WTF Sauce is a ghost pepper hot sauce that is so hot it will make you go What The F#@K?! Made with ghost peppers, cherry peppers, dijon mustard, and Chinese black vinegar, this sauce is extremely spicy and full of flavor.
WTF?
Weird name for a sauce right? Well today we’re gonna make it! WTF is WTF Sauce? WTF sauce is ghost pepper hot sauce that is so hot it will make you go What The Fuck?!
Ghost Peppers? Are They Haunted?
Let me explain.
A ghost pepper is the hottest pepper in the world. Well it was until a couple years ago before some lunatic crossbred it with a habanero and created the Carolina Reaper. Still, a ghost pepper is extremely spicy.
Did you know there is a scientific scale that measures the spiciness of food? In 1912, an American pharmacist named Wilbur Scoville invented the Scoville Scale. I won’t bore you with the details of the process, but here’s a little info graphic to illustrate the scale.
As you can see, the ghost pepper is exponentially hotter than a your average jalapeño. It’s over 1,000, Scoville Heat Units. Over 2,000 Scoville Heat Units. And yes, over 9000!!!!!
That’s right, Vegeta. OVER 9 HUNDRED THOUSAND!
Now, Ghost Pepper is the English term for it but since it is a plant native to India, you might also see it referred to as the Bhut Jolokia or Naga Bhut Jolokia. It has an incredibly high concentration of capsaicin, which is the chemical responsible for that hot burning sensation we love…or hate.
I Bet It’s Not Even That Hot!
Still don’t believe me? Well check out this video of a meathead who said the exact same thing!
Reduced that Bro to tears!
Now I’m Scared To Try Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce!!!
So, the good news is that there are more than just ghost peppers in this ghost pepper hot sauce. Otherwise, it would basically be inedible. I’m actually going to hit you guys with a lot of information in this post, but if I explain my method maybe you will understand some of the madness.
A ghost pepper is crazy hot. We’ve established that. In fact, the flavor of a ghost pepper will pretty much overpower almost anything you put it on if you’re not careful. What we need to do is dilute it a bit and bring out a few extra flavors that are already in the ghost peppers. For this hot sauce, I used cherry peppers as a base for ghost pepper hot sauce. They’re sweet like bell peppers but also have a bit more flavor. Garlic and honey are also included for a little extra flavor and sweetness.
Most hot sauces use vinegar to cut the sourness and this time we’ll be using plain white vinegar. However, we want to add a little bit more flavor to the ghost pepper hot sauce so brace yourselves! I’m about to introduce you to yet another unique Asian ingredient: Chinese Black Vinegar. Black vinegar is a vinegar made from rice that has an earthy, floral, smoky taste. Now black vinegar is actually very low in acidity at 2% while Heinz white vinegar has 5%. This means you won’t get much bite, but you will get a ton of other flavors and whole lot of robustness.
Lastly, there are different kinds of spicy the body can perceive. The molecule that causes the spiciness in a ghost pepper, and most peppers really, is called Capsaicin. In the chart up above it measures 16,000,000 SHU and lives in the oils of a pepper. That spice usually is what makes your lips burn. Another kind of spicy comes from a molecule in mustard called isothiocynate. It’s that sensation you get when eating horseradish, mustard, or wasabi that you can feel in your sinuses. We’re adding mustard to the WTF sauce!
OK This All Sounds Great, Man, But You Left Something Out. Where Do You Get Ghost Peppers?
That is actually a great question. It’s autumn so they are in season in America and you can find fresh ones in specialty food stores and farmers markets. I, however, grew my own! My mother knows I love spicy food so she bought me a grow your own Ghost Pepper Kit on Amazon. Check it out, ghost peppers are desert plants and therefore really hardy. Just pop the top on this thing like a soda can, add water, and in a couple of months you will be growing some of the world’s hottest peppers.
Dude, Sweet
No. Spicy! This is ghost pepper hot sauce we are talking about. Well, as Marc Maron and inspiration for this recipe would say “Let’s start the show!” Like I said, the ghost pepper is incredibly hot and has 1 flavor, spicy. But it is a pepper, and peppers have natural sugars in them. We need to bring those sugars out so we’re going to roast them. Preheat your oven to 350ºF and put on a pair of disposable gloves.
Always Wear Gloves When Making Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce
The ghost peppers are really spicy and you don’t want the oils on your hands. If you do handle them and touch another body part, like your eyes…or your junk. You will have a very bad day. So buy a box of disposable nitrile gloves You can buy them on amazon or at any hardware store, and get nitrile not latex because some people have latex allergies.
Using your (gloved) hands, coat the cherry peppers, ghost peppers, and unpeeled garlic cloves in olive oil. Lay them out on a baking sheet, making sure not to overcrowd, and put them in the oven. Roast for 45 minutes, flipping half way through. Be sure to open the windows/turn the range hood fans on because the air is going to get SPICY.
Next, allow them to cool a bit. Put the gloves back on and remove the stems from all the peppers. They should be soft and the stems should come right out. Throw them into a blender. Peel the garlic and throw that in as well. Purée until smooth. Transfer the contents of the blender to a heavy bottomed saucepan. Add the vinegars, soy, honey, and Dijon Mustard and bring to a boil. Immediately turn off the heat, and transfer it to a jar or bottles and let cool uncovered. When cool, cover and put in the fridge. It takes 3 days for the flavors to blend properly.
Currently Jamming To
We Don’t Need No Water
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This recipe requires a little something special. Here’s a list of what you will need:
[list][list_item icon=”fa-cutlery”]Grow Your Own Ghost Pepper Kit (Optional)[/list_item][list_item icon=”fa-cutlery”]Dijon Mustard[/list_item][list_item icon=”fa-cutlery”]Chinese Black Vinegar[/list_item][list_item icon=”fa-cutlery”]Distilled White Vinegar[/list_item][list_item icon=”fa-cutlery”]Hot Sauce Bottles[/list_item][/list]
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WTF Sauce
WTF Sauce is a ghost pepper hot sauce that is so hot it will make you go What The F#@K?! Made with ghost peppers, cherry peppers, dijon mustard, and Chinese black vinegar, this sauce is extremely spicy and full of flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 Ounces about 6 Ghost Peppers
- 1 Pound Cherry Peppers
- 5 Cloves of Garlic Unpeeled
- 3/4 Cup White Vinegar
- 1/2 Cup Honey
- 1/4 Cup Chinese Black Vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
- 1 Teaspoon Soy Sauce
Instructions
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Preheat Oven to 350ºF
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Wearing gloves, Lay all the peppers and garlic cloves on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and rub to coat. Place the pan in the center rack of the oven and roast for 30 minutes.
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Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Wearing gloves, stem the peppers. Peel the garlic and throw them in a blender. Puree until smooth.
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Pour the contents of blender into a heavy bottomed saucepan. Add vinegars, soy sauce, honey, and mustard and bring to a boil.
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Immediately turn off heat and pour the sauce into a jar or bottles and allow to cool uncovered.
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When cool, put it in the fridge and let sit for 3 days.
Recipe Notes
Ghost peppers are very hot. Make sure to open a window or two when roasting and and wear gloves when you are handling them.
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