Have extra hot peppers sitting around?
Hot pepper vinegar is easy to make and looks beautiful in the kitchen. And, best of all, it lasts a long time. It’s a southern dining table staple, often found next to salt and pepper and providing a mellow spice to many a meal.
Hot pepper vinegar is the simplest form of hot sauce, just peppers and vinegar (with a few simple extras). So you can enjoy it on any dish that could use a dab of heat. It’s also terrific with salad greens, both raw and wilted, and let’s just say it’s killer on french fries. Any skinny chili pepper will work, but we think serranos are the perfect heat and shape.
This is the perfect recipe to use up those extra chili peppers left over from harvest. If that’s the case, be sure to also check out our jalapeño infused olive oil which is another great “extra pepper” recipe.
Hot Pepper Vinegar
Ingredients
- Serrano peppers at least a dozen, a mix of red and green look best
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
Instructions
- Cut the end and the tip off of the serrano peppers and place them in a clean sauce bottle. Tamp down the peppers slightly and fill up the bottle about 1/2 with peppers.
- Mix the vinegars and bring them to a boil.
- Slowly pour the vinegar into the bottle using a funnel. Fill the bottle up to an inch of the top and seal the top with a cap or cork.
- Let the bottle sit at room temperature for a minimum of one week before using, but three weeks is recommended for optimal heat.
I made it with Carolina Reaper peppers… 🔥🔥🔥 I have never mixed the vinegars before with my pepper sauce but it was excellent. Point of necessity is to wear gloves when processing the Carolina Reaper peppers. I didn’t and even after washing my hands extremely well using the restroom proved to, lets say set things on fire 🔥🔥🔥.