The title says it all. This is a hot sauce recipe that I call “Maverick’s Afterburner”. I liken this sauce to about 3 Stars of heat at your typical Thai restaurant.

“Maverick’s Afterburner” is my first hot sauce. But, one could really use it as a salsa, which is what I have been doing since I made it yesterday. The mix is based on ingredient research I have been doing of some favorite hot sauces. Unfortunately, I’ve not been able to find anything hot enough for me in the local stores (we don’t have a sauce specialty shop here…. yet). Now, could have ordered some sauces online, but, where is the joy in just buying the heat? Why not learn a little something about MAKING the heat? So that’s what I tried to do.

The sauce is a Habanero chili and vinegar based sauce, but that’s not the only chili pepper or ingredient required, but it is the major contributor of heat.

Now you might think heat is a relative thing, but there is a standard for measuring the ‘heat’ of a pepper. It is called the Scoville Scale. The scale is named after its creator, American pharmacist Wilbur Scoville. The number of Scoville heat units (SHU) indicates the amount of capsaicin present in the chili. Capsaicin compound stimulates chemoreceptor nerve endings, and is the active ingredient in the pepper sprays used by Law Enforcement (for example). It’s like BTU ratings for your furnace. The higher the number, the hotter the pepper.

Ingredients:

Preparation:
Place all ingredients, except the peppers into a 2 qt. sauce pan and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for approximately 10 minutes, or until the carrots are very soft. Mix occasionally to prevent scalding or burning.

Chop or mince the peppers. Place them in a suitable sized food processor, along with the boiled ingredients, and blend.

Once blended, you will have approximately 2-3 cups of the soon to be infamous “Maverick’s Afterburner”. There are many ways to store and use this interesting mix of heat. It could be bottled (I don’t cover the proper way to do that tonight), or placed in a sealed container (away from pets and small children) for later use. Refrigerating overnight will reduce the nose on the sauce, and it starts to exhibit a quality that the name implies. It’s a little hot when it’s first tasted, but it’s real heat takes a minute or two start to produce some power. Once it’s on it’s heat, the temperature can last 5-15 minutes depending upon your own physiology.

How does it taste? Pretty good. It maybe be best on food, such as as a fish taco, or over a burrito. I’ve not yet tried that. But I have consumed a pretty fair amount by spooning it with tortilla chips.

The quest for my ultimate sauce continues. Until then, I hope you find this recipe to your liking.