Sport Pepper Sauce

Sport Pepper Sauce Recipe

What my granddaddy and a lot of Southerners call sport peppers are little green and red and sometimes yellow hot peppers, Capiscum annuum, similar in taste to Tabasco and the Thai chiles found in many Asian markets. I store my sport pepper sauce in the refrigerator, not in the pantry, which means I hardly need to cook the peppers first. The sauce doesn’t last as long as it otherwise would, but the flavor is brighter. Use on slow-cooked greens when you want a jolt of flavor.–John Besh

LC Sport Pepper Primer Note

If you’ve yet to be acquainted with the sport pepper, allow us to introduce you. Pickled sport peppers–and their accompanying mediumish heat–are commonly sighted in Chicago atop hot dogs and hot beef sandwiches. Down South, though, it’s the pickling liquid, not the peppers, that are most coveted down. Here a bottle of sport pepper sauce awaits on darn near every table, not for dipping your grubby fingers into so you can snag a pepper for your sandwich but rather for you to shake and dribble willy-nilly. Those in the know rely on the vinegary twang to anoint cooked greens, fried chicken, and, though the taste isn’t quite the same as Tabasco or Crystal, just about anything you’d douse with bottled hot sauce. Can’t find sport peppers? Use whichever skinny pepper of whatever Scoville heat unit you can tolerate.

Sport Pepper Sauce Recipe

  • Quick Glance
  • 15 M
  • 15 M
  • Makes 1 1/2 quarts

Ingredients

  • 2 cups mixed sport peppers or small, slender Thai chile peppers
  • 1 quart (4 cups) white vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons salt

Directions

  • 1. Scrub the sport peppers under cool running water. Leave them whole unless they’re terribly large, in which case you can halve them lengthwise. Place the chiles, vinegar, and salt in a medium pot, bring to a boil, and let ‘er rip over medium–high heat for 2 minutes.
  • 2. Working quickly and using a slotted spoon or tongs, divide the chiles evenly among several hot, sterilized jars or bottles. Using a sterilized funnel, carefully fill the jars or bottles with the hot liquid. Seal the jars or bottles according to the manufacturers’ directions. Let rest at room temperature until cool.
  • 3. Stash the bottles or jars in the refrigerator for at least 1 week before using to let the flavors develop. The “sauce” will keep in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.
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Comments
Comments
  1. Testers Choice says:

    [Vicki L.] This sauce is a keeper. I ended up leaving most of the peppers whole and cutting a couple of large ones in half so that they fit into the jars better. I tasted it at 3 days and again at 6 days and it is noticeably better at 6. It tasted bright without the harsh vinegar taste that it had at 3 days. We tried it on sautéed Swiss chard and it was amazing. I had to use store-bought peppers for this batch and the sauce is hot but not too hot. I will try it with Thai peppers out of my garden later in the summer and I think we will like it even more.

  2. Testers Choice says:

    [Sita Krishnaswamy] Wow—perfect pickle with a multitude of uses. So easy to make year-round. I used to make mine with peppers, garlic vinegar, and soy sauce, but I did not cook the peppers in vinegar. Had it on pork burgers and it was delicious. Cooking it for 2 minutes takes the bite out of the peppers a little. It is in the fridge aging now. Can’t wait to test it in a week.

  3. Testers Choice says:

    [Sofia Reino] Simple spicy recipe to always have handy to add to any stew, pasta, or other dish you like with a little kick. The taste reminded me of some spicy Asian homemade sauces I have had in the past, so I was surprised to find out it is a Southern recipe. Shows how food cultures blend so amazingly.

  4. We call this “hot pepper sauce” and you’ll always find a jar in my refrigerator. I love the look of yours in the bottle with a variety of peppers. Delightful!

    • Beth Price, LC Director of Recipe Testing says:

      Hi Jackie, the peppers are gorgeous aren’t they? I remember the days when every Southern table boasted a jar of hot pepper sauce.

  5. Dave says:

    This sounds great. What does everyone think of once you get to a good place with the vinegar, e.g. 6+ days or to taste, puree the peppers and use all of it? Interested in everyone’s thoughts.

  6. Sita Krishnaswamy says:

    Dave
    It does taste divine. In the southern part of India we marinate chili peppers in vinegar and then grind it into a smooth paste. We use it on Samosas, cutlets and flavor biriyanis as well. You can use it to flavor any poultry or meats in a marinade or curries. I love it on a nice warm toast with some warm goat cheese . I am sure you will figure out multitude of uses . Have fun and let us know how you used your paste .

  7. Oh, this brings back so many wonderful memories of meals at my grandparents’ house. Nothing like this homemade hot sauce! Now I just need to make a big pot of turtle sauce piquant to go with it.

    • Renee Schettler Rossi says:

      Woah, Amy, you can’t tease us like that, mentioning turtle sauce piquant and not sharing your recipe!

  8. Adrienne T says:

    Thank you for posting this recipe. My Co-Pastor is from Ft. Worth Texas and since she married a Michigan man she doesn’t get to enjoy the southern dishes she’s accustomed to. She recently asked if she could purchase pepper sauce and described this type of recipe. I just cooked up a batch so I can only hope it comes close to the taste of her big mama’s recipe. Thanks again!

    • Beth Price, LC Director of Recipe Testing says:

      What a lovely thing to do, Adrienne! I am sure that she will be thrilled and taken right back to her mama’s kitchen.

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