It takes just about 72 fourteen-quart buckets of peeled tomatoes of average firmness to make 100 gallons of finished chili sauce. For this same amount about 100 lbs. of chopped onions should be used. The onions should be very carefully peeled, and very finely chopped. If this chopping is not done fine enough the pieces of onion will stop up the tubes of the filling machine. It is best to use only large onions for chili sauce, as it takes a great many women to peel the required amount if small ones are used, and the waste on the small ones is considerable when the peeling must be done so thoroughly.
The cooking is carried out the same as in catsup, and the same ingredients are used, with the possible exception of garlic, which, so far as I know, is not often used in chili sauce.
Spices
The spicing is very similar to catsup. In some brands about twice as much cayenne is used as was suggested for catsup, while other brands are spiced mildly. One of the best liked brands on the market is quite mild, and another brand which is equally popular is quite hot.
Salt, Sugar and Vinegar
The same amounts of salt and vinegar are used as in catsup, and they are added in exactly the same manner. About 10 lbs. more of sugar is needed for a 100–gallon batch than is used in catsup. This is probably necessitated by the large amount of onions used.
Testing Finishing Point
Testing the point at which the cooking is completed must be done by the eye. The hydrometer can not be used, as chili sauce is too lumpy. A hydrometer can only be used when the product is smooth and homogeneous. By a little experience the cook will soon learn to judge the finishing point. It is that point at which very little water runs from the lumps of tomatoes when the chili sauce is hot, and practically no free water shows when a little of it is cooled in a saucepan. In my opinion the finishing point of chili sauce is easier to judge by the eye than it is on catsup.
Filling, Sealing, and Sterilizing
As to filling, sealing, sterilizing or not sterilizing, labeling, stacking, etc., the same remarks apply to chili sauce as to catsup. The filling is somewhat more difficult, as the product is lumpy, and a special filling tube must be used. As to whether an automatic rotary filler similar to that used for catsup is ever used for chili sauce I do not know. I have always filled it with one of the old style catsup fillers, using a special filling tube.