I was feeling a little adventurous last night and got it in my head that I was going to make my own brand of steak sauce.
Having no idea what I was doing, this is basically what I did:
I took red bell peppers, green bell peppers, jalapenos, serrano peppers, onion and garlic cloves and grilled the crap out of them in cast iron pan. Then I doused it with balsamic vinegar and threw in a dollop of tomato paste. sauteed that for a minute or two. Next I poured in some sweet red wine and reduced it by two thirds. (I threw in some various dried spices as well) After everything was all nice and ‘mushy’, I threw all that into the blender and pureed.
I’m quite happy with the results. And admittedly, I’m patting myself on the back as this was my first attempt with excellent results!
Anyway, I made way too much. Enough to last me a lifetime practically.
Just wondering how long this stuff will stay good.
Typically in the absence of man-made preservatives, the longevity of a food item is dependent on a handful of things:
Moisture content. Dried things last a long time because there isn’t sufficient moisture for bacteria to spoil the food.
Salt content. Heavily salted items last because the high salt content messes up bacteria through osmosis. Think salt pork or other items pickled in brine.
Sugar content. Very sugary items work similarly to salted items, provided the moisture level is low enough. Think corn syrup.
Acid level. Acid inhibits bacterial growth. That’s why many really vinegary things can be left out at room temp.
Alcohol level. At high enough alcohol levels, it inhibits bacterial growth or prevents it outright. Consider the worm at the bottom of a bottle of mescal or fruits infused in vodka.
In practice, these are usually doubled up- pickles are both brined and stored in vinegar, and beef jerky is both salted and dried, for example.
Your steak sauce sounds like the only thing that would keep it good is the balsamic vinegar. I’d freeze it, if I were you. Freezing is probably the most effective preservation technique for things that aren’t loaded with one of the things I listed above. Even at that, I’d imagine that it would keep for a few months before the flavors changed for the worse, even if it’s still safe to eat.
