I haven't seen any threads around here for making fermented hot sauce, so I thought I would share my recipe.
For this batch I used 1.5 lbs scotch bonnet peppers and 2 lbs (total) of jalapenos, fresnos, and serrano peppers. I have made it from 100% scotch bonnet peppers and it came out great, but it was really, really hot. I prefer to blend other hot peppers with the scotch bonnets for a more complex and less intensely hot version.
You do not NEED to use a starter, but I have found that peppers do not ferment as readily as cabbage, cucumbers, etc and a starter helps greatly. I also use less salt than is sometimes recommended (one site calls for 6-10% which would be 3.5-5 oz in this recipe, I use less than half that). With less salt the starter helps ensure the lacto takes over before anything else has a chance. You can skim some whey off of the top of some plain active yogurt from the store if you do not have any other sources of whey handy. I just use a few tbsps of mash from the previous batch.
Ingredients
3 ½ lbs hot peppers (I prefer a blend of scotch bonnets, jalapenos and fresnos)
3-5 tsps minced garlic (3-5 cloves)
1 ½ oz kosher salt or sea salt
1 oz sugar
2 tbsps whey or previously fermented pepper mash for starter
Process
1. Wash and cut stems off of peppers, leaving the “crowns” intact – they will add a floral flavor. Edit: In this particular batch, I found that leaving all the crowns added a harsh bitterness and was a little overpowering when tasting the mash, in future batches I will remove about half to be on the safe side. The bitterness did not transfer to the sauce, thankfully.
2. Puree peppers with garlic, salt and sugar in a blender until a nice thick mash is formed.
3. Add whey or pepper mash starter and mix in blender.
4. Pour mash into mason jars, crock, large glass bowl, pitcher, etc and cover loosely. Leave plenty of room for expansion – the mash can expand as much as 30% during a vigorous fermentation.
5. Set in dark place (68-78 degrees) for 5-7 days. It should produce a sour lactic acid smell after a couple of days. Check on it daily and stir to keep the liquids and solids from separating and to prevent it from expanding too much and overflowing.
6. Once it has reached the desired level of sourness, pour through a coarse strainer (I use a stainless steel colander) to separate the mash from the liquid.
7. Pour the liquid into a bottle to use as hot sauce.
8. Scoop the mash into mason jars and use as a soup base or to add flavor and heat to anything you saute, stew or stir fry. Also use in any recipe that calls for chili garlic mash or sauce.
For this batch I used 1.5 lbs scotch bonnet peppers and 2 lbs (total) of jalapenos, fresnos, and serrano peppers. I have made it from 100% scotch bonnet peppers and it came out great, but it was really, really hot. I prefer to blend other hot peppers with the scotch bonnets for a more complex and less intensely hot version.
You do not NEED to use a starter, but I have found that peppers do not ferment as readily as cabbage, cucumbers, etc and a starter helps greatly. I also use less salt than is sometimes recommended (one site calls for 6-10% which would be 3.5-5 oz in this recipe, I use less than half that). With less salt the starter helps ensure the lacto takes over before anything else has a chance. You can skim some whey off of the top of some plain active yogurt from the store if you do not have any other sources of whey handy. I just use a few tbsps of mash from the previous batch.
Ingredients
3 ½ lbs hot peppers (I prefer a blend of scotch bonnets, jalapenos and fresnos)
3-5 tsps minced garlic (3-5 cloves)
1 ½ oz kosher salt or sea salt
1 oz sugar
2 tbsps whey or previously fermented pepper mash for starter
Process
1. Wash and cut stems off of peppers, leaving the “crowns” intact – they will add a floral flavor. Edit: In this particular batch, I found that leaving all the crowns added a harsh bitterness and was a little overpowering when tasting the mash, in future batches I will remove about half to be on the safe side. The bitterness did not transfer to the sauce, thankfully.
2. Puree peppers with garlic, salt and sugar in a blender until a nice thick mash is formed.
3. Add whey or pepper mash starter and mix in blender.
4. Pour mash into mason jars, crock, large glass bowl, pitcher, etc and cover loosely. Leave plenty of room for expansion – the mash can expand as much as 30% during a vigorous fermentation.
5. Set in dark place (68-78 degrees) for 5-7 days. It should produce a sour lactic acid smell after a couple of days. Check on it daily and stir to keep the liquids and solids from separating and to prevent it from expanding too much and overflowing.
6. Once it has reached the desired level of sourness, pour through a coarse strainer (I use a stainless steel colander) to separate the mash from the liquid.
7. Pour the liquid into a bottle to use as hot sauce.
8. Scoop the mash into mason jars and use as a soup base or to add flavor and heat to anything you saute, stew or stir fry. Also use in any recipe that calls for chili garlic mash or sauce.