Homemade Red Hot Sauce from the makers of Ball® Home Canning! Sooo insanely delicious on top of some crispy fried chicken. It's way simpler than imagined and has been fun stocking the pantry with homemade long-lasting foods.
1. PREP Wash tomatoes and red chili peppers under cold running water; drain. To peel tomatoes, blanch 30 to 60 seconds in boiling water. Immediately transfer to cold water. Remove peel. Remove core and chop tomatoes; measure 2 quarts chopped tomatoes. Remove stems from red chili peppers. Chop red chili peppers; measure 1½ cups chopped red chili peppers. Tie pickling spice in a spice bag.
2. COOK Combine tomatoes, red chili peppers, and 2 cups vinegar in a large saucepan. Bring mixture to a simmer; simmer until tomatoes are soft. Purée mixture using an electric food strainer or food mill. Pour purée into a large saucepan. Add spice bag, sugar, and salt. Simmer until sauce is reduced by half, stirring to prevent sticking. Add 2 cups vinegar and simmer to desired thickness, stirring to prevent sticking. Remove spice bag and discard.
3. FILL Ladle hot sauce into a hot jar, leaving ½-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Clean jar rim. Center lid on jar and adjust band to fingertip-tight. Place jar on the rack in boiling-water canner with simmering water (180°F). Repeat until all jars are filled.
4. See caption for last steps since I’m out of room!
