Fire Water with finished PICS

[DATsBBQ]

If you've been following my thread in the Request a Recipe forum you're already up speed. If you've just stumbled upon this post I was looking for a recipe that I know I have somewhere but can't find. It was a simple sauce that was steeped in the sun like Sun Tea.

In any case came across this one I found in Fifty From The Trail - The Best Cowboy Cooking from a Timeless Land that I got from the good/evil folks at Philip Morris (Camel Cash, Marlboro bucks?)

Fire Water:
4 or 5 red or green chili pepper
2 large cloves garlic
1 sprig fresh oregano
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp salt
2 cups boiling water
Dried red pepper flakes, optional

Wash and cut slits in chili peppers, no need to remove seeds. Peel and slice garlic.

Put oregano, bay leaf and cumin seed into a clean jar. Add chili peppers, garlic and salt; pour boiling water over. Cover and let stand overnight.

Strain out solids; pour Fire Water into a glass bottle, adding a few dried pepper flakes, if desired.

Refrigerate between uses.

Drizzle fire Water over cooked chicken or meat; sprinkle over cooked vegetables. Dip crusty bread into it. Add to soups and stews.

Makes about 2 cups

OK, so this is how I plan to adapt it. I'm going to let it steep in the sun all day. Increase the cumin seeds to 1 1/2 tsp, use 2 tsp Sea Salt (much courser) and scrap the green stuff. Use 8 to 10 dried red chili peppers (from Thailand) and 2 or 3 dried habs (from my sis in Kalifornia) and a how ever many Texas Bird Peppers (From Stan) that I have left (1/2 tsp?). I'll slit the peppers too. Course, I might wake up with a different take on it.

[JamesB]

Sounds mucho goodo to me! Will be trying it.. or at least a variation of it!

[Rich777]

Thanks Dave, got this one copied and saved. Sounds good.

[Papa Tom]

Thanks Dave I read your version,,,,you can always add more water...
My mother used to make a similar concoction using cayennes but she added some vinegar too....good stuff.

[DATsBBQ]

I went with 2 cups water, 9 red chili peppers, 3 habs, 2/3 tsp Bird Peppers, 1 1/2 tsp Sea Salt, 1 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds and 2 cloves of garlic. I poked the peppers with the tip of a chefs knife and put out in the sun to steep.

FirewaterStart2.jpg

Almost added some vinegar but decided to try that later on if this stuff is worth tweaking.

Firewater1PMb.jpg

Its slowly turn amber. Looks like beer, looks like something else too but I won't say it. Little round things are the bird peppers, they've really expanded. I'm thinking I should have a tossed a scallion in the mix.

[Rich777]

That is looking good Dave. Three habs!!!! Hold on for ice cream!! . How long before ya strain off the solid stuff and bottle?
It looks good and hot!

[DATsBBQ]

Rich, Its color of a good Scotch now. I set in the fridge to set over night and maybe clarify a bit. Plan is to strain it in the morning.

[DATsBBQ]

Firewater2.jpg

FirewaterFinal1.jpg

OK my impressions: The Firewater is slow to bite but when it does it has a heat level close to that of regular Tabasco. The burn is short lived, which I'm sure the cat is happy about as she slurped the residue that was in the bowl that I strained it into. Perhaps a tad on the salty side. Considering there was no cooking with this sauce, it has to be up there on the easy scale.

Papa is right that if a batch is too hot, just dilute with water and all should be fine. Too Hot? Is there such a thing

I wouldn't be afraid to add more peppers, more garlic and maybe a pinch of sweet along with a splash of vinegar next time.

[Pony Express]

Ok, so its hot and salty. Can you equate the taste to something?
Sure looks good!

[JamesB]

Looks and sounds great to me! Gonna try a batch soonish...

[DATsBBQ]

I once took a creative writing course where the first assignment was to write a paragraph describing the taste of water to someone who had never tasted water. Sounds easy but go ahead and grab a pen and paper... .

The Firewater tastes like water with a bite. There is a hint of chili peppers in the background and if tasted by itself has a salty note (that is totally lost if eating it with tortilla chips). I could not discern cumin or garlic.

It does not have a dominant flavor. I think it would lend itself well to foods that are easily over powered by a robust hot sauce. Since the Mrs likes her food on the mild side, I can see preparing a meal for us that she would like but I would find bland but at the table I could kick it up a notch I by adding a few drops to what ever is on my plate.

Or, it could be used as a base for a more robust sauce by adding vinegar and a little sugar to balance. Instead of tossing out the peppers/garlic/cumin maybe run 'em through a blender for some texture? Might want to bring it to quick boil if using the ground up solids to be on the safe side.

Ok, so its hot and salty. Can you equate the taste to something?
Sure looks good!

[Pony Express]

So I would add hot and salt to something without adding its own flavor?

[DATsBBQ]

So I would add hot and salt to something without adding its own flavor?

I really think all you would be adding is heat. "Liquid heat" -that's the ticket. The heat doesn't linger like say Insanity sauce does. The salt content isn't overpowering at all, much much much less than say soy sauce. If the salt bothers you, just decrease the amount of salt from the start. I used 1 1/2 tsp Sea salt vs 1 tsp (table salt?) in the original recipe figuring that Sea salt is courser than table salt and perhaps roughly equal to Kosher salt (1 tsp Kosher = 1/2 tsp table salt m/l by weight).

[madmax52]

How well do you think that this would mix with some beans and cornbread? I like a little kick with my beans ever now and again.

[JamesB]

How well do you think that this would mix with some beans and cornbread? I like a little kick with my beans ever now and again.

IMO, it should be great... For years I used a vingar pepper sauce (the kind with just vinegar and peppers in the glass bottle) on beans and greens and such... I can't help but think that this concoction would be good in the same manner... Only question is what I miss the vinegar kick?