Fermented hot pepper sauce

[sweetcell]

some people say i have might a problem. thank goodness i don't listen to those people (which, those same people say, is a problem). anyhoo, the CSA was giving away as many tomatillos as anyone wanted, and my local grocery had a rarity: Manzano peppers, AKA rocoto peppers, AKA Capsicum pubescens (see pix below). i've been wanting to try these, and what's another gallon of hot sauce anyways, so off i went.

• fresh local tomatillos
• Manzano peppers
• slice or two of onion
• a few red fresno peppers
• (a few small red hot pepper from CSA, type unknown)
• fresh ginger
• ~4% brine

 

[sweetcell]

someone asked me where i got those jar lids with an air lock - here they are on sale, but it's a lightening deal so act fast if interested

Stainless Steel Mason Jar Fermentation Kit – 4 Lid Sets – fermented foods & yeast starters – on sale for $15.29

 

[Hanglow]

I grow quite a few peppers and turn them into various hot sauces. I do vac pack fermentation, the red one is locotos peppers and some red tomatoe, yellow is aji limon and some yellow tomatoes. 3.5% brine, then I'll typically add an equal amount of vinegar and salt, bring to a boil and package. I like vinegar sauces. The yellow sauce in the bowl was supposed to be a pepper jam, but I forgot the pectin so it ended up as a hot, sweet and sour sauce. Was really good, a happy accident.

 

[sweetcell]

View attachment 828812
when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. when the CSA gives you tomatillos, you make salsa verde. i really don't need any more hot sauce as my last batch of tropical heat will easily last me a year if not more, however opportunity knocked - that, and we have no idea what else to do with tomatillos.

• fresh local tomatillos
• serrano peppers
• habaneros
• red fresno peppers (my local grocery has been misrepresenting these as "red jalapenos")
• garlic
• cilantro
• ~4% brine

the result is good, but a tad hotter than i might have wanted. since i made so much, and have another batch on the way, i decided to can this batch. the eagle-eyed among us might notice that the can on the top right has a slightly different color - that's because i reserved a bunch of habaneros and serranos from the main batch, and made a single "triple hot" can for my spice-lord buddy who not only tolerates but craves eye-wateringly spicy sauces. haven't heard from him since i dropped off the salsa... hope he's ok.

 

[pvpeacock]

I have successfully made a number of batches of fermented hot sauce, my favorite being a Habanero, onion, bell pepper batch fermented in brine for 1 year then blended with 1/3 cup brine, 1 cup unflavored rice vinegar and 1 cup IPA. I have also had success with jalapeno's, but I just love the heat of Habanero's. However, I have dumped 3 batches which had a lot of Kahm yeast and 1 which grew mold.

I recently learned about mash fermenting as opposed to brine fermenting and gave it a try this weekend. 9 oz. Habanero's, 6 oz. blueberries, 6 oz. blackberries, 3 tblspn kosher salt. I blended it all lightly in a food processor, then poured the mash into a quart mason jar, put saran wrap over the liquid with a fermentation weight on top and closed the lid. Whether it turns out good or not is up in the air at this point, but I will say it was a lot easier and took up less space in the mason jar than a brine fermentation using the same ingredients. In addition, I didn't have to worry about floaters getting around the weight. If this works out, I think I am sold on mash fermenting.

Anyone else have experience mash fermenting v. brine fermenting?

 

[Nagorg]

Anyone else have experience mash fermenting v. brine fermenting?

I've wondered about it but havent tried it. Interesting that you say it was easier; it appears harder IMO. But I definitely see the plus for less space...

Interested to see any opinions/experiences from this group.

 

[hottpeper13]

I do the pour hot brine over my sliced peppers , overnite on the counter and in the fridge. They stay crisp for a year if I make enough. I do the lacto ferment with a mash and salt. I put peppers,onions,garlic and 1 shredded carrot in the food processor with salt by weight of 2-3% and grind to a paste. Measure the salt out at 3% but only put 1/2 in and taste,you should taste the salt but not be overly salty. Mine are already making juice by the time I get it in a 1 gal fermenter. All my lacto peppers get kalm yeast during primary. I've found that using a grape leaf (rinsed in vinegar) beneath the follower attracts the kalm and it can be discarded when put in individual jars. I'm finishing the last jar of 2022 with no kalm or mold.

 

[pvpeacock]

This weekend after 2 weeks fermenting, I threw my fermenting habanero, blueberry, blackberry mash in the blender with 1/4 cup unflavored rice wine and 1/2 cup IPA and blended it up. While the recipe called for me to strain the liquid from the mash, I left all the pulp in there when I blended it to make a thicker hot sauce. Wow! What a great how sauce. Not to sweet, not to hot, but still with a good habanero bite at the end. I would have loved to let this one ferment for a number of months, but the recipe warned that the beautiful purple color would disappear over time. See Habanero Fermented Hot Sauce With Berries Recipe

I think I am hooked on mash fermenting hot sauce over brine fermenting. It seems easier, takes up less room in the mason jar and eliminates the salt brine. Next up a habanero, carrot, bell pepper, onion mash ferment. This time, I will let it ferment at least 6 months.