I collected all of the red peppers in the garden bed. This year, they are a mix of Jalapeños, Serranos, and mostly, Cayenne peppers. They look so pretty. These get washed, and cut into small slices. I mix in finely chopped fresh garlic, one big clove per cup of sliced peppers. I dissolved a tablespoon of fine sea salt in two cups of hot water, then let that cool. I took Rufus for a walk while the brine was cooling. Then I add 2 tablespoons of juice from fresh, uncooked sauerkraut as a starter, and a tablespoon of sugar to boost the fermentation. I stuff the peppers into mason jars, pour the brine until full, add a glass weight. The weight holds the pepper slices under the brine. These look pretty too! Then I add a fermentation lid with a nipple for gas escape. These will sit in a glass casserole dish, because there is escape of brine through the nipple too. They'll sit in the dark for a few days to a week to ferment. Then I'll process in food processor, portion into jars, and keep in fridge. Here is my recipe. I suppose I'll need to print out a new copy I tasted some of the brine, hot stuff! I think it would strip the paint off a 1952 Chevy Impala.
This is a good thread, Daniel. I especially like how-to posts with pics. Just looking at the foto’s gives me the feeling that it will be powerful stuff. Was that damage to your instructions done by, say, brine…or more malevolently, from the fumes alone. Chuckle. The little nipple components I have never seen before. Handy.
That is a much loved and well used recipe. Very interesting that you use saurkraut brine and ferment them. I would never have thought of that. I gave up on making pepper sauce for hubby years ago because I bombed it so many times. I may give this a go next year for him. The plan is to have a pepper year in place of cukes in the greenhouse. ( you did wear gloves didn't you Daniel...or do you have hands of steel to go with your cooking cape/apron? hahaha)
Looks good Daniel, I do hot sauce every year. I do a simple vinegar based recipe. Every friend or family I have given to said I should sell.
@Daniel W I lactoferment my peppers in the same way, then afterwards I push through a filter and add rose vinegar. This makes a Tabasco like sauce. The paste that stays in the filter is put in the fridge and used in cooking.
Here is the result of the pepper fermentation this year. I pureed them in the food processor, after decanting most of the brine. It's basically the same as Sambal Oelek. These will be stored in the fridge. I will save the left over brine, as inoculum, in case enough peppers ripen for another batch (jar on the right). Or it could go back into the sauerkraut to give it some extra kick. This batch came out great! I love this hot sauce.
Thank you @Clay_22. This year I grew Tabasco peppers too, but the plant was small and they are not ripe yet. The goal was to make a vinegar based Tabasco sauce. I plan to try overwintering the plant to see what I can do. I think Tabascos are more tropical than my Serrano, Jalapeños, and Cayennes. I also have Thai peppers in the same situation as the Tabascos.
Looks yummy @Daniel W, well done. I grow Carolina reaper, Armageddon and Trinidad Scorpion, now they will be good for your sauce. I've used gloves before but it goes straight through.
Daniel - this question has been rattling around in my head....why the fermentation process for the peppers in the hot sauce? Is it a definitive flavour difference? It is something I've never come across before.
@Melody Mc. there are three reasons. My first career was as a microbiologist. I was lured into that by a food microbiology class in college, which was too much fun to pass up. So, this is nostalgia. Also family tradition, except for them it was sauerkraut and pickles. The sauce needs an acid for preservation and sharpness. It also extracts flavor from the peppers. It can be vinegar (acetic acid) or fermentation (lactic acid). I think the fermentation has a slightly less sharp, and also better, flavor. Either is good. The third reason is beneficial, probiotic bacteria. They are said to promote gastrointestinal health, and even brain health. I about half believe that, but half is better than nothing There were enough ripe peppers to make another batch with red Jalapeños and a smaller batch with Cayennes and Thai peppers. The Jalapeño hot sauce is hot and saucy , The batch with Cayennes and Thai peppers is Oh wow Oh wow Oh wow