Once a year, John plants jalapeños in the garden. This year he tried a new hybrid, Jalafuego and whoa! There were jalapeños coming from every which way. It is very productive, with beautiful fat peppers. It was time to bring out the canner and make jalapeño-tomatillo hot sauce. For a very spicy sauce use only jalapeños.
The little plants produced an amazing amount of jalapeños.
Jalapeños and tomatillos are cut into halves then roasted briefly. The sauce can be made with more or less peppers depending on ones tolerance for heat (supermarket peppers vary considerably which is why we grow our own).
Once roasted and charred in a few spots they go into the blender with the other ingredients for a quick whirl.
Garlic, cilantro, onion and fresh oregano all contribute to to the fresh flavor of the jalapeño hot sauce.
Once the sauce is processed in the water bath canner it will be shelf stable for up to a year.
8/26/16: Updated
Jalapeño & Tomatillo Hot Sauce
Makes 6 half pint jars
Ingredients
After roasting peppers and tomatillos, total weight should amount to 16 ounces. If you are a bit short just add a few raw peppers and/or tomatillos to total 16 ounces.
3/4 – 1 pound fresh jalapeños, halved lengthwise (1 1/2 pounds jalapeños if not including tomatillos, for a spicier sauce)
1/2 pound tomatillos, halved
1 cup packed, chopped cilantro, tender stems included
6 large garlic cloves
1 large onion, chopped
6 sprigs fresh oregano about 4 inches each, stems discarded
1 cup fresh lime juice
2 cups white vinegar
1/2 cup filtered water
1 teaspoon pickling salt
2 tablespoons light brown sugar (packed)
Preparation
Turn oven on to broil. Cover a large jelly roll pan or low sided roasting pan with parchment paper. Place jalapeños and tomatillos cut side down on the pan. Broil for about 8 – 10 minutes, or until the peppers and tomatillos are well charred. Remove pan from the oven and set aside.
Combine lime juice, vinegar, water, salt and brown sugar in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
Place jalapeños, tomatillos, cilantro, garlic, onions, oregano, and lime juice mixture in a blender. If your blender is unable to accommodate all of the ingredients, hold back some of the liquid and set aside. Puree all the ingredients in your blender. Pour the mixture into a large saucepan (add liquid you set aside earlier) and slowly bring to a boil. Remove pan from heat.
Ladle into prepared canning jars leaving 1/4 inch head space. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until resistance is met (fingertip tight). Place in water bath canner and process for 15 minutes. Turn off heat, let jars rest in canner for 5 more minutes. Remove to a cooling rack. Once cool remove canning rings and wipe jars clean before storing. Be sure to date the jars and use within 18 months.
This hot sauce is delicious with, but not limited to, all Mexican cuisine. A couple of our favorites are with scrambled eggs and on avocado sandwiches.
your recipe sounds delish ,,, what are those pink red pans for under the plants in the picture
Hi Terry! The hot sauce is very tasty and canning it means that it is shelf stable for up to a year. They make great gifts. The red pans are tomato crater watering rings that are designed for tomatoes but can be used for any plant: http://www.amazon.com/TOMATO-CRATER-3-Tomato-Craters/dp/B00178M9GM
Happy gardening!
Where did you get those red covers for your plants?
Aloha James,
They are called tomato craters: http://www.tomatocrater.com/home.php
They work great!
Mahalo, Kiyo
I love that you broil the tomatillos and jalapeños to get maximum flavor. I bet we would eat this stuff with a spoon! I can’t wait to make this when I see the necessary ingredients at market! Unfortunately, our tomatillo plants and cilantro (in the garden) didn’t survive the initial taking. Asher is brutal when left with a shovel for just a few minutes… LOL. Cheers, Shanna
It is tempting to eat the roasted tomatillos and jalapeños right out of the pan! Here in Kihei where we live, we haven’t had luck with growing cilantro (too hot). This is the one plant I really miss having in the garden. Glad to hear Asher is having a blast! Good luck with your garden!
Lucky you for having jalapeños in your garden! All that rain we had ruined the jalapeño crop of the vendor we purchase from at Upcountry Farmer’s Market, so we’ve been without for close to 2 months; I am having withdrawals. I tried growing jalapeños a couple years ago, and some critter gnawed all the leaves-not a pretty site. Your photos are gorgeous and your sauce sounds delicious, and similar to a hot sauce I used to make with jalapeños, serranos and poblanos. My mouth is watering!
The jalapeños seem to thrive in the hot Kihei weather (no rain in sight). I wonder if you might have better luck growing them now that summer is here and there’s less chance of rain? Homegrown jalapeños can’t be beat. They’re hot, unlike the ones you buy in the supermarket. We haven’t tried using poblanos in the hot sauce but it sounds really good. I love roasting them and bet that would be a delicious addition.
This recipe makes a really tasty green hot sauce! I love that you can process it to make it shelf stable. One thing I might do next time is remove the seeds from the jalapenos, it’s got more of a kick than I was expecting! I suppose it will mellow a bit with time though. The garlic, lime juice and cilantro are a really awesome addition too, it definitely gives it more flavor than your typically hot sauce! Thanks for sharing!!
Aloha Ash! Thanks very much for your comment. We just made a few recent changes to the recipe which we think has improved it. We now add a bit of brown sugar and increased the lime juice (decreased water). Jalapeños vary so often, some are super spicy, others are not. It seems your jalapeños are on the spicy side! It does seem to mellow a bit with time though. Glad you enjoyed the recipe!