Bottling/Storing Hot Sauces: Longevity, Safety, etc.

[p_nate]

Hi there, brand new to this site. I've just started getting into making my own hot sauces and after a day of Googling I've been unable to really find an answer to what I think is one of the more important questions:

What's the best way to bottle and store my new concoction, and how long will it last?

Basically I'm starting with pretty simple recipes, mostly using jalepenos and thai dragons. Some fresh, some dried. And while I have done a VERY little amount of pickling in the past, I'm not entirely sure on the basics on how to store my hot sauce, nor how long it'll stay good. I do know that unless I drop the acidity to around 4, I've got a risk of botulism. So would someone please give me some pointers on how to cook, bottle, and store my new addiction? Thank you! :)

Nate Parker

[Tina Brooks]

You will also want to check the moisture levels of those dried peppers... ANY liquid will raise your botulism risk.

We use a bain-marie method... heat bathing the jars for several minutes to vacuum seal the jars. But then we only use fresh peppers and avoid oils, so we don't have to worry about botulism.

Such jars are good indefinitely, so long as the jar remains sealed, BUT, we tell everyone that they are good for only 1 year, because after that time, the peppers can deteriorate in strength.

Beyond that, we time test our sauces both in the fridge and on the back of the stove to see if we actually have an open jar shelf-life.

You will have to do that yourself.

T.

[p_nate]

Thank you! :)

Nate

[Tina Brooks]

You're welcome.

And good luck to you.

T