If you like it hot you are going to love my Grilled Habanero Hot Sauce! It packs some heat, yes, but it’s not insanely hot. And, unlike many Habanero Hot Sauces, this sauce has tons of flavor – a wonderful floral aroma from the peppers and natural sweetness from the carrots. I love this hot sauce drizzled over eggs, tucked into tacos or mixed into mayonnaise giving a kick to any ordinary lunchtime sandwich.
Whenever working with hot peppers, wear gloves! It will prevent skin irritation or the risk of spreading capsicum to other more sensitive areas on your body (like your eyes or nose!). Ouch! I also recommend grilling the habaneros (and other veggies) outside. These peppers can put off spicy steam…keep it out of your house. Other than that, this sauce is quite simple to make.
To start, wash, trim and halve 4 large carrots, quarter half an onion and place on a sheet pan along with 6 habanero peppers. Drizzle the vegetables with one tablespoon of olive oil and set aside. Heat a grill to 450 deg F. Place the carrots on the grill and for 5 minutes on each side. Move the carrots to a cool section of your grill then add the onions and peppers onto the hot part of the grill. Grill the peppers and onions for 6 minutes, turning them occasionally. Remove the vegetables from the grill and allow them to cool for a few minutes.
Using gloved hands, remove the seeds from the peppers and add them to the blender, along with the grilled carrots and onions and four cloves of raw garlic. Pour 1¼ teaspoon of Morton’s kosher salt, ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and 2 cups of water over the vegetables. Blend until smooth. Store the sauce in 4 ounce glass jars with lids. This recipe makes 8 jars of hot sauce. Store opened jars of hot sauce in the refrigerator and freeze the rest. This hot sauce will keep for 2-3 months in the refrigerator and up to a year in the freezer.
Grilled Habanero Hot Sauce
Ingredients
- 6 habanero peppers
- 4 large carrots
- half an onion
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1¼ tsp Morton's kosher salt
- ¼ cup + 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 2 cups of water
Instructions
- Wash, trim and halve the carrots. Quarter the onion. Place the vegetables, along with the peppers onto a sheet pan and drizzle with oil.
- Heat a grill to 450°F and cook the carrots for 5 minutes on each side. Move the carrots to a cool part of the grill and place the onions and peppers over the flame. Grill the peppers and onions for 6 minutes, turning to ensure an even grill.
- Pull the vegetables from the grill and allow to cool.
- Using gloved hands, deseed the habanero peppers. Add them to a blender along with the garlic, grilled carrots and onions.
- Add the vinegar, salt and water to the blender and puree the hot sauce until smooth.
- Spoon the hot sauce into 4 ounce glass jars with lids. Store the hot sauce in the refrigerator and freeze the rest. This recipe makes 8 jars of sauce.
