Recent content by Chili Monsta

I just fermented a blend of fresh Lemon drop & Manzano with a couple dried Datil pods. Tossed in a few garlic cloves, a little pomegranate syrup and the juice from a couple clementine oranges. The results exceeded my wildest expectations.

..."Capsaicin breaks down at 400F so roasting your peppers at high temps is going to make them less hot, not more. If you want more heat then keep your temps lower - you are effectively caramelizing the sugars in the peppers (which happens at 320F) and drawing water off. So keep your temps above...

Greetings SmokenFire...I made this Manzano recipe today (swapped Lemon drop for Habs) and it is an excellent blend. Thanks for sharing this recipe , all those many moons ago. CM

Looking forward to making this recipe this weekend using Aji Lemon. Thanks RM. Hope all is well with you these days.....CM

Greetings Katherine, I've found that when using a strict "wild fermentation" , there is often more variables to contend with and consistent outcomes become issue. That's why I personally prefer to use commercial vegetable starters or whey from yogurts. All that being said, if there's no odors or...

Greetings Siv, Those are some nice looking ferments you've got started.  As for the salt issue, I agree that it can get to be confusing. Too little allows molds to form, too much inhibits the fermentation process. And that process is a balancing act of several variables, which the heat you...

Please....Read and heed....                                                             Did you see the part there that said, ONE OF THE MOST LETHAL TOXINS KNOWN ???     When in doubt.....throw it out.   Excellent post RM !!

I totally agree with you RM.   I've been gone from the forum a while....but I still check in on the "Fermenting 101" posts periodically.  It warms the heart to see how the fermenting recipes have evolved and overall interest grown since this thread began. (that's a lot of hot sauce!) A...

Sorry Buddy.... I realized somewhat later, that I was remiss in my remarks for not bidding you a fond and very much deserved membership in the THP fermenting family....where if it's organic, just throw it in a jar with a little salt(and of course hot peppers)...cover for a  few weeks..and...

"WOW" Buddy...those are some great looking ferments ! I can only imagine the fragrance's you  have when they are opened, let alone when you process and bottle them. What a way to begin the new year.....Very impressive indeed. CM

Yes....Pack the leaves in there(cabbage leaves are cheap)....it simply as a buffer area between the ferment solution and any oxygen that might still be present, and the cabbage will be tossed into the compost along with any and all floating particles. In reality...if you are using an air lock...

Greetings kjwalker, If you want to do the onion slice approace....I might suggest trying a thick onion slice positioned horizontally beneath a bundle of cabbage leaves. But the bubbling action during fermentation could very possibly still set the onion slice on end....and/or allow some"...

Congrats Buddy on your virgin ferment harvest !!!    Katie bar the door(s) in Illinois.... Knowing what little i do of those kitchen skills you bring to the table(literally).... I feel confident in saying that the best is yet to come. Welcome to the "I'll ferment anything that'll fit in a jar"...

..not really,the photo doesn't show the true color.... the meat is gray...even with a little pink mixed in there....but I try to seal the moisture in on all sides of the cubes as best I can. Thanks...yes ..they did turn out to be very tasty. ...and sadly(for my waist line), my fridge is full of...

Actually...."Graying" is an accepted "technique" that I learned from some quite accomplished folks some years ago when first participating in ICS and CASI competition chili cook-offs.... and it's a quite common practice ..at least among the award winning champions. Specifically, its at that...