Lacto Fermented Hot Sauce

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Tamarlane

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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.

Hot Sauce (9).jpg


Hot Sauce (16).jpg


Hot Sauce (19).JPG
 
Looks pretty good. I like to make a sauerkraut batch when cabbages are starting to come into fall season. This will give me the required starter for my annual "throw all the remaining peppers in the garden into a gallon jug" hot sauce. This year I added some shredded onions and carrots for some added fermentables and color. We'll see how it turns out some time this fall when I process it.
 
I prefer to ferment with beer yeast...

In that case you should replace the 1 oz sugar with 6.5 lbs DME and replace the 1 oz garlic with 1-2 oz Northern Brewer (@60 min), eliminate the salt and add the pepper mash to the kettle at flame out. Chill and pitch a neutral ale yeast.

Please post your results...
 
Update: Day 4 of Fermentation

It has been an extremely frigid January here in Florida with temperatures approaching the 40s overnight and barely topping 75 in the afternoon, so fermentation has been slower than normal.

After 4 days the mash has begun to show signs of healthy fermentation. You will notice the distinctly sour smell of lactic acid and should be able to taste quite a bit at this point.

In the picture below you can see the air "pockets" produced by the fermentation. Pepper mash does not produce the bubbles typical of sauerkraut or pickles as the mash is way too thick. These pockets are what make it expand so much if you do not stir regularly.

Hot Sauce (24).JPG
 
I'm always amused by the responses of people to using brewers yeast for hot sauce, and yours didn't fail to amuse.
 
Very nice. If you need more info on fermenting peppers, check out The Hot Pepper.com
Tons of great info and people willing to help.
 
Clann said:
Very nice. If you need more info on fermenting peppers, check out The Hot Pepper.com
Tons of great info and people willing to help.

Yep, great site.
 
that first photo of the peppers is worthy of being a background wallpaper for the screen display.
 
Thanks for the post, I have been wanting to try this. Straight up Jalaps I think for the first batch.
 
Final Product.

The mason jars in the back are the leftover mash. As mentioned before this is great for cooking with, and is also great for making Kimchi - it adds heat and acts as a starter to boot.

The three bottles to the right are simply the sauce strained out of the mash using a mesh colander. No vinegar added, no boiling/pasteurizing. You can probably boil it and can it if you are into that but it keeps for a long time in the fridge without all that, and is probiotic if you keep it raw.

The flask to the left was a bit of an experiment, I drew off a bit of the mash prior to straining, and boiled it with a bit of cider vinegar and agave nectar, then re-pureed in the blender. It has a much different taste, is sort of like a uberspicy chili ketchup.

Hot Sauce (39).JPG
 
Very nice. If you need more info on fermenting peppers, check out The Hot Pepper.com
Tons of great info and people willing to help.

Thanks, that is a pretty cool site. The folks on that site seem to have a much different process using airlocks and fermenting for several months as per tabasco - I will have to give it a try. Any more than a couple weeks of open fermentation and you will likely get mold/yeast growth.
 
I did a batch today with about 3lb of Jalapenos, 15 cloves of garlic, and half an onion. I put a Tablespoon of salt, about a pint of water and a bit of whey.

Chile Mash.jpg
 
I did a batch today with about 3lb of Jalapenos, 15 cloves of garlic, and half an onion. I put a Tablespoon of salt, about a pint of water and a bit of whey.

That is a lot of garlic, it is gonna stink something fierce. I went overboard on the garlic a couple of times so now I am very minimalist with it. I like the flavor but some folks straight up gag from the smell of fermented garlic so you have to be careful where you crack that open. I made a kimchi with too much garlic and it stunk up my fridge even when enclosed in a mason jar and two zip lock bags.
 
Anyone know can you use brewing lacto.. like the stuff from White Labs/Wyeast?

Yeah that would work but is probably an expensive way to go...lacto is like literally ubiquitous... my first batch I just used a spoonful of yogurt and it worked like gangbusters
 
Been planning on making a fermented pepper sauce for a while. This thread is great info!

Would the whey left after cheese making work in place of the whey from bought yogurt?
 
Been planning on making a fermented pepper sauce for a while. This thread is great info!

Would the whey left after cheese making work in place of the whey from bought yogurt?

Correct me if I am wrong but that is just the liquid which separates from the curds when you add the rennet or whatever right? If so no that would not be a good source of lacto.

Truthfully the best source is other vegetable ferments - saurkraut or kimchi - because they will have the best mix of bacteria. Dairy ferments will work but are not ideal as they contain different strains of lacto. Once you make one good batch of fermented pepper sauce just save some and use that for your starters.

