Hi Mike and welcome. There are 3 different types of "hot sauce" - fermented, pickled where vinegar is the base, and tomato-based hot sauce. All 3 are very different, made differently and have different safety concerns/requirements

So which are you looking for? I don't know the name of the restaurant you refer to - sorry but it doesn't rink a bell here - so I can't even guess which type of sauce they serve. What are the ingredients on the label? What recipes have you found that are close (link so we can look at them)?

Dave

Hi Dave,
Sorry, I should've been a little more specific. I was kind of in a hurry when I posted that (I posted it on the Hot pepper side first by accident and was re-typing. One of these days, I'll have to ask my wife to teach me to "cut-copy-paste. That's why there's no link below. Haha!). The restaurant I was hinting at is Buffalo Wild Wings. They're a pretty popular chain (like Chili's or TGIFridays) that's famous for their chicken wings and HUGE varieties of sauces. Their Mango Habanero Sauce is out of this world, and I'd really like to make it at home (shelf stable). It's like the consistency of BBQ sauce, not runny like Tabasco. I've found TONS of different copycat recipes for it, but EVERY ONE says to "store in fridge for up to one month."

One recipe I found that I think would be great looks like this:

1tbsp veg oil
1 small onion (minced, about 1/2 cup)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 tsp ginger (grated)
1 1/2 cups mangos (peeled and roughly chopped)
1 cup mango juice
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup cider vinegar
2 tbsp "juice" (?) (not sure what that means)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp yellow mustard
2 habaneros (seeded, finely chopped)
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper

-brown garlic, onion, and ginger in a pan

-add all ingredients to a large sauce pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until mangos have completely softened (approx 30 min).

-pour in blender, purée, let cool

-store in refrigerator up to one month

Now, to me, SOUNDS DELICIOUS, but NOT safe for canning. There's GOT TO BE a safe canning recipe for this sauce out there. Like I said earlier, the restaurant sells it. My wife and I love this sauce, and it'd be nice to be able to grab a new bottle right from the cabinet when we run out, instead of spending half the afternoon over the stove.
Thanks again for any help!

Mike

I think Joy of Pickling has a Mango Chutney that you could use habs in, puree after opening. I'll take a look.

BTW Mike I got your email, sorry you couldn't make it up today but I don't think I have many takers for these Hinkelhatz plants so if you are in the area any time this month let me know, I'll tell you if I have one left. After frost I may let them die (much as I hate to), but I may pot up to quarts and try to overwinter some if DH doesn't complain too much.

Welll there's several reasons why it may be impossible to find a recipe for canning other than the fact that is isn't a high demand item to warrant the cost of the lab testing. The oil, the fact that mangoes are one of the few low-acid fruits, the peppers are even more low-acid, as are the onions and garlic, and that it is pureed which can create density issues unless it is pressure canned.

And there are many things that may be safely commercially canned for sale that cannot be safely done at home as we lack the specialized equipment to do it. So it doesn't follow that anything that can be commercially canned may also be done at home.

I looked up the ingredients on the BWW sauce and several of the copy cat recipes and yes, they are all intended for fridge storage only. Or they may be frozen so you do have that option available.

NCHFP offers a Mango Sauce approved recipe that could work as a starting point. One could add dried (not fresh) habs, onions and garlic too with no problems. You would rehydrate them first in vinegar before adding them. The rest of the flavorings - ginger, mustard seed, S&P, sugar, honey, WSauce, etc. pose no problems. The "2 tbsp. 'juice' means bottled lemon juice.

So that is one possibility.

Another is Small Batch Preserving's Mango Chile Sauce (p. 234) which is fairly close as you could sub habs for the hot red chili peppers.

3 c coarsely chopped peeled plum tomatoes (apprx. 6-8)
2 c chopped mangoes (about 3)
1 hot red chili finely chopped
3/4 c rice vinegar
1/2 c pineapple juice (can sub orange, or bottled lemon or lime)
1/2 c each chopped onion and celery
1 tbsp minced gingerroot
3 whole cloves
1 bay leaf
1/3 c granulated sugar (can sub brown)
1/2 tsp pickling salt

Combine tomatoes, mango, chili pepper, vinegar, pineapple juice, onion, celery, gingerroot, cloves and bay leaf in SS pan and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat and boil gently for 1 hour or until thickened stirring occasionally. Add sugar and salt, return to a boil and boil for 10 mins. Remove from heat and discard bay leaf. Ladle sauce into hot jars leaving 1/2" headspace and process in BWB for 15 mins for 1/2 pints or 20 mins for pints. Yields: 4 1/2 cups.

Those are the best two options I can come up with for you. Or make any of the recipes you have found and just freeze it in pint containers and thaw as needed.

Dave

Great memory Dave! I have Small Batch and didn't remember that one - of course I don't often buy mangoes, only made the Mango Chutney once after Kay recommended it.

Sheila- Glad to hear you got my email. Again, that was very generous of you, I really wish I had the time to make it up your way. Sorry again, but thank you very much! If I can, I'll let you know.

Dave- Wow. That's a lot of homework you did for me! I wasn't expecting all that! Ha! I was waiting to hear, "Google this..." Thanks so much! I really appreciate it.

I don't often buy mangoes

Same here. Not really into mangoes. And the nearest Buffalo Wild Wings to here is hundreds of miles away so doubt I'll get to try them. :)

I didn't really remember the recipe, just figured that book was a likely option since Joy of Pickling didn't have it.

Dowdney's Putting Up book has a similar recipe too but I won't post or use it. Like most of his recipes, it requires repeated pH testing per tablespoon of vinegar stirred into the sauce. Talk about riding the edge of the razor!!

Dave

That is a nice sauce up there.
It sounds more like barbecue sauce than a real hot sauce.
One Habanero in almost 8 cups of ingredients, is just a flavoring, to me. Then I understand that you can increase it to any level of heat you like.

That IS what I was looking for, more of a BBQ sauce (really thick). Sorry, I should've specified, or put that in the title of this post. I guess when I think of BBQ sauce, I automatically think "ketchup-based, molasses, brown sugar, etc.). I'm not crazy about vinegar-based BBQ sauces like "Carolina Style."