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fermenting Fermenting sauces made since fall

I know folks around here like pictures, but I didn't take any. Sorry, I'll try to better in the future. However, I thought I'd still share some information on the batches of hot sauce I have made since fall, since I love reading what other people put in their creations.  Most of these sauces are pretty straightforward (with some interesting stuff like hops and olives in couple), but this was my first "serious" fermenting experience (just did a couple batches the year before).  All of these were fermented in brine without any starter (or a dash of brine from a previous batch), blended, briefly brought to a boil or near boil with the addition of any post-ferment ingredients, milled in some cases, and then canned in half-pint mason jars.  
 
"Straight-up habanero" - Just orange habs, fermented for about a month.  Sometimes simple is better.
 
"Hoppin' habanero" - Fermented orange habs. Homemade hop wine (cascade hops) and lime juice added post-ferment, and reduced.  This is AWESOME if you like hops.
 
"Scotch bonnet blast" - Red scotch bonnets, Yellow 7 pots, Bahamian goats, Hungarian hot wax, mild red habaneros, bell peppers, onions, cilantro.  Lemon juice and a small amount of honey added post-ferment.  Very hot, but I can't say that I love the flavor.
 
"Ghostly Fatalli" - Fatalli peppers (white, yellow, red, choc), Ghost peppers (red, peach, choc), Hungarian hot wax, mild red habaneros, bell peppers, onions, cilantro. Very hot, and I like the flavor better than the previous one.
 
"No-harm habanero" - Hungarian hot wax, mild red habaneros, bell peppers, onions, cilantro.  Perhaps this shouldn't be included on this forum, but my 8-year old daughter inhales this stuff!  Very tasty and made nice holiday gifts to those in family that are less capsaicin obsessed.
 
"Turkish Apricot-anero" - Orange habaneros, dried turkish apricots, assorted sweet peppers, cumin seeds, mustard seeds. This is awesome...nice complex flavor and smooth consistency likely from the apricots.
 
"Hoppin' Citrus Habanero" - Orange habaneros, numex orange habaneros ,yellow sante fe peppers, ginger, carrots, garlic, onion, and banana.   Homemade hop wine (cascade hops), and juice from grapefruits, oranges, and lemons added post-ferment and reduced.  My wife's comment..."yep it tastes like an IPA, but I can't taste my dinner anymore because my mouth is on fire."  Good stuff.
 
"Jalapeño Cilantro Verde" - Tomatillos, Jalapeno and hungarian got wax peppers, garlic, red onion.  Lots of fresh cilantro added post-ferment, along with a small amount of rice vinegar to liven it up a bit.  Not very hot, but very tasty.
 
"Scorpion Reaper Madness" - Scorpion peppers (red, chocolate), Carlolina reaper peppers, Green bell peppers. Cilantro, lemon juice, and small amount of molasses added post-ferment. FANTASTIC flavor and heat.
 
"Pineapple Habanero" - So many people here seem to do this combination...and I can see why. Just used orange habs and pineapple.
 
"Habanero Verde" - End of the growing season I picked all the green habs in the garden and through this together, and it turned out to be my FAVORITE of all I have made so far.  Green habanero, green jalapeno, green cayenne, chives, cilantro, carrots, bell peppers, lemongrass.  Complex flavor and moderate heat.  Maybe I should pick more of my habs when they are green.
 
"Green olive verde" - Tomatilloes, green tomatoes, jalapenos, bell pepper, garlic. A jar of green olives, and a touch of rice vinegar added post-ferment.  This is really great stuff with moderate-low heat.
 
"Forest fire" - Orange habaneros, thais, cayennes, ghosts, scotch bonnets, red jalapenos, sweet onion, tomatoes.  Added a teaspoon of sugar after 2 weeks of fermentation, along with a handful of medium toasted oak chips and then let it sit for a couple months.  A small amount of white vinegar added post ferment. Have not tried this one yet, as I wanted to give it a little time to mellow.
 
"Guero lime" - Sante Fe peppers, Hungarian hot wax, Red jalapeños. Lime juice, Cumin, dried and ground green jalapeno and green habs added post ferment to increase the heat and flavor complexity a bit.  This stuff is fantastic.
 
Have a bunch more batches started, but that is what has been finished since fall.  Thanks to all of you that post ingredients on this site, it is fun to gather ideas!  I never thought my wife would eat anything spicy, but she really likes my sauces and has moved well into those with moderate heat.
 
 
 
 
AldenMiller said:
I wanted to see what the Forest Fire tasted like.  I have a ferment with toasted oak cubes in it working now.
 
-Alden
 
Tried the "forest fire" last night.  It has a very strong oaky-vanilla flavor profile.  Quite good, although I think it needs to age a bit.
 
total noobsauce said:
To add smoke flavor you can just burn some wood chips and throw them in with the sauce? Cool
 
I'd be cautious about tossing any old wood chips in a sauce, but maybe other folks have experimented more with various sorts of wood. I also make fruit and grape wines (including currently going batches of habanero-pineapple and habanero-peach!), and home winemakers often use oak cubes or chips to simulate the effect of oak-barrel aging.  You can get oak cubes at any home beer/wine making store, and there are a variety of oak types (american, french, and hungarian typically) and different toast levels to choose from. 
 
To add smoke flavor you can just burn some wood chips and throw them in with the sauce? Cool

Or smoke a few peppers for the batch. The peppers I smoke are in freezer and when I want the smoke flavor add to taste.
 
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