Fermented Pepper Sauce

[jham0077]

We picked the peppers for the last time today since the frost killed the plants last night. I have way more than I know what to do with. It's a mix of ancho, hot banana, habanero, jalapeño, tabasco, and sweet bananas. I'm making a pickled mix with some, cauliflower, peppers, baby corn, carrots, and garlic. There will be almost a 5 gallon bucket full of assorted peppers left that I would like to make sauce with. I've had a go at it twice this year but only end up with moldy pepper juice. I'm not sure if I get the salt ratio off? should I refridgerate (haven't for the last 2 batches)? when to add vinegar? The wife made a batch years ago from an Internet recipe. There are like 4 recipes on what she printed and she doesn't remember which she used.

I was wondering if any has made a fermented pepper sauce and would share the recipe.

[jham0077]

http://https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipPiFrAUpQCTcVGmqh5zOS9a3uDe0C101CPx6TQj
That's what I did. Little bit more than 7 lbs of peppers mixed at a 32:1 ratio with salt. It almost filled the jar by itself. I mixed a 5% brine and topped it off, added the bubbler and crossed my fingers. The wife said the batch she made went in the fridge. I can't find anything online that says refrigerate.

Farking pictures.... I'll try to fix it...

[jham0077]

http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b512/jham0077/Mobile%20Uploads/20161113_152758_001_zpswi5tiqdm.jpg (http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/jham0077/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20161113_152758_001_zpswi5tiqdm.jpg.html)

Well..... that's what I did.

[chicagokp]

Yours looks good. I see your blended yours. I will do that at the end. I'm not putting mine in the fridge either.

I had a bunch of Thai chilis and then I raided some other assorted goodies from Shagdog. He planted a mess of pepper plants. I ended up with this for peppers.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y182/Phariss/bbq/2016%20-%20cooks/11%20-%20fermented/CF0D6EF6-5D33-4114-AA7A-80428A05C3D1_zpstpuezwno.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y182/Phariss/bbq/2016%20-%20cooks/11%20-%20fermented/254FDD9D-F35E-4D4B-935C-02C0DD9D1B75_zpsu0lgbsse.jpg

I split it into 2 quart jars. Then added 1/2 an onion each and 2 plum tomatoes each. Then 5% salt brine.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y182/Phariss/bbq/2016%20-%20cooks/11%20-%20fermented/B5A42F59-385A-4A1F-A27C-307BF578C2FD_zpsdnwfkqm6.jpg

I'm about a week in and figure it will go 4-5 weeks.

[Roguejim]

Refrigeration will slow/stop the fermentation.

http://thehotpepper.com/forum/91-hot-sauce-making/

[chicagokp]

Refrigeration will slow/stop the fermentation.

http://thehotpepper.com/forum/91-hot-sauce-making/

Yup, I was thinking the same.

[jham0077]

I was thinking the batch the wife made took quite some time (refrigerated). I had a lot of green habnaros. Hope they'll be okay. I think I'll blend it one more time when it's done then strain or run it through a food mill.
Those quarts look good. What's on top of them?

[chicagokp]

Yup, I'm going to blend, then run through a fine mesh strainer probably.

My fermentation lock is from kraut source. It's just a different style. I picked on a buy one get one free sale last Christmas.

[Rocky Branch BBQ]

Yours looks good. I see your blended yours. I will do that at the end. I'm not putting mine in the fridge either.

I had a bunch of Thai chilis and then I raided some other assorted goodies from Shagdog. He planted a mess of pepper plants. I ended up with this for peppers.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y182/Phariss/bbq/2016%20-%20cooks/11%20-%20fermented/CF0D6EF6-5D33-4114-AA7A-80428A05C3D1_zpstpuezwno.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y182/Phariss/bbq/2016%20-%20cooks/11%20-%20fermented/254FDD9D-F35E-4D4B-935C-02C0DD9D1B75_zpsu0lgbsse.jpg

I split it into 2 quart jars. Then added 1/2 an onion each and 2 plum tomatoes each. Then 5% salt brine.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y182/Phariss/bbq/2016%20-%20cooks/11%20-%20fermented/B5A42F59-385A-4A1F-A27C-307BF578C2FD_zpsdnwfkqm6.jpg

I'm about a week in and figure it will go 4-5 weeks.

That looks like that will light you up!!

[mjpmap]

I did the same thing with my leftover peppers this year. I used a Spanish smoked sea salt for the brine. I also blended everything. It was a first time experiment. I had the typical separation of water/solids, so I tried to reduce the liquid by simmering the sauce. It changed the color and taste, but not for the better. Next time, I'll skip the reduction.

[Shagdog]

Getting your pulp submerged will help with your mold problem... Being blended may make that harder... Maybe try bigger chunks?

From what I read, it works best if you can keep everything submerged, with nothing but the salt water on top. (Less for the mold to grow on) I will only fill the jars about 2/3 to 3/4, then a cabbage leaf (a tip from a brethren on here.. Thanks RogueJim!) and then a couple big carrots wedged in to hold everything down. then I fill with water until everything is submerged. I have seen a small amount of white funk grow on the top, but I just skim it off and everything is fine. I have read many people who ferment in crocks with no airlocks, or even no lids, and they just skim the mold off and let er rip. I would not be too fearful of eating the sauce, just skim that gunk off.

My jars usually look like KP's.. Rough chopped. After 4-6 weeks in a dark spot, I'll make sure all the gunk is skimmed, discard the carrot and cabbage, and then put an emulsion blender right in the jar. I liquefy it the best I can, then I put everything through a fine mesh sieve with a spatula (a food mill would work too) You shouldn't have to add any vinegar if you do it right.

[Ron_L]

Getting your pulp submerged will help with your mold problem... Being blended may make that harder... Maybe try bigger chunks?

