fermenting Fermented Hot Chili Sauce

[Chili Monsta]

After being inspired recently by fellow THP member RocketMan, I made my first fermented batch of peppers of the 2011 season. And while I was at it, decided to assemble a simple step by step pictorial of the process.
I used the Nourished Kitchen recipe found at:
http://nourishedkitchen.com/fermented-hot-chili-sauce-recipe/
.....substituting peppers from my plants along with a few Hab's I purchased.

I hope others find this helpful and realize how relatively easy, along with healthy and safe fermentation can be.

(Pepper and salt measurements by weight rather than volume)

I prefer to use air locks rather than needing to monitor the sealed jar and release pressure when required. However, both methods will achieve successful results.

Note:
Since the room temperature is 80 degrees, this batch should be ready for the fridge after about 5 days, where as with cooler temps the initial fermentation might take a full 7 days.

Nourished kitchens also has an excellent resource e-book titled "Get Cultured" which can be downloaded free at:

http://nourishedkitchen.com/get-cultured/

Get Cultured contains helpful techniques and instructions in addition some great fermenting recipes for vegetables and peppers.
Enjoy!
EDIT: for typo's

 

[Chili Monsta]

Looks good bro. Why did you put it in the fridge instead of letting it ferment at room temp the whole time?

Thanks man...it's really pretty tasty.
I've found that by doing so it slowly ages... allowing the flavors meld together better as the acid level increases.It just seems to take away some of the bite Plus the ingredients retain more of their texture (crunchiness)which makes it work well as an additive for salsa, relishes, and chutney.

 

[rmardis]

Thanks man...it's really pretty tasty.
I've found that by doing so it slowly ages... allowing the flavors meld together better as the acid level increases.It just seems to take away some of the bite Plus the ingredients retain more of their texture (crunchiness)which makes it work well as an additive for salsa, relishes, and chutney.

Well, looks like i will have a go at this recipe by the end of the week :-) I never thought about using sugar or pure cane sugar. I will have to pick some up...Another thing, i am not sure if i will have room in the fridge with an airlock added on the quart. Did you use your airlock the whole time? Not counting what the wife is going to say about it :-)

 

[Chili Monsta]

Well, looks like i will have a go at this recipe by the end of the week :-) I never thought about using sugar or pure cane sugar. I will have to pick some up...Another thing, i am not sure if i will have room in the fridge with an airlock added on the quart. Did you use your airlock the whole time? Not counting what the wife is going to say about it :-)

I've used different sweeteners (white and brown sugar, sorghum,agave syrup,) and all have worked fine. I started a batch of Aji Limon mash yesterday using sugared dried cranberries. Really looking forward to cracking that one open sometime around Thanksgiving.
