Tamarind Peppersauce (hot sauce + wing sauce).

With another bumper crop of insanely hot peppers in my garden and the new little toy I got (Traeger Grill) this past summer, it was only natural that I gave you all a smoked pepper sauce (hot sauce) recipe. The fiery peppers and lovely undertone of smoke and tamarind will have your tastebuds dancing, with excitement.

You’ll Need…

1/2 lb Tamarind (peeled)
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
10-15 smoked HOT peppers (your fav)
2 tablespoon Coconut Palm Sugar (or golden brown sugar)
6-8 cloves garlic
4-6 leaves shado beni (culantro)
1 1/2 tablespoon pure Maple Syrup
3/4 teaspoon roasted ground cumin (geera)
3/4 cup apple cider
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 lime

Note! I used a variety of HOT peppers (watch the video below), but you can use whatever you have or enjoy using. Additionally, if doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the full list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.

Crack the outer shell of the tamarind and discard. Then remove the sort of string (fiber) off the tamarind so you’re left with just the tamarind flesh.

• save time by getting the tamarind paste (about 3/4 cup) from your Hispanic, Asian or West Indian supermarket.

Add the tamarind flesh to a bowl, then add 2 cups of boiling water and let it sit until the water is cool enough to handle. This step will soften the flesh so we can remove the seeds.

Wash and dry the peppers and smoke @ 210F for about 1 hour as we just want to kiss them with that smoke. Make sure you have a lot of space between each pepper as you smoke them so that smoke can cuddle around them all. I believe I used Applewood to smoke the peppers, but any fruity wood will work.

Wear GLOVES and wash your hands immediately after with soap and water, when handling such hot peppers. Remove the stems off the peppers after they’ve been smoked and give them a rough chop.

Add the chopped peppers to a pot, along with the garlic, salt, coconut palm sugar (brown sugar will work), Shado beni, Maple Syrup (pure) and roasted ground Geera (cumin). Set aside.

The water in the tamarind should now be cool. Using your fingers, break up the flesh (pulp) and remove the seeds (discard). You will have a thick Tamarind slurry.

Pour the tamarind water (with pulp) into the pot with the peppers and put that pot on the stove on a medium heat. As it comes up to temperature, add the white vinegar. and apple cider. Mix well.

After 3-4 minutes it will come to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer (low heat) and cook for 30 minutes. Vent your kitchen or it may want to choke you with the fumes.

Turn the heat off and use your stick blender to puree it to a smooth consistency. If using a traditional blender, allow it to cool a bit first before you puree. Finish with the freshly squeezed juice, stir and you’re done. Thin with more white vinegar if it’s too thick.

Allow it to cool before pouring into a glass bottle and store in the fridge for up to 1 month.

A versatile hot sauce which works anywhere you’d normally use hot sauce and as sauce for tossing your grilled or fried chicken wings – your friends will demand you make those wings on the regular (BEWARE!).

Drop me your comments below, tag me on Instagram and don’t forget you can now get my cookbook – The Vibrant Caribbean Pot, 100 Traditional And Fusion Recipes @ CaribbeanPot.com/CookBook/