Fermented Hot Sauces

[JWFilips]

hporter,
I usually use a dehydrator however certain chillis, such as "Urfa Biber" benefit from sun drying! It bring out more flavors than dehydrating
I split the pods in half and remove the seeds so they dry in about 3 days the night time drop in temps helps too ....but I cover them at night so the critters don't raid them. Heat and cool cycle is important to the increase in flavor.
The "Piment De Espelette is another one that benefits from the sun drying vs. Dehydrating
Jim

​

 

[358156 hp]

I'm experimenting with freeze-drying, myself.

 

[JWFilips]

This Year I'm growing:
Shattah
Himo Togarashi
Sinahuisa
Pico de Gallo
Rain Forest
Gernika
Big Jim (Hatch stye)
Bacskai Feher
MOA Scotch Bonnet
Foodarama Scotch Bonnet Red & Yellow

Right now I have sampled the Gernika , mild green chilli from Spain.....Very tasty roasted or fried
also the Japanese Himo Togarashi.....Mild and very tasty!
The Shattah is a brother of the Aleppo but much hotter ( I found out the Hard way)
The Sinahuisa Is tasty but mildly hot when green but hotter when red!
Rain Forrest comes from the jungles of Brazil.It is a bit too hot for me but I'm going to work with it
Bacskai Feher are Hungarian Paprika peppers but are very nice Fried or grilled (Mild)
The 3 Scotch Bonnets are far too hot for me but I promised a small startup restaurant in Scranton I would try to grow them for their restaurant this season!
The Big Jim...Well they are the large Hatch Chilli! Mild but super flavor when roasted ( must be peeled Skin is in-eatable)
I freeze these afterwords to make green chilli sauce in the winter

 

[JWFilips]

Many ways to dry chillis ....But sometimes the old way turn out the best!
I have slow roasted and smoked Jalapeños on my weber grill and then sun dried them....Pretty nice and most tasty chipotle I have eaten
But it is funny I do not like the taste of plain Jalapeños

 

[JWFilips]

The source of origin for Aleppo chillies is Syria ! So You can imagine how difficult it is to get pure seed.
Jim Duffy from Refining Fire Chillies has kept his strain pure!
The Aleppo is one of the oldest chillies traded on the great spice route!
Super cool to taste history

 

[david s]

As a young boy in Florida there were Scotch Bonnet peppers used as decorative plantings. We use to eat these pretty regularly.

 

[dale2242]

I dry mine in the dehydrator.

 

[L Ross]

There was a thread about favorite hot sauces a while back and I mentioned my favorite is home made, fermented Cowhorn peppers( a variety of cayenne). My peppers were not ripe at the time so I had nothing for "show and tell".

Here are some photos of the anaerobic fermentation process and associated gear.View attachment 22159View attachment 22160
The Cowhorns on the left are up to 8" long, compared to the Jalapeño and Thai bird pepper. The peppers ground in the food processor with 10% salt by weight.
View attachment 22161View attachment 22162
You see a anaerobic fermentation kit from Amazon. This is to allow carbon dioxide to escape through a water check valve and not let any oxygen back into the jar. You furnish your own Mason jars.

Amazon.com: Fermentation Kit for Wide Mouth Jars - 4 Airlocks, 4 Silicone Grommets, 4 Stainless Steel Wide mouth Mason Jar Fermenting Lids with Silicone Rings (4 Set, Jars Not Included): Kitchen & Dining

Shop JILLMO at the Amazon Home Brewing & Wine Making store. Free Shipping on eligible items. Everyday low prices, save up to 50%.

smile.amazon.com

View attachment 22163View attachment 22164

Boy Rocky, I am a bit confused. This post got sent before I was ready.

I just put up a jar of Lacto fermented green beans and again the directions I read were to make sure the beans were submerged in brine. A 2.2% salt water brine was described as ideal. I put a piece of plastic bag over the beans and weighted them down with glass marbles. The brine covers the vegetables by 3/4". Yet your pepper "mash" is exposed to what ever air is in the jar. Don't you get mold or Kalm yeast forming?

I really want to try a fermented hot sauce and am struggling with conflicting theories. Sounds a lot like cast bullet reloading doesn't it?

 

[waco]

Reading and looking at this makes certain parts of my body pucker. Ugh.

 

[L Ross]

Reading and looking at this makes certain parts of my body pucker. Ugh.

Think of it as NASAesque experimentation discovering flaming asteroids. You could make a video.

 

[Rockydoc]

Boy Rocky, I am a bit confused. This post got sent before I was ready.

I just put up a jar of Lacto fermented green beans and again the directions I read were to make sure the beans were submerged in brine. A 2.2% salt water brine was described as ideal. I put a piece of plastic bag over the beans and weighted them down with glass marbles. The brine covers the vegetables by 3/4". Yet your pepper "mash" is exposed to what ever air is in the jar. Don't you get mold or Kalm yeast forming?

I really want to try a fermented hot sauce and am struggling with conflicting theories. Sounds a lot like cast bullet reloading doesn't it?

