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Using dried peppers

jafa

jafa

Hey guys,
 
My first batch of fermented hot sauces is almost finished and I have to wait for the end of the summer before my fresh peppers are ready (summer has not even started yet here...) so I was wondering if I could use dry peppers and make up the liquids with onion and garlic?
 
Any tips would be greatly appreciated!
 
Jafa
 
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Good question.  Looking forward to some answers.
 
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Thanks guys thats good to know!
Just put 1.1kg dried mixed peppers in the smoker and mincing up 1.1kg of fresh capsicum - no fresh chillies so the next best thing.
I'll add 3-4 onions and a couple of bulbs of garlic too
 
Now, time for a beer!
 
Never tried chipotle mate but I was told of an American store in town that sells it, so will be a trip out next week :)
 
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OK I'm in trouble.  I just blew up the wifes food processor and the liquidiser...  Both old but WTF?!
What are you guys using to smash up the dry chilli pods?
Chopped the rest by hand... Some quality hot hands now haha
 
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Yes you can. I made one with dried peppers, several different varieties, just reconstitute them in warm water and when they're all good and mushy, run then through the food processor along with any other ingredients, onion, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, etc... You are going to have to use a starter with this one and then brine and put it aside to work for a good 45 days. 
 
Cheers and have fun, POST PICS!!
 
RM
 
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OMG I just saw Black Friday on tv, that is bloody crazy!
The Vitamix are pretty $$$ but almost worth a flight and monster shopping trip next year for BF haha
 
Still cant work out how to add images sorry...
 
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I made a sauerkraut with Chipotle powder (dried smoked jalapeños), and it's fabulous.  So, I don't see why it wouldn't work in a hot sauce.   As for the Vitamix, it sucked having to fork out the big money for one, but it is by FAR the best kitchen gadget purchase we've ever made.  Our average use is at least once a day.  We've had if for about three years, and it hasn't skipped a beat.  Absolutely not regrets.  It is fantastic for making mash.  My profile picture is looking down into my Vitamix.  :)
 
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RocketMan said:
Yes you can. I made one with dried peppers, several different varieties, just reconstitute them in warm water and when they're all good and mushy, run then through the food processor along with any other ingredients, onion, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, etc... You are going to have to use a starter with this one and then brine and put it aside to work for a good 45 days. 
 
Cheers and have fun, POST PICS!!
 
RM
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I second RocketMan on this. Reconstituting the chiles will aid in chopping. If there is any naturally occurring bacteria left on your pods you will likely kill them in a hot water bath so a starter will ensure that the magic happens.
 
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Most of my fermented hot sauces contain powders as well as fresh. Because powders can give a diferent flavor profile than fresh I like to add powders to give some sauce some depth. It ferments quite well. My most recent super hot sauce is the hottest I have created so far, and I attribute part of the reason to powders. You can concentrate a lot of heat and peppers into powders, so you can actually increase the heat without adding too much material to the final mash. Excellent way to increase both flavor and heat to a sauce without adding too much volume.
 
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If you use dry chilies and other fresh ingredients, it's quite possible bacteria on the other ingredients may be enough to get it started.  In particular on garlic.  Maybe also add some fresh cabbage?
 
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Good tips Aaron/Patrad, cheers for that!
 
Quick update the hot sauces have been fermenting for three months and they smell amazing. 
Recipe is up top but off the cuff
1kg dry chilli pods (mixed types) I smoked these over pohutakawa for about 8 hours to add a little extra flavour
1kg fresh capsicum
3 onions
2 bulbs of garlic
 
Mash went off within a couple of days but I struggled to keep it under the surface of the vinegar, in the end I just left it to go and had no issues with growth on the top.  Good lively ferment and plenty of juice.  The juice was pretty dark for some reason but the final product is really nice, great aromatics and quite a bit hotter than my last one.
 
Stoked!  I'll be using this type of recipe again, especially as I just moved house so don't have all my vege beds.
 
Things I'd do different:
  • Soak the chilli pods so I dont break so many blenders - great tip thanks!
  • Smoke the chilli pods harder, maybe oak or teatree
  • mix up the mashes a little and make smaller batches of each so I can understand the flavour profiles more for what items add what flavour
 
Dry chilli pods look like a great option!
 
Thanks again for all the tips guys, really appreciated!
 
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jafa said:
Good tips Aaron/Patrad, cheers for that!
 
Quick update the hot sauces have been fermenting for three months and they smell amazing. 
Recipe is up top but off the cuff
1kg dry chilli pods (mixed types) I smoked these over pohutakawa for about 8 hours to add a little extra flavour
1kg fresh capsicum
3 onions
2 bulbs of garlic
 
Mash went off within a couple of days but I struggled to keep it under the surface of the vinegar, in the end I just left it to go and had no issues with growth on the top.  Good lively ferment and plenty of juice.  The juice was pretty dark for some reason but the final product is really nice, great aromatics and quite a bit hotter than my last one.
 
Stoked!  I'll be using this type of recipe again, especially as I just moved house so don't have all my vege beds.
 
Things I'd do different:
  • Soak the chilli pods so I dont break so many blenders - great tip thanks!
  • Smoke the chilli pods harder, maybe oak or teatree
  • mix up the mashes a little and make smaller batches of each so I can understand the flavour profiles more for what items add what flavour
 
Dry chilli pods look like a great option!
 
Thanks again for all the tips guys, really appreciated!
Click to expand...
Hi there I made a few  batches with dried habanero, squash and carrot that tasted awesome
 
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