I used yogurt for quick three day ferments like the original post but for longer term ferments it didn't work as well and you are better off making a little batch of saurkraut
 
Thanks Tamarlane!
I'll be starting a batch soon. I'll use yogurt for the first batch, and then juice from the sauce forward.
 
Hello,,stupid question :)
You just put foil on top of jar during the fermentation??
Did you get a mold on top ??
 
Hello,,stupid question :)

You just put foil on top of jar during the fermentation??

Did you get a mold on top ??


Yes, foil or a loose-fitting lid. Stir every day it will speed things along and help prevent mold. If you see mold just scoop it out. If you are planning a long fermentation (more than 3-4 weeks then rig some sort of airlock for best results. I usually let it for 1-2 weeks tops.
 
Thanks,after that period can i put my mash in new jar and then put oak cube in it for couple months??
 
Thanks,after that period can i put my mash in new jar and then put oak cube in it for couple months??



If you plan on long term aging you need to check the ph and make sure it's safe otherwise it should be stored in the fridge
 
thank you... but i think its too late,i took the lid off twice a day to stir. On top i can see a layer of mold about a cm high over night. i move it away but the layer of solid sink down. I moved the layer as much as i can but..i will know for next time.

:(
 
Should be ok but if you're worried dump it and try again. Try using more salt or a starter
 
guys,, is it smart to roast on hot pan chillies and garlic,,can they do something harmfull to the fermentation or sauce on end ??
 
Is there any reason kefir wouldn't work as a starter? It's mostly lacto but there's usually a zillion other critters in there too. I'm gonna try it either way. Worst case I guess I get (super) spicy kefir.
 
What does lacto fermented hot sauce taste like? Obviously there is heat.... but what other flavors are there? any commercial examples?
 
What does lacto fermented hot sauce taste like? Obviously there is heat.... but what other flavors are there? any commercial examples?


Technically Tabasco is lacto fermented but not representative

Fermented sauces don't have the strong vinegar flavor of commercial sauces and more of the pepper shines through

Nice sour twang from the lacto us what does it for me
 
I've got to try this in the next few weeks.

@Tiber_Brew - is this how you do your fermented hot sauces? I know the last one I tried was a non-fermented one (I think?) that was green and not terribly hot. Did you use a mix of peppers?

I have a hot mix, and am thinking of adding some carrots (like the non-fermented Marie Sharp's red) for sweetness. After fermentation, can you add a squeeze of lemon for some brightness? Or anything else? I like fermented garlic, at least in my lacto pickles, so that might be ok for me (I don't mind a little stink). Any other tips?

I can use my brine from sauerkraut or pickles for a starter to jump start it.
 
Just got a pound of mixed super hots from the ghost pepper store. Started 5 ferments. Set of 3 I have Carolina Reaper, Scorpion Butch T and Trinidad Scorpion Moruga. The set with the airlocks have various other reds and browns. I used yogurt whey (wasn't separating from the yogurt so I just tossed in a spoonful of yogurt into each jar.) The set with the airlocks I just put a tbsp of starter from one of the small jars. I used a 3.6% brine, 68 grams of pickling salt to 8 cups of filtered water. I also currently have a jar of ghost peppers fermenting with kimchi starter. So far the yogurt starter has much more activity.

View attachment 1442230271652.jpg

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View attachment 1442230574796.jpg
 
I've got to try this in the next few weeks.

@Tiber_Brew - is this how you do your fermented hot sauces? I know the last one I tried was a non-fermented one (I think?) that was green and not terribly hot. Did you use a mix of peppers?

Here's a shot from one of my batches of fermented hot sauce last year:
hotsauce915_zpsfd190ae3.jpg


I usually add a salt brine instead of sprinkling salt on top, but both methods work fine. I either use a starter culture from kraut/pickles, or let nature inoculate for me. I use no more than three varieties of peppers so that I can taste the characteristics of each better. I add a few cloves of garlic and some white onion. After ferment I add a little vinegar and a touch of xanthan gum to keep consistency conducive to pouring/dripping.
 
Just got a pound of mixed super hots from the ghost pepper store. Started 5 ferments. Set of 3 I have Carolina Reaper, Scorpion Butch T and Trinidad Scorpion Moruga. The set with the airlocks have various other reds and browns. I used yogurt whey (wasn't separating from the yogurt so I just tossed in a spoonful of yogurt into each jar.) The set with the airlocks I just put a tbsp of starter from one of the small jars. I used a 3.6% brine, 68 grams of pickling salt to 8 cups of filtered water. I also currently have a jar of ghost peppers fermenting with kimchi starter. So far the yogurt starter has much more activity.

those look great - are they all straight super hots? no carrot/mango/onion/etc to mellow them out?
 
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