I add bell peppers to my sauces to add more meat, without adding more heat. I also use tomato paste. in fact tomato paste is my preferred route. I've given serious thought to xanthan gum, but haven't tried it yet. technically speaking, it's only sorta artificial. without the xanthan gum it's a question of figuring out EXACTLY how much liquid to add, so it doesn't settle, without being too thick. it takes a bit of practice. that's not to say I'm extremely experienced, but I've been playing with it a bit, with some successes, and some failures. it's sorta trial and error.

I once tried to use a small amount of pectin (the stuff used in jellies and jams) but failed to read up on the science of how that stuff actually worked, and it failed miserably.

Way to go Judo. That's exactly how I thicken my hot sauce. I prefer red or orange bell peppers. Those also add som flavore. Tomato sauce is easy way to go but I think it is foreigh to pepper taste. But nevertheless I do it some times.

Another immediate way to thicken a hot sauce is to add paprika powder or chili powder if you want more heat.

I think tomato flavor mixes very well with pepper flavor, but that's just my personal opinion. the trick is to not use too much. I use red bells when I'm making a sauce with hot peppers that are red, when I'm making something with my orange habs, I tend to use orange or yellow peppers, because the color comes out looking cool. I usually won't use tomato paste with my orange hab sauces though, for one it loses the color, and also I just don't think the flavors mix as well it does with other peppers.

Xanthan is naturally occurring carbohydrate excreted from Xanthomonas campestris bacteria, dried, and ground up. No artificial ingredients :)

I just boil the sauce in a skillet longer, until I get the desired thickness, I don't like to add anything that would take away the pepper flavor. That's just me and my opinion, I am sure the recommendations above would work and taste good.

Mark

Posted by pepper_rancher (My Page) on
Sat, Oct 12, 13 at 4:43

Xanthan is naturally occurring carbohydrate excreted from Xanthomonas campestris bacteria, dried, and ground up. No artificial ingredients :)
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p_Rancher .... thanks. Good info. I like it.
Where do you get "Xanthan" from ?
There is another natural thickener called "Arrow Root". It comes as white powder or as natural root.

Red mill sells xanthan so you can get it in grocery stores that sell red mill products, or order online from somewhere like amazon.

Thanks much, Rancher. I will look for it.