Despite its reputation, the jalapeno pepper is actually a mild chili.
The jalapeno pepper is a versatile chili that is used in many different cooking applications. It is popular among fans of hot and spicy dishes because it has a deep, tangy flavor that is not too hot but not too mild. Chili pepper heat is measured in terms of Scoville units, where 300,000 units represents the hottest of all chili peppers: the habanero. The jalapeno measures 5,000 units on the Scoville scale, making hot sauces that feature this chili a suitable option for those who like a little heat without that painful sting.
Traditional Red Sauce
Red jalapeno hot sauces utilize fully ripened jalapeno peppers. As with most peppers, jalapeno peppers go through a color change as they ripen and mature, starting out bright green and turning dark red or even black. While there is no difference in heat or taste, some people prefer red hot sauces simply for their color. Others enjoy the taste of secondary ingredients commonly added to red jalapeno hot sauces, such as bell pepper.
Verde Sauce
Verde sauce is a popular, mild hot sauce that is often incorporated in Mexican dishes. It is usually made with unripe jalapenos. Although there is no difference in heat or taste between ripened and unripe jalapenos, these chili peppers are eaten and enjoyed at all stages of their growth and maturation. Verde sauce gets its name from the unripe jalapenos, which give this hot sauce its unique green color.
Pepper Blends
Many hot sauce manufacturers offer blends that feature other in addition to ripe or unripe jalapenos. Tabasco sauce, which is traditionally made with Capsicum frutescens peppers, is also available in a jalapeno variety. Other hot sauce blends mix jalapenos with habanero, banana and chipotle peppers, which are jalapeno peppers that have been smoked.
Extreme Sauces
Some jalapeno hot sauces are not for the faint of heart -- literally. Many hot sauce manufacturers add a concentrated amount of capsaicin -- the active ingredient that gives chili peppers their heat -- to jalapeno hot sauce to increase the intensity and heat of the sauce. The most extreme jalapeno hot sauces available on the market currently measure in at an astonishing 16,000,000 Scoville units -- more than 3,200 times the heat of a jalapeno pepper.
Homemade Jalapeno Hot Sauce
Just about anyone can make a simple, homemade jalapeno hot sauce with fresh jalapenos, in any stage of ripeness, from the garden or grocery store. Combine one 15 oz. can of tomato sauce with two 12 oz. cans of tomato paste, 1/2 cup vinegar, 1/4 cup lemon juice and 1 tbsp. each of salt, chili powder and cumin in a large bowl. Chop one onion, 2 to 3 cups bell peppers and 1 cup of fresh jalapenos, and add to the mixing bowl. Puree the concoction in a food processor until smooth, refrigerate and use to top off sandwiches, meats and snacks.
Tags: chili peppers, jalapeno sauces, unripe jalapenos, jalapeno pepper, jalapeno peppers, jalapeno sauce
