The Carolina Reaper held the Guinness World Record for the world's hottest chili pepper in 2013, with an average Scoville Heat Unit rating of over 1.6 million. The world’s hottest chili is a crossbreed developed by Ed Currie. American breeder Currie crossed a Pakistani Naga pepper with a red habanero and developed the Carolina Reaper. The chili gets its name from its small pointed tail. It can be grown at home year-round, at mild temperatures. It grows up to 2-3 inches in a suitable setting.
Carolina Reaper has earned fame among heat-loving circles. It may be impossible to eat on its own for most of us, but there are still ways to enjoy it. A single Carolina Reaper is enough to spice up many sauces.
Our Carolina Reaper hot sauce recipe calls for a few common ingredients. But, when you add the Carolina Reaper, you will have a very spicy sauce that you can use to add heat to pastas, burgers, pizzas, beef, meatballs, or chicken dishes.
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Ingredients
- Onions — 2 pcs., medium-sized
- Red bell peppers — 4 pcs.
- Red chili peppers — 4 pcs., fresh
- Garlic — 10 cloves
- Lemon juice — 1 cup, freshly squeezed
- Dried oregano — 2 tsp.
- Apple cider vinegar — 3 tbsp.
- Brown sugar — 4 tbsp.
- Salt — 1 ½ tsp.
- Ground black pepper — ½ tsp.
- Carolina Reapers — 2 pcs., dried
Instructions
- Prepare the sauce ingredients. Peel and cut the onions into big chunks. Peel the garlic cloves. Cut the stems of the bell peppers and deseed them.
- Wearing plastic gloves, cut the stems of the fresh chilis and dried Carolina Reapers.
- Put all the sauce ingredients into a food processor container. Run it until you get a homogenous mixture.
- Transfer the mixture to a pot. With the lid half covered, heat the sauce on medium heat on the stove. When the mixture reaches a rolling boil, reduce the heat to low. Let the sauce simmer for about 20 minutes until it thickens. Stir occasionally. Remove the pot from the heat when you have a thick sauce.
- Pour the sauce into a sterilized mason jar or a sauce bottle. Close the lid tightly.
Substitutions
- Brown sugar — The recipe calls for brown sugar because it has a caramel flavor that goes well in spicy sauces. But if you have granulated sugar at home, you can use it instead.
- Apple cider vinegar — You can substitute apple cider vinegar with another vinegar, such as grape, rice, or red wine.
Variations
- Add smoke — If you don't mind an extra step to give the sauce another flavor layer, we recommend roasting the bell peppers, onions, garlic, and fresh chilis. To do this, preheat the oven to 400 F or gas mark 6. Prepare the vegetables as the recipe calls for. Cover the bottom of a baking tray with a baking sheet and put the vegetables in. Cook them in the oven for about 10-12 minutes. Then put them in the blender and process them with other ingredients.
Equipment
- Measuring spoons and cups
- Plastic gloves
- Chopping board
- Knife
- Food processor
- Pot with lid
- Mixing spatula
- Mason jar or sauce bottle
- Stove
Storage
- Until you open the bottle, you can store the sauce at room temperature. Once opened, you should keep it in the refrigerator. You can store it for about three weeks.
- The sauce is suitable for freezing. You can store it for up to six months.
Pro Tips
- When freezing the sauce, it's best to do it in tiny portions. For this, you can freeze the hot sauce in ice cubes. Small portioning gives you more control in adjusting the heat level.
Carolina Reaper Hot Sauce Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pcs. onions medium-sized
- 4 pcs. red bell peppers
- 4 pcs. red chili peppers fresh
- 10 cloves garlic
- 1 cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 2 tsp. oregano dried
- 3 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 4 tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. ground black pepper
- 2 pcs. Carolina Reapers dried
Instructions
- Prepare the sauce ingredients. Peel and cut the onions into big chunks. Peel the garlic cloves. Cut the stems of the bell peppers and deseed them.
- Wearing plastic gloves, cut the stems of the fresh chilis and dried Carolina Reapers.
- Put all the sauce ingredients into a food processor container. Run it until you get a homogenous mixture.
- Transfer the mixture to a pot. With the lid half covered, heat the sauce on medium heat on the stove. When the mixture reaches a rolling boil, reduce the heat to low. Let the sauce simmer for about 20 minutes until it thickens. Stir occasionally. Remove the pot from the heat when you have a thick sauce.
- Pour the sauce into a sterilized mason jar or a sauce bottle. Close the lid tightly.
Video
Notes
- When freezing the sauce, it's best to do it in tiny portions. For this, you can freeze the hot sauce in ice cubes. Small portioning gives you more control in adjusting the heat level.
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