I got my method from visiting the Tabasco factory. Yes I occasignally get mold. I scrape it off and continue. I think maybe covering the surface of the mash somehow could be done and that is a good idea.

There is no brine involved. As the chilies ferment they produce liquid. I never add water at any point. After fermenting is complete I blend the mash with vinegar and strain the liquid from the remaining solids. I add xanthum gum to the liquid sauce to prevent separation.

The solids I use to cook with to get flavor and heat without adding vinegar to whatever I am cooking.

Before I got my fermenting crock for kraut I would make kraut in a wide mouth gallon jug. I would partially fill a ziplock bag with water to cover the fermenting cabbage.

 

[Rockydoc]

I got my method from visiting the Tabasco factory. Yes I occasignally get mold. I scrape it off and continue. I think maybe covering the surface of the mash somehow could be done and that is a good idea.

There is no brine involved. As the chilies ferment they produce liquid. I never add water at any point. After fermenting is complete I blend the mash with vinegar and strain the liquid from the remaining solids. I add xanthum gum to the liquid sauce to prevent separation.

The solids I use to cook with to get flavor and heat without adding vinegar to whatever I am cooking.

Before I got my fermenting crock for kraut I would make kraut in a wide mouth gallon jug. I would partially fill a ziplock bag with water to cover the fermenting cabbage.

I think you use brine and keep the solids below the surface of the brine when it is the solids that you are pickling. With hot sauce it is the liquid you are after, and brine isn't it.

 

[JWFilips]

Salt Kills or at least inhibits lacto-fermentation!
Even making Kraut I use very little salt ...the salt was supposed to prevent mold. If the ferment is "kick started" you need no salt!
Buy plain greek yougurt. Dig a hole in it on the side of the container the next day pour off the whey! let it sit for a day to clear..... this is your kick starter!

 

[L Ross]

Salt Kills or at least inhibits lacto-fermentation!
Even making Kraut I use very little salt ...the salt was supposed to prevent mold. If the ferment is "kick started" you need no salt!
Buy plain greek yougurt. Dig a hole in it on the side of the container the next day pour off the whey! let it sit for a day to clear..... this is your kick starter!

Really, wow, what a tip!

 

[Rockydoc]

Salt Kills or at least inhibits lacto-fermentation!
Even making Kraut I use very little salt ...the salt was supposed to prevent mold. If the ferment is "kick started" you need no salt!
Buy plain greek yougurt. Dig a hole in it on the side of the container the next day pour off the whey! let it sit for a day to clear..... this is your kick starter!

Thanks for that nugget. That is pure gold. Does the whey prevent mold?
I will have to try that on my next batch.

 

[L Ross]

Thanks for that nugget. That is pure gold. Does the whey prevent mold?
I will have to try that on my next batch.

I'll bet the whey starts the ferment so fast the lactic acid prevents the mold. Oh, hey look, a chance to spell mold without a u.

 

[L Ross]

JW and Rocky, I'll bet you are both watching this thread as closely as I am. I used to eat at a Chinese place back in Green Bay when I lived there. In addition to the hot chinese mustard and the sweet and sour sauces on the table as condiments, they had a red pepper slurry in tiny ceramic bowls with an equally tiny spoon. I used to consider that a weapon's grade hot sauce. It was thick with seeds and pepper flesh. Any idea what it is called and how it is made. A little dab'l do ya! I used to add a little to my Kung Pao Chicken.

 

[L Ross]

Well go figger. If only there was a convenient source of world wide information at my finger tips I could look up recipes for Chinese Red Chili Paste and there it would be. I was also reminded that the jar of Huy Fong red chili garlic paste already in my fridge is a variant of what I am remembering.

Much like all other recipes there are probably dozens of regional flavors and types and there would never be enough time to experiment with them all.

 

[JWFilips]

I'll bet the whey starts the ferment so fast the lactic acid prevents the mold. Oh, hey look, a chance to spell mold without a u.

L Ross you hit it on the head! The whey ( the more the better) can start fermentation in 3 days!
It needs to be clear of the yougurt solids so I decant it off and let it sit for a few days them decant the clear whey off from any particulate matter!
I make the clear whey whenever I can & it keeps in the refrige for over a year! This way I always have starter.
You can also buy dry starter on line but it is a bit pricy

 

[358156 hp]

JW and Rocky, I'll bet you are both watching this thread as closely as I am. I used to eat at a Chinese place back in Green Bay when I lived there. In addition to the hot chinese mustard and the sweet and sour sauces on the table as condiments, they had a red pepper slurry in tiny ceramic bowls with an equally tiny spoon. I used to consider that a weapon's grade hot sauce. It was thick with seeds and pepper flesh. Any idea what it is called and how it is made. A little dab'l do ya! I used to add a little to my Kung Pao Chicken.

The physical description makes it sound like sambal oelek. It's really popular in Asian restaurants. There are as many different versions of sambal oelek as there are different peppers to make it from. The stuff for the American market isn't terribly hot, but if you make it yourself as many Asian Restaurants do, it could be quite... potent.
https://www.pepperscale.com/what-is-sambal-oelek/