From what I read, it works best if you can keep everything submerged, with nothing but the salt water on top. (Less for the mold to grow on) I will only fill the jars about 2/3 to 3/4, then a cabbage leaf (a tip from a brethren on here.. Thanks RogueJim!) and then a couple big carrots wedged in to hold everything down. then I fill with water until everything is submerged. I have seen a small amount of white funk grow on the top, but I just skim it off and everything is fine. I have read many people who ferment in crocks with no airlocks, or even no lids, and they just skim the mold off and let er rip. I would not be too fearful of eating the sauce, just skim that gunk off.

My jars usually look like KP's.. Rough chopped. After 4-6 weeks in a dark spot, I'll make sure all the gunk is skimmed, discard the carrot and cabbage, and then put an emulsion blender right in the jar. I liquefy it the best I can, then I put everything through a fine mesh sieve with a spatula (a food mill would work too) You shouldn't have to add any vinegar if you do it right.

I was hoping that you would chime in :-D

I've only done one batch of fermented hot sauce, but I do a lot of fermented kraut and pickles. Keeping things submerged and keeping air out are the key. In the pictures you can see a couple of air locks that can be used. They are designed to let the CO2 from the fermentation process out while keeping air from getting in. There are a bunch of naturally occurring molds in our air that can mess up a ferment.

Using a cabbage leaf or a weight (they sell glass or ceramic ones) works well. The jar covers that KP has look like the ones that I have from Kraut Source. They are an air lock plus have a spring loaded 'plunger' that keep the content of the jar submerged. I also use Fido brand jars with a customized lid that has a hole in it for an airlock. Look at a place called The Probiotic Jar for one source.

[chicagokp]

Yup, good and bad with the Kraut Source fermentation air locks. The plunger is great, but since the air lock part is open, the water can evaporate and you need to top it off every now and again. But that's always a good reason to check on your fermentation and make sure it's not getting funky.

[Roguejim]

Getting your pulp submerged will help with your mold problem... Being blended may make that harder... Maybe try bigger chunks?

From what I read, it works best if you can keep everything submerged, with nothing but the salt water on top. (Less for the mold to grow on) I will only fill the jars about 2/3 to 3/4, then a cabbage leaf (a tip from a brethren on here.. Thanks RogueJim!) and then a couple big carrots wedged in to hold everything down. then I fill with water until everything is submerged. I have seen a small amount of white funk grow on the top, but I just skim it off and everything is fine. I have read many people who ferment in crocks with no airlocks, or even no lids, and they just skim the mold off and let er rip. I would not be too fearful of eating the sauce, just skim that gunk off.

My jars usually look like KP's.. Rough chopped. After 4-6 weeks in a dark spot, I'll make sure all the gunk is skimmed, discard the carrot and cabbage, and then put an emulsion blender right in the jar. I liquefy it the best I can, then I put everything through a fine mesh sieve with a spatula (a food mill would work too) You shouldn't have to add any vinegar if you do it right.

Do you cook the sauce at all when the ferment is complete?

[Shagdog]

Do you cook the sauce at all when the ferment is complete?

Nope. Blend, strain, bottle.

This was my last batch (round 7) started life as about 3/4 of a 1/2 gallon jar full. After straining out seeds and hard pulp through a flour sieve I got 7 1/2 5 oz bottles worth. consistency was great. It will separate a little if it sits a while in the fridge but nothing a little shake up won't fix. I've experimented with different levels of thickness, but I've found that just pitching anything that won't fit through the sieve works best (push it through with a spatula, get everything you can.. or use a food mill... Mine is broken and I haven't gotten a new one yet). Any more than that and I'm just always unplugging the end of the hot sauce bottle.

http://i791.photobucket.com/albums/yy197/Shagdad1126/7797982F-8ADE-46EC-9B1A-3D55A8F91FD7_zpswzy7pwdr.jpg (http://s791.photobucket.com/user/Shagdad1126/media/7797982F-8ADE-46EC-9B1A-3D55A8F91FD7_zpswzy7pwdr.jpg.html)

[Roguejim]

Nope. Blend, strain, bottle.

This was my last batch (round 7) started life as about 3/4 of a 1/2 gallon jar full. After straining out seeds and hard pulp through a flour sieve I got 7 1/2 5 oz bottles worth. consistency was great. It will separate a little if it sits a while in the fridge but nothing a little shake up won't fix. I've experimented with different levels of thickness, but I've found that just pitching anything that won't fit through the sieve works best (push it through with a spatula, get everything you can.. or use a food mill... Mine is broken and I haven't gotten a new one yet). Any more than that and I'm just always unplugging the end of the hot sauce bottle.

http://i791.photobucket.com/albums/yy197/Shagdad1126/7797982F-8ADE-46EC-9B1A-3D55A8F91FD7_zpswzy7pwdr.jpg (http://s791.photobucket.com/user/Shagdad1126/media/7797982F-8ADE-46EC-9B1A-3D55A8F91FD7_zpswzy7pwdr.jpg.html)

Thanks. Last question: Do you test the final pH?

[Shagdog]

I do not, but a ph tester is on my Christmas list

[jham0077]

We have crocks, weights, all that good stuff. I had a batch mold in the crock with a plate holding the mash down and a batch mold in a jar with an airlock.
Next question.... should I stir this occasionally or just let it ride?
And should I weigh this down so only liquid is exposed?

[Shagdog]

No need to stir. Yes, the peppers should be submerged. The surface should be just salt water. No peppers.

[jham0077]

Alright, I gotta find something to fit in that narrow mouth jar.

[Yellowhair42]

Alright, I gotta find something to fit in that narrow mouth jar.


Put a plastic bag in the empty space and fill with water or brine. It will keep everything submerged and act as an air lock.