Carolina Reaper Hot Sauce

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces Carolina Reaper peppers stems removed - NOTE: go by weight, not size. This was about 20 pods for me, but mine were small this year

• 1 large bulb of garlic top sliced open to expose most of the garlic

• 1 medium white onion sliced in half

• 3 tablespoons good quality vinegar distilled white, champagne or apple cider vinegar for more tangy

• ½ teaspoon salt or more to taste

• 1 cup of water or more, as desired

Directions:

1. Heat your oven to 400 degrees. Set the Carolina Reaper peppers, garlic and onion on a baking sheet and bake them about 15-20 minutes, or until the skins slightly char. Keep an eye on these. You don't want them to burn, and watch out for any fumes.

2. Add the peppers and onion to a food processor. Squeeze garlic out of their skins and into the food processor they go.

3. Add in the vinegar and salt. Process until you get a chunky mixture. Watch out for the fumes!

4. Add in a half cup of water and process again until the sauce starts to smooth out. Check it for thickness. If you’d like a thinner sauce, add in a bit more water a little at a time, processing, until you reach your desired consistency.

5. If desired, you can strain the sauce to smooth it out, or use it as-is. If you do strain it, you can discard the pulp or dehydrate it to make a superhot seasoning powder.

6. Pour into sterilized bottles and enjoy. The longer you let it sit, the more the flavors will meld.