Farmacy And Pickling
Fiery Fermented Hot Sauce: 3 Simple Variations
It only takes three simple ingredients to make fermented hot sauce at home, but with a little imagination, you can turn that fermented hot sauce into a variety of fiery, sweet, or smoky hot sauces and chile pepper pastes that surpass anything you can buy in the store.
Ingreadient
- 3/4 pound fresh chile peppers
- 1/4 ounce sea salt
- 4 garlic cloves
- Vinegar (optional)
Direction
- Trim the stems from the peppers. If they don't pull off easily, I like to leave the little green caps on the peppers (but still remove the long stems). The caps impart a subtle, earthy perfume to the final sauce.
- Combine the peppers, salt, and garlic in a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse mash. (You can also mince the peppers by hand, but I find that a food processor extracts more liquid from the pods.)
- Pour the pepper mash (and all the liquid) into a quart jar. Tamp down with a spoon or rubber spatula to expel more liquid from the bits and pieces, and cover the jar with a lid.
You want to allow the fermentation gases to escape, so don't seal it tightly—I simply leave a canning lid on (without the band) to keep out dust and pests. (A kitchen towel or several layers of cheesecloth also works to cover the jar.) - Store the jar at room temperature out of direct sunlight, but in a spot where you'll see it every day.
- Stir it up with a clean utensil once a day, and tamp the mixture down with a spoon to submerge the peppers in liquid again.
When you start to see bubbles inside the jar, that's a sign that fermentation is actively taking place.
The peppers will slightly expand and continue to release liquid as they ferment. If your mash doesn't seem "juicy" enough to keep most of the peppers sitting in liquid, you can add a few spoonfuls of filtered water to the jar, but keep it light—you don't want to dilute the hot sauce too much.
Depending on the ambient temperature of your room, it can take anywhere from one week to four weeks for the peppers to ferment. Warmer temperatures will help them ferment faster.
Generally, I know it's ready when the mash doesn't smell as spicy (like burns-off-your-nose-hairs spicy) and starts smelling sweet and sour (while still having a spicy kick).
It's a strong yet pleasant smell, and you'll notice at the end of the week (or up to four weeks), the peppers will soften and break down further. Don't be afraid to taste it!
At this stage, you're ready to process the peppers into hot sauce using one of the methods below, depending on your preference.
