Last night we opened the very last jar of sriracha from last season.

We nursed the second to last jar for so long that when Pete saw me putting it in with dirty dishes he stopped me. "There's perfectly good sriracha in there! You can't waste that!" (There was maybe 1/2 tablespoon stuck to the sides.)

And now we have just this last pint.

I'm hoping we can nurse that baby until the first batch of peppers in the garden come ripe. Because you know, I devoted 1/4 of my rows to hot peppers this year. Because I love this sauce that much.

And with that, here is my favorite recipe of all time. (Well, this and my newest chai recipe are tied for first.)

Love,
Rachel

Homemade sriracha (aka "Rooster Sauce") is
oh-so-easy. We've been eating the store bought stuff for years, but Pete
read the label recently and we realized that as good as it tasted we
just weren't the biggest fans of the preservatives that our favorite
brand was adding.

And really, it's so simple. I'm not sure
why we haven't been making it all along. It's the perfect blend of
chilies, garlic, sweetness and vinegar. The recipe I started with came
from here. I modified it to suit our preference, and I've included my version is below.

A note about chilies: please, please wear
gloves when you seed your hot peppers. Otherwise you might find yourself
up all night, crying with your burning fingers in a bowl of ice water.
Or so I am told.

Also a note on color: my rooster sauce is a
deep rosy orange rather than the red of purchased sauce. I'm down with
that. I buy my peppers from my Amish farmer friend Mary and she grows
just about everything. So that's what I get and that's what I used.

Homemade Sriracha Rooster Sauce

• 1 lb of assorted hot chilies, stemmed, seeded (leave more seeds in for more heat), and chopped
• 1 to 2 heads of garlic (about 8 to 10 average sized cloves), peeled and smashed
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3 Tb honey

Make it!

Combine chilies, garlic, salt, and vinegars in a sauce pan. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes to soften peppers and garlic.

Add honey, remove from heat and allow to cool somewhat.  

Blending hot liquids, especially hot
siracha is insanity and can send you to the emergency room. Know how to
do this properly to prevent a siracha blender volcano. Because that would be terrible in so many ways. Cool first, then start at your blender's lowest speed.

When somewhat cooled, puree until
completely smooth in your blender or in the pan with a submersion
blender. Depending on your equipment this will take up to 4 or 5
minutes. In my Vitamix it was fast, but if your blender lacks oomph give
it plenty of time.

Allow to sit before you take the cover
off of the blender. Don't breathe the steam as it is spicy and will
take your breath away! 

Return to pan and over medium-low heat to a simmer.

Preserve it!

If you want to you can freezer your
sriracha in small jars (or make a smaller batch and just keep it in the
fridge), but I chose to can mine. Using the basic canning process I outlined here, can in quarter-pint or half-pint jars in a hot water bath for 15 minutes.

As for how many jars, well… I have no idea. Because:

1) I was so excited about it I keep giving it away to friends, and

2) Pete and his sister (who has spent the
past three months with us) are so crazy about it I think the're downing
entire jars with breakfast

I will make this every year from here on our. We love it more than my salsa. It's that good.

Edited to add: I just made a batch
today and yield is around 5 half-pint jars of spicy goodness. The recipe
doubles (or triples, or… well, today I made a 5x batch) beautifully.

Enjoy!

Love,
Rachel

 P.S. Here is a printable version for those who prefer a hard copy: Download HomemadeSiracha