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Wet Brine vs Dry Brine

kjwalker

kjwalker

Okay, more simple questions from the rookie.  
 
1. What is the end difference between doing a wet brine and a dry brine?  I've read about both, but nobody has really touched on the end results of one over the other...or what happens in the fermenting stages with one vs the other.  I am gonna assume the wet brine takes off quicker?  But perhaps the dry brine is hotter at the finished product?  In my first ferments I used a lot of brine, and then blendered the whole thing together with the brine....and then boiled it down to remove the brine (smart).  Not gonna do this again cause of the salt it leaves behind.  But...wonder about the question and if I go wet brine...when is enough enough?
 
2. I'll throw this in cause I'm curious....does avocado ferment okay along with peppers?  I love avocado hot sauces, but also know that avocado goes brown easily, which could discolor a sauce, at least once it gets O2.  How to avoid this or is it not an issue??
 
Uhmmmm what other dumb questions can I ask here while I have your attention... :P
 
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not really sure what you're asking but I'll toss a couple answers out-
 
I'm thinking the difference is a wet brine is a chile/and-or/vegetable fermentation started with a water-salt solution where a dry brine would be a kimchi started with salt on cabbage leaves (leaves are gently pounded until liquid is released and then other veggies are added and the batch is set to ferment...)  :shrug:. 
 
just guessing, hopefully this will bump the post and maybe get more answers from the fermentation gurus.
 
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Yea...the dry, even with peppers as I've read in different areas online, is just salt and pepper mash.  Just curious how this effects end results...and if it's better just to stick with wet brine/water and salt mixture.
 
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kjwalker said:
Yea...the dry, even with peppers as I've read in different areas online, is just salt and pepper mash.  Just curious how this effects end results...and if it's better just to stick with wet brine/water and salt mixture.
Click to expand...
 
I use straight salt in several different pepper mash ferments with no brine added.  The mash is then put into mason jars and airlocked to ferment for usually 4-6weeks sometimes longer.  Batches that go longer tend to get a little darker on top, otherwise no issues or problems.  If the mash has enough salt there should be no problems.  When I'm fermenting with salt brine I'm usually making some sort of pickle; and though it may have peppers in it I won't be using those peppers in a hot sauce.  (cause they're pickles, meant to be eaten as such)
 
Search out Rocketman, stickman and Chilimosta's posts here on THP kjwalker, and read up on fermentation in books if you can - I have gotten useful information from books by Sandor Katz and Alex Lewin.  Most of my practical knowledge of fermentation has come through trial and error though, and I thank Rocketman, Chilimonsta and the rest of this forum for limiting my early mistakes.  The resources herein are a real benefit to the world.     
 
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As far as avocado is concerned, I'd be careful.  There are a lot of fats in avocados and as I understand it, fats go rancid during a ferment.  As far as color is concerned, you could preserve that with a bit of acid right after cutting up the avocado.  Lemon juice or vinegar would work well.
 
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Yea I figure working with avocado is gonna be tricky.  I am thinking to do something "by the bottle" where I'd make an avocado based sauce after the ferment is done, and small quantities meant to be consumed in a day or two.
 
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Yep of course!  Read that a few times.  ha ha
 
It says to use a water brine...2 tblsp of salt per two cups of water and cover the veggies...
 
Other places say no water...just a pepper mash with salt....with a starter
 
I kinda like having the brine around during processing to help adjust the viscosity of the sauce.  Yesterday I made a quick batch and ended up using more than half the brine back in the pepper sauce to loosen it up...along with some vinegar 
 
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I personally super saturate a cup of water with salt. Then I put the chilies in a blender or food processor and chop. Then I add enough water to get the consistency I want usually something a little thinner than mash potatoes. Thin enough that it will just about pour out very slowly.
 
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Dry versus wet, humm,
 
Ok, I've not done any dry ferments because they require a huge amount of salt and I have High Blood Pressure. I also try to keep the amount of salt that goes into my sauces low. Consequently, the biggest comment of my early sauces was that they needed more salt :) so now I use a bit more and have been thinking about trying a dry brine but haven't had any ideas yet.
 
When you have an excess of brine rather than boil it down, pour some into a clean mason jar and put it in the fridge to use as a starter for another ferment. Then cook down what you have left. You'll spend less time processing it, waiting for it to cook down. You can always add a bit more water to the pot as your simmering if you need to thin it a bit.
 
I've had a lot of questions sent to me by pm and in the threads about what to do when the sauce it too salty. Here's a trick I learned from my Grandmother. If your sauce is too salty grab a big potato and peel it. Gently drop the whole potato into the center of the pot. Potatoes are salt magnets and that baby will suck up a lot of it as the sauce simmers. Check it again after about 30 minutes and then again every 15 minutes till it's right. If it's so long that you fear the potato is getting soft then pull it out and add another one.
 
As for Avocado's in your sauce, there are recipes for Fermented Guacamole that can be found online and most of them only ferment it till it starts to form bubbles and then eat it. Personally, I think your taking a really big chance fermenting them. If you want them in your sauce I'd add them after the fermentation is done and probably then I'd most likely emulsify the sauce with Avocado oil rather than add fresh Avocado but JMHO.
 
Cheers y'all and Merry Christmas!
RM
 
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