• If you have a question about commercial production or the hot sauce business, please post in The Food Biz.

fermenting Red Hab Ferment

Whelp, about a month and a half ago I started a ferment of Red Habs, tomatoes, onions, garlic and carrots. I used a whey starter and also salt somewhere in the neighborhood of 3.5 percent to weight, dont have my log/notes in front of me so that measurement may be different.
I placed everything into a sanitized 1 gallon wine jug with an airlock.
Within a few days the fermentation was hard at work, the smells coming out of it were just mouth watering, luckily I have a spot in the garage I dont need to go past all the time as I for sure would have been tempted to crack that sucker open.
A couple data ago I brought the ferment into the kitchen and set it on our rack in the corner.
Today was the day, the day to test ph and go from there.
I gave the jug a few really good swirls and poured a bit into a tiny sauce and tested... What?!?! PH of 3.6?! Well thank my lucky stars cuz I also tasted it when I poured and it woulda just killed me to have to set this back into the closet if it were'nt ready.
I ran it through the blender, then pressed through my mesh filter.
I placed one pint into a jar and it the fridge, the rest was processed and hot packed.
Final total is 3.5 quarts of fermented awesomeness (to me at least).
The fermenting bug bit me, I cant get enough of it!

Heres a pic...

 
Ive gotta say that I have totally bought into this fermenting thing. Its been just 24hrs or so since pulling this outta ferment and my wife and I have just about gone through 5oz bottle if it.
The possibilities! I think this recipe is pretty standard so it seems to be a great starting point for us to gradually tweek it and see what other fantastic flavors fermenting can provide.
 
@cypresshill1973 To the contrary, I, we are enjoying the flavor with no bad perceived flAvors from the thr tomato fermenting with our other ingredients.
But I'm new to this whole fermenting thing, so if it wasnt conventional or traditional to hot-sauce fermenting Ive gotta ask for a mulligan on it, but by no means am I dissapointed in the outcome.
@ FiremanSmith That sounds like a great idea, I cant wait to read about your observations!
 
cypresshill1973 said:
The tomato has left a bad taste?

I read that ferment tomato should not be used. Tomato sauce added in cooking
 
Their's nothing wrong with fermenting tomatoes.
 
Lots of folks do it and there's tons of fermenting recipes (like salsa) out there using tomatoes.
 
Just a quick update:
Well, after aging for a few months, since roughly 11-13-14, I finally cracked open a bottle to flavor up some plain 'ol boring ramen.
Wow, love it, man, its complex, full bodied and just enough heat to keep me happy.
Sorry about the crappy pic. :)

 
Thanks for the update 2G!  The sauce looks very nice.  How would you compare the aged version with the bottle you went through right after processing?
 
A little mellower, right after bottling the onion, garlic, tomato was almost "in your face", seems like the flavors have "matured" a bit, I guess is how I would describe it.
Lately Ive been enjoying my "Ghorpion" sauce, its not fermented and quite a bit hotter, so tasting this sauce after that I noticed how much more pronounced fermenting allows some of the flavors to be.
 
Pete,
 
Great job on the sauce!  Your method was similar to mine.  I agree the sauce making, fermenting, etc. is addicting, as you mention.  The sauce looks awesome :-)
 
Jim
 
Back
Top