I love to add a little heat to my food but not at the expense of the flavor. Emmaline lived in Texas for a few years and more than once she heard chipotle peppers referred to as the solution to all life’s problems. Just in case that’s true, we better all keep a little of this Chipotle Hot Sauce in the fridge.
Chipotle has an addictive smoky flavor that bursts out of the bottle and you’ll only need a little Chipotle Hot Sauce at a time to liven up your meal.
This Chipotle Hot Sauce is a wonderfully spicy hot sauce that still has that smoky goodness of chipotle that I love so much. I am going to add a little warning here: This is very spicy! If you want to knock down the heat, experiment with reducing the amount of Chipotle Pepper Powder. This hot sauce is good on anything you would use a hot sauce on.
Chipotle Hot Sauce
This recipe makes 7 half-pints of Chipotle Hot Sauce.
Ingredients:
6 pounds peeled, seeded, diced tomatoes (If you have questions about how to blanch tomatoes, take a look at our blanching tomatoes video.)
3/4 Cup Chipotle Pepper Powder
1 Cup Sugar
1 Tbsp Salt
2 Tbsp mixed pickling spice (in a tea/spic ball, spice bag, or cheesecloth)
4 Cups White Distilled Vinegar (divided into 2-2 Cup portions)
Cooking:
Soften tomatoes with vinegar and chipotle pepper powder
Soften the tomatoes by simmering with 2 cups of vinegar and the chipotle pepper powder for about 20 minutes.
puree tomato mixture
Puree the tomato mixture in a blender or food processor.
add all ingredients except the last 2 cups of vinegar
Place the puree in a large saucepot and add the sugar, salt and spice bag. Simmer until it is thick.
add the rest of the vinegar
Add the last 2 cups of vinegar.
Continue to simmer until it is your desired thickness.
Equipment Preparation:
While your sauce is simmering on the stove it is time to prepare your canning equipment.
Place your half-pint jars in the oven to heat at 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place a small saucepan on the stove on simmer and insert your lids to soften the seals.
Fill your water bath canner half full with water and place it on the stove on low to begin heating. Do not let it get too hot, just warm it up.
Gather your ladle, jar lifter, lid lifter, chopsticks, clean cloth, and any other needed supplies for canning.
Filling and Processing Jars:
fill jars
Fill the jars leaving 1/2-inch headspace.
Use a chopstick to remove any air bubbles.
If you spilled on the edge or rim of the jar, use a clean cloth to wipe the rim clean.
Place the lid on top of the jar and add the ring. Tighten the ring to fingertip tight.
Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes if at sea level. Remember to adjust your processing time if you are above 1000 feet in elevation.
processing complete
Once your jars have completed processing, use the jar lifter to remove them from the boiling water bath canner. Space the jars about an inch apart on the counter for 24 hours to cool and completely seal.
If your jar did not seal, then place it in the refrigerator and use it immediately.
Store the sealed jars in your pantry to enjoy for the next 1-3 years. After three years the nutritional value of canned food diminishes. The quality is best during the first year.
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