Bertie’s Mega-Hot Trinidad Pepper Sauce (recipe)
So you want to know how to make Trini pepper sauce? Trinidad Pepper Sauce is no joke peoples. This is liquid fire, forged from the flesh of the hottest scotch bonnet peppers, garlic, onions and other assorted ingredients simmered to perfection.
This recipe is for my father’s pepper sauce, something he’s been making for… well let’s just say since before I was born 
Mustard and vinegar give it a lovely sweet n sour tang, while ginger and garlic create a savoury aftertaste that will have you wishing you had sprinkled ‘just a little bit more’ on 
Some people add papaya and other assorted fruits for added sweetness, my father never has, still both options are equally valid.
This recipe yields around 1 Gallon of Pepper Sauce so feel free to scale down to suit your needs. Leave a little to give to a friend tho, they’ll love you for it 
The main ingredient in Trinidadian Pepper Sauce is the infamous scotch bonnet pepper. This festive looking pepper comes in red, yellow, orange, and green and is well known for its heat. However, it also has a very floral quality and citric sweetness that many come to appreciate (after asking for more water the first few times that is )
From Wikipedia:
The Scotch Bonnet (Capsicum chinense Jacq.) is a variety of chili pepper similar to and of the same species as the habanero. A cultivar of the habanero, it is one of the hottest peppers in the world. Found mainly in the Caribbean islands, it is named for its resemblance to a Scotsman’s bonnet. Most Scotch Bonnets have a heat rating of 150,000–325,000 Scoville Units.
These peppers are used to flavour many different dishes and cuisines worldwide. Scotch Bonnet has a flavour distinct from its Habanero cousin. This gives Jerk dishes (pork/chicken) and other Caribbean dishes their unique flavour. Scotch Bonnets are especially used in Caymanian and Jamaican cooking, though they often show up in other Caribbean recipes
This entry has been submitted to Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted this week by Astrid from Paulchen’s food blog.
Bertie’s Mega-Hot Trinidad Pepper Sauce
Recipe By: TriniGourmet.com
Yield: 1 Gallon
INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 lbs Scotch Bonnet peppers
1/2 lb ginger, peeled
1/4 lb garlic
1 lb onions
2 litres vinegar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 – 3 tbsp salt (to taste)
2 cups mustard
DIRECTIONS:
1. Chop ginger, garlic, and onion.
2. Halve the Scotch bonnets (you may want to wear gloves for this)
3. Pour 1 cup vinegar into the blender
4. Add ginger, garlic, onion, and peppers in small batches
5. Blend until mixture becomes almost ‘too thick’ to blend further
6. Add 3 tbsp mustard and 1 cup vinegar
7. Repeat. Adding garlic, onions, peppers, mustards and vinegar in sequence until blender fills
8. Pour puree into a Dutch oven and continue the blending process until all the ginger, garlic, onion, and peppers are used up.
9. Add vegetable oil and salt to the pureed mixture
10. Bring to a boil over high heat
11. Immediately reduce heat and simmer uncovered (stirring occasionally) for 10 minutes
12. Remove from heat and bottle
This recipe is an exclusive TriniGourmet original. Please do not share it or post it to your site without crediting TriniGourmet.com. A link back to our site is not necessary but always appreciated
@marflixone sounds good
here is my dad’s very trini hot sauce recipe 
http://bit.ly/iNX9
This sounds like a fabulous recipe. I’ve heard stories about this type of hot sauce with scotch bonnet peppers, but I’ve never tried it. I’m a bit of a wimp when it comes to hot foods, but I’d definitely try it if I had the chance!
hmmm…boiling the pepper sauce is interesting. Does that process change the flavours? because otherwise, the recipe is similar to regular pepper sauces which are preserved in the vinegar/lime juice (that’s what we use). I am seriously curious now how the taste will change with the addition of heat.
Oops…didn’t mean to imply that this was not a regular pepper sauce
I meant to say “our family” pepper sauces!
Chennette – I’m not sure how it changes the flavours.. i’ll have to do a taste test between ‘heated’ and ‘unheated’ … mmm sounds fun
Should give you some! 
My grandmother makes some GOOD pepper sauce. I will be sure to try this one!
1969 – i never knew my grandparents but it’s funny how many ’secrets’ the older generation have foodwise
be sure to get her recipe, that’s one of the reasons why i started this site, to preserve my own family’s recipes in turn 
uuuh this might definitely be too hot for me
thanks for sharing and joining in!
[...] Sarina of TriniGourmet is going hot and spicy with Bertie’s Mega-Hot Trinidad Pepper Sauce [...]
You know what, you’ve made those little devils look really beautiful and even appetising!
I’m a fan of hot food, but even if I wasn’t, I would be tempted!
Astrid – awww
Maninas – Thanks!
