What am I missing?
 

Getting ready for Iowa's shotgun season this weekend, & it's the 1st time it will be based at my home. I have some guys coming in that LOOOOOVE hot stuff, & I don't want to disappoint;) I make a really yummy tomato/lime/cilantro based blended salsa, & can sometimes make it really hot, but I find that the heat depends entirely on the quality of peppers I get from the grocery store. Here in the midwest, I often have a hard time even finding habaneros, & the jalapenos are hit/miss. So, my question is, how can I really kick up the heat on my salsa without changing the taste much? When using habaneros, I find if I use too many the salsa can be bitter at times. Can I cook them down? Is there a sauce I can add? Suggestions, please!

thanks,
Chris

Re: What am I missing?
 

I don't eat the hot stuff, but have friends and family who do. I've found that good stuff can be found online from Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. A little more expensive, but worth it, I'm told.

Pops

Re: What am I missing?
 

As you wont be able to please everybody why not make two batches, one hot and one not so.

Re: What am I missing?
 

Check out Wal Mart. Can't speak for what the stores carry where you live, but here in TX they carry a hot sauce brand called Iguana. One of different flavors they sell is habanero.

Re: What am I missing?
 

Add a little sprinkle of ground habanero powder or some habanero hot sauce, both available from the Mild to Wild Pepper Co. (wildpepper.com). Or if you really want to blow them away they have an extractive sauce that is so ridiculously hot it's not funny.