wash it off when get the chance. Avoid touching your eyes.
3
Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Place a pan on the stove and add the oil to it. Olive oil is a common choice, but other cooking oils may be used instead. Turn on the stove to let the pan heat until the oil is hot.^{[3]
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- When the oil is hot, it glistens. It flows smoothly if you tip the pan. It should not smoke, so if you see smoke, move the pan off the heat.^{[4]
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- Canola oil is a standard replacement for olive oil. It has less flavor. Other vegetable oils, including corn oil or peanut oil, may also be used.
4
Cook the onions, tomatoes, and peppers into the pan for 10 minutes. Add the 3 ingredients you cut earlier, stirring them with a spoon to coat them in oil. The heat softens the ingredients and begins drawing out their flavor.^{[5]
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5
Add vinegar, salt, and water to the pan. Measure out the liquids and pour them into the pot. Also add the salt to season the sauce.^{[6]
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Reduce the heat so the sauce simmers for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to a medium-low setting. The sauce should gently bubble, indicating that you have it at the right temperature. Leave the pot on the stove, uncovered, for 20 minutes.^{[7]
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7
Cool the sauce for a few minutes and pour it into a food processor. After the 20 minutes are up, remove the pan from the heat. For safety, let the sauce sit on the stove for about 5 minutes. The open your food processor and pour the ingredients into it. Turn on the processor to break down the ingredients into a smooth sauce.^{[8]
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8
Pour the sauce through a funnel into resealable containers. Use resealable hot sauce bottles or mason jars to hold the sauce. Make sure the jars have been thoroughly washed and disinfected. Pour the sauce into a funnel placed on top of the bottles, then let the bottles cool, uncovered, on the counter.
9
Refrigerate the sauce in the resealable containers. After 10 to 20 minutes, when the bottles no longer feel hot to the touch, move them to the refrigerator.^{[9]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:
Oven-Roasted Pepper Sauce

1
Preheat the oven to 350 °F (177 °C). Turn on the oven and let it heat up. While you wait, prepare your other ingredients.^{[11]
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2
Lay the garlic and peppers on a baking sheet. Spread both varieties of peppers over a baking sheet along with the garlic. Remember to wear gloves when handling the peppers and avoid touching your skin.^{[12]
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3
Rub olive oil into the peppers. Drizzle teaspoons of olive oil over each pepper. While wearing gloves, rub in the olive oil. Get the peppers slick and coated, adding more oil as needed.^{[13]
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4
Roast the ingredients for 30 minutes. Set the baking tray on a rack near the middle of your oven. Close the door and let the onions and peppers cook for 30 minutes. The peppers and onions shouldn’t need to be flipped over, but you can do this halfway through if you want to make sure they roast fully.^{[14]
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Remove the baking tray and cool it for 5 minutes. After the 30 minutes are up, shut off the oven and take the baking tray out. Set it on the stove to let the onions and peppers cool.^{[15]
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6
Destem the peppers and peel the garlic. Wear gloves to protect yourself from the pepper juice. First, peel the outer skin off the garlic. Then move on to the peppers. Slice off the stems. You don’t have to cut the ingredients or take the seeds out of the peppers.^{[16]
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7
Blend the ingredients to make a smooth sauce. Move the baking tray’s contents into the blender. Run the blender until the ingredients are broken down completely. You should end up with a smooth, even sauce.^{[17]
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8
Pour the sauce into a saucepan with the remaining ingredients. Pour the sauce into a saucepan and set it on the stove. Next, add both types of vinegar, the soy sauce, the honey, and the mustard. Mix the ingredients together.^{[18]
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9
Bring the sauce to a boil. Turn the heat up to high and wait a few minutes. The sauce will get hot and begin to bubble. Once it does, the sauce is done and can be removed from heat.^{[19]
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10
Pour the sauce into bottles to cool. Pour the sauce into sauce bottles or mason jars. Leave the bottles out on a counter, uncovered. Wait between 10 and 20 minutes for the bottles to no longer feel warm to the touch.^{[20]
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11
Refrigerate the sauce for 3 days before using it. Move the cooled sauce bottles to the refrigerator. After 3 days, all the flavors will have developed and you can add the sauce to any recipe you wish.^{[21]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:
Pineapple Sauce

1
Peel and cut the ingredients. Chop the pineapples down into small, finger-sized pieces. You can use canned pineapple chunks that are already cut to this size. Do the same with the onion and the ginger. The pieces don’t have to be perfectly even. Also peel the garlic and the lime before tackling the chilis.^{[22]
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- Again, wear gloves when handling the peppers. Cut off the stems, then cut the peppers into pieces the same size as the pineapple chunks. You don’t have to remove the seeds.
2
Pulse all the ingredients except vinegar in a food processor. Vinegar is the only ingredient you should leave out for the time being. Place the chopped ingredients in the blender along with the spices and seasonings. Tap the pulse button on your processor to gradually break the ingredients down.^{[23]
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- Process the ingredients until they reach a smooth consistency like mashed potatoes. This is a puree.
3
Cook the sauce with vinegar on the stove for 15 minutes. Pour the sauce into a pot on the stove and add the vinegar. Turn the heat to medium-low and wait for the sauce to begin to bubble. Leave it to cook uncovered for 15 minutes.^{[24]
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4
Blend the sauce again if it isn’t smooth. Remove the sauce from heat and check it again before bottling it. If it looks chunky, pour it back into the food processor. Blend the sauce on a normal setting until it looks smooth and even.^{[25]
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5
Pour the sauce into bottles. Set up your hot sauce bottles or mason jars. Make sure the glass is clean and disinfected. Then, bottle the sauce. You can use a funnel to help get the sauce into the bottles. Shut the lids tightly once you’re done.^{[26]
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6
Boil half a pot of water. You can preserve your sauce with a hot water bath. Getting a water bath canner from a kitchen supply store makes this process easier, but it isn’t necessary. Add the water to a kitchen pot large enough to hold the sauce bottles, then turn the heat to high so the water boils.^{[27]
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Leave the sauce bottles in the bath for 10 minutes. Lower the sauce bottles into the water, using a rack if you have one. Wait for the water to boil again. When it does, begin counting down the 10 minutes. Boiling the jars helps sterilize them and preserve the sauce.^{[28]
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- Make sure the water is about 2 in (5.1 cm) above the jars. You may need to add more water before beginning the 10 minute countdown.
8
Dry the jars and age the sauce in the refrigerator. Move the jars to a towel to let them dry. After they’re finished drying, move them to the refrigerator. Wait a week before enjoying your sauce. The flavors will be well worth the wait.^{[29]
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Community Q&A

Question

If I make the pineapple sauce and put the peppers in a water bath, do I have to refrigerate them, or could I just put them in a cabinet?

Community Answer

You need to refrigerate it, as it is perishable, and will go bad, otherwise.

Warnings

These peppers are extremely hot. Wear rubber gloves when handling them and keep your arms covered. Avoid touching your eyes or skin after handling the peppers.

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Eat with caution!

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