Hi Sarina, I’m not a real hot spice fan; “liquid fire” has me running for the extinguishers. I do like the way you have done your entry. Looking forward to more
Um, what kind of mustard are you using in this? Just plain yellow mustard?
John – oh no!
thanks tho 
Chris – yes just plain yellow mustard, you can mix it up with some of your fave blends tho to see how that goes, i’ve been wanting to try some honey dijon at some point
Hi Sarina, saw your comment and link on Simply Recipes — the jerk chicken recipe. This looks just fantastic. Love the photos of the sauce maker, too! I’ll have to try making this. I do see Scotch bonnets at the store sometimes.
Lisa – I guarantee you’ll love it
hehehe ! 
I just made this. One tip: use gloves!!! I’ve tried every remedy the internet has suggested, but i still have hands that are BURNING and feel like they are on fire.
Also, I tasted a tiny bit and I can confirm that “liquid fire” is an accurate description.
Great post and lovely photos. I love growing and learning about different hot peppers. Since January I have been using my Thai red demon chilis and orange fogo chilis every day, fresh off the pepper plants.
You would not believe where I have tasted the best “congo” pepper in the world-Haiti! You taste heat, smoke and fruit, unbelievable! I was only there 3 days so I couldnt get seeds.
Do you include all of the seeds from the peppers?
Can’t wait to make some of this sauce. I have a friend here in the states that is originally from Trinidad and he makes me a very similar sauce. However, he never quite tells me his recipe, so I have to wait till he makes a batch. Now I can make my own. My question is what is the best kind of vinegar to use. Thanks
Nicole – Mmmm sounds good!
Justin – we do yes, but feel free to leave them out if you want to reduce the heat level
Terry – we use regular white vinegar
I think apple cider would have too strong a flavour, but feel free to experiment and make it your own 
This recipe sounds deeelicious and I’m about to make it with all my homegrown habaneros from the summer. Thanks for clarifying what kind of vinegar and mustard to use — I just have one more question. I don’t have a kitchen scale, so I don’t know how much my peppers weigh. Can you estimate how much 2.5 pounds is in volume (cups or pints)? Thanks, and I look forward to searing my tongue with this stuff.
i want know how to make shadow benie sauce and garlic sauce
OMG!! I”m so greatful for the Bertie’s pepper sauce recipie!! I live in Luxembourg and have been grieving for some real pepper sauce and found this recipie on trini gourmet.com. I followed the recipie all the way and ended up with the best tasting sauce and i did it all by myself! haha[thanks to Bertie!]
THANKYOU SARINA for finding and sharing this recipie!
hi. i found this site from elise’s simply recipes site (jerk chicken link). i’m looking for your jerk chicken recipe…
also–is this sauce a table sauce that you just use on whatever you’d use tabasco on, or does it go well with any particular type of dish(es)? thanks!
HI,
my name is lee and I live in america , I would like to know after making this pepper sauce if you have to refridgerate it?
thanks for a wonderful recipe.
lee.
Amina – those recipes are coming soon!
Natasha – YAY!! I’ll pass this message on to my dad!
April – Hi there, I don’t have a jerk chicken recipe on this site (yet)…. the site may have been confused by this pepper sauce recipe as akin to jerk seasoning
Lee – yes, by all means refrigerate!
why do peppersauce settles at the top or bottom when in bottles….can u tell me what i must do to prevent that.
Hey, I am planning a pepper and pepper sauce post, too! This one looks delish.
Shanaza – what settles at the bottom is the solids in the bottom sauce separating from the oils. Just a quick stir should fix things again
Depending on how finely one blends ones pepper sauce you may or may not have this problem
Nicole – thanks!
thanks Nicole…
Thanks for the recipe! We’re making it right now (though only 1/5 of the recipe). April’s grandfather is from Trinidad, and we love his sauce… unfortunately, his recipe is lost… hopefully yours will be a good substitute!
Cheers-
Andre and April
Andre and April – I hope it turns out to your liking
Hi Sarina, just wanted to say thanks for sharing your family recipes with us. Have been to St Lucia a couple of times and loved the local sauces but difficult to get in the UK. Now we can enjoy the real deal without the airfare! xx
Like chennette mentioned, I’d love to know the “punch” cooking adds to it. Seems just about everyone in my family has a recipe for pepper sauce, including me.. even my 14yr old daughter. But none of them include cooking. Will have to give this a try when I reap my pepper this summer.
Chris De La Rosa’s last blog post..Shado Beni hot sauce which will rock your socks off!
Thanks.
My daughter brought back some hot souce from Guyana (but it was made in Trinidad). It was a big bottle (28 oz) that I thought we would never finish, even though we like hot souces. It was gone in 2 months.
I looked to get some more on the internet but the shipping would bring the price of a big bottle to over $20. So, I decided to try to make my own and ended up going with your recipe, more or less. I added 3 times the garlic and no ginger. I also added carrots, since they are an ingredient of “Dave’s After Death” hot souce and I though it needed some more without the ginger body. I really like the result.
I also tried a batch with a lot (3 mangos to 8 peppers) of fresh mango instead of the carrots for a sweeter milder sauce. That was great also. I guess it’s all good.
Bye the way, since I now have a LOT of sauce, how long should it last in the fridge?
Cheers,
Michael
Thanks, again.
Actually the sauce from my previous post was Baron’s from St. Lucia.
OMG! I can’t wait to make this! Of all the things my Trini husband talks about missing from back home this is the big one. An authentic, mustard-based, singe-your-eyebrow-hair-off sauce is sure to bring a tear to his eye. Thanks!
Sharon & Jo – Hope they turn out to your liking!!
Chris – I have never asked my father why he cooks it… I should do so before typing my answer but I’m feeling rather lazy. In tasting his (vs. others) I have noticed that his is not as harsh as many other pepper sauces I’ve had. Meaning that the heat is there, but the flavours are what you notice first and then the heat creeps up and takes over
. I believe the cooking is partly responsible for that. Also, he makes his batches to last for a full year and I can’t see it lasting that long otherwise 
Michael – cooking it (if you did) it should last 6 months or more in the fridge
I love how you made your own substitutions. I recently had a milder pimento sauce that used sweeter vegetables and loved it immensely 
Notice the gloves used in preparation!
Marsha´s last blog ..Coincidence? I CALL IT FATE
Notice how he didn’t have them on for a good part of the cutting the peppers though?
Yeah, not smart 
Sarina,
thank you so much for sharing your poppas recipe …..its simmering on my stove……5 more min….it tastes and smells devine…..
i look forward to trying one of your tradtional dishes to accompany it…or just on my eggs tomorrow morning,
I wonder if Habaneros grown in my place , Wolfville ,Nova Scotia, Cananda are as hot as in the motherland
thanks again
char
Hi Sarina, mmmmmmmmmm!, I’m addicted. My supply of Trini hot pepper sauce is diminishing. I can’t wait until June when our Trini friends come to the UK with fresh supplies, so I’ve had a go at making it myself. Great!, it even gets the thumbs up from the boys in the local pub (those brave enough to try!). I’ve tried a slight variation by adding three finely chopped up limes at the simmering stage. Both versions are just as addictive.
Can’t wait to try doubles and pepper sauce in Trini, won’t get there for Carnival 2010 to see the Trini Revellers band.
Many thanks, Steve E., Bridlington, UK
I just cooked it up. The boiling is what caught my attention. I’ve blanched before, but not boiled. I used some local peppers here in San Francisco, along with some yellows I brought back from Nevis, while on vacation. Otherwise I have to wait for family to come visit from Trinidad. It’s cooling now, but the kitchen smells nice spicy. UMM.
It’s a great smell isn’t it ?
Thanks for letting me know that a little bit of my home is now a part of yours 
Those are NOT scotch bonnets. Those are Trinidadian congo peppers, which are different to scotch bonnets. If you look at the description posted, they are even described as having “bonnets”. Here is what a real one looks like.
http://www.artsjournal.com/outthere/scotch_bonnet_pepper.jpg
They are not always ‘collapsed’. My father doesn’t use congos for his sauce. Best wishes
http://www.bigoven.com/whatis.aspx?term=scotch+bonnet+chilies
http://www.gringleygringo.com/acatalog/Scotch_Bonnet_chilli.html
Absolutely fantastic! My son could never find anything hot enough but now he has! I made a tiny amount to try it out, but I will definitely be making it again. I am now hooked on your site. The black cake was yesterday (YUM!) and next I’m making aloo pies & doubles…
Hi Sarina!
I was wondering – is there any method that can be used so that the sauce does not require refrigeration? I am making my first batch tomorrow and wondered if there was anything I could do to this end.
Either way – I am sure looking forward to the “friendly fire”!!!
Thanks for posting the wonderful recipe!
Wow that was a great recipe, i like the size of dem peppers. This recipe is similar to my recipe check it out
How to make pepper sauce
Valerie – so glad it met your son’s heat factor!
Munch- Thanks! will check out yours
Leave your response!
Recipe Categories
Subscription Options:
Meh Twitter Maco
nataliajones
@Trinigourmet Sarina I checked out your blog, it looks great! I'm going to add you to my Google Reader :)
LeBelle
OMG just found out about @Trinigourmet !! The best great site!
Trinifood
#ff these foodies @Trinigourmet @SugarAppleBlog @raz4125 @chennette_net @chefandbutcher
KParrisCooks
#FF my Trini foodies @Trinigourmet, @raz4125, @Trinifood ...love their posts!
DawnMillerHomes
@Trinigourmet i googled "doubles in NYC" and you were on the front page. Tried 2 get hubby 2 bring some doubles down from NY, no success
Links of Interest
Polls
Join TriniGourmet on Facebook!
Recent Comments
Random Posts
Most Viewed