This is the Major’s first small batch production of Crimson Deceiver Hot Sauce, built around the Sonoran Stinger — a third generation hybrid pepper on the path to cultivar stabilization. The Sonoran Stinger’s unique flavor profile cannot be duplicated, but the recipe includes alternative pepper suggestions that will approximate the heat and character of the original.
Major Grubbage’s Crimson Deceiver Hot Sauce v1.0
First batch. Real weights, real ingredients, apple wood smoke. Pepper-forward, naturally thickened, no artificial preservatives. This is where Crimson Deceiver begins.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Apple wood smoke and prep fresh peppers:
- Set up smoker with apple wood at 225–250°F.
- Place 12 oz (approx. 18-24 small peppers) fresh Sonoran Stinger peppers, apple smoked, stems removed fresh Sonoran Stinger peppers directly over heat source — you want char and blister on the skin. Smoke 20–22m until blistered.
- Cool completely. Peel away heaviest blistered skin — leave some char, it’s flavor.
Grind dried peppers to powder:
- Take whole unsmoked dried Sonoran Stingers and grind to fine powder in a coffee grinder, used only for this purpose, working in small batches with short pulses. Seeds grind with everything else. Weigh powder for recipe and set aside, store remainder in cool dry place.
Blend peppers with vinegar:
- Add peeled smoked fresh peppers to NutraBullet or high powered blender.
- Add ¾ cup apple cider vinegar and ¼ cup malted vinegar.
- Blend on high until completely smooth — NutraBullet will liquefy most seeds eliminating need for straining.
- If using blender instead, add water gradually as needed to blend down, then strain through cheesecloth pressing firmly, wearing gloves, to extract all liquid.
Prepare the Grill:
- Preheat grill to 400–425°F with cast iron skillet. Let cast iron preheat 15 minutes.
Start caramelizing the sweet onion:
- Add 1 tbsp 2 tablespoons olive oil for roasting and caramelizing.
- Add 16 oz (approx. 1 large or 2 medium onions) sweet onion, sliced thick sweet onion slices first — they need the most time.
- Cook low and slow stirring every 8–10 minutes.
Add shallots:
- After 15 minutes add halved shallots to the cast iron alongside the onions.
- Continue cooking together stirring occasionally.
Add sweet peppers, tomatoes, and garlic:
- After onions and shallots have cooked and begun to carnalize, add the sweet peppers, halved and seeded cut-side down and the halved cherry tomatoes cut-side down.
- Wrap 3 oz (approx. 1 small head) garlic, top cut off for roasting garlic head in foil with remaining 1 tbsp 2 tablespoons olive oil for roasting and caramelizing and place on grill.
- Cook everything together 20–25 minutes until deeply caramelized and collapsed.
- Flip tomatoes cut-side up halfway through to concentrate juices.
- Do not discard pan juices — scrape everything into blending vessel.
- Squeeze garlic from foil before blending.
Combine and blend everything:
- Add all roasted vegetables, caramelized onion, shallots, and all pan juices to blending vessel.
- Add pepper vinegar blend from step 3. Using blender or NutraBullet in batches, blend until completely smooth.
- Add 6 oz (approx. ¾ cup once ground) dried Sonoran Stinger peppers, unsmoked, ground to fine powder and blend again — powder will immediately begin thickening the sauce.
- Assess consistency — too thick add splash of ACV or water to thin.
- Continue to simmer.
Add lime and season:
- Add 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice and blend briefly.
- Taste carefully — pepper should dominate, sweetness from onion and tomato should support, vinegar should be background brightness. Malted should be present and identifiable as depth not sharpness.
- Add 1 tsp 1 teaspoons sea salt and adjust. If flat add salt first before reaching for more vinegar.
Freeze remainder in weekly-use portions.
Simmer and adjust:
- Pour into heavy-bottomed saucepan.
- Simmer uncovered on low heat 15–17m stirring regularly.
Do not boil — you will lose fresh pepper brightness and Sonoran Stinger fruit character.
Powder continues absorbing moisture and thickening as it simmers. Simmer longer to tighten, pull earlier to keep looser.
Bottle and Store:
- Taste one final time. Adjust salt if needed.
- Bottle into sterilized bottles while hot. Refrigerate until use.
For smooth pourable texture pass through fine mesh strainer pressing firmly.
For rustic texture skip the strain.
Excess sauce may be frozen.
Notes
Sonoran Stinger is a 3rd generation hybrid pepper not yet available in the market. For an approximately equal heat and general flavor similar to the Sonoran Stinger, you can substitute with Aji Amarillo and red habanero in combined. A roughly 60/40 mix, gets close to the Sonoran Stinger’s dual profile; the Aji brings the fruit, the habanero brings the heat.
Leave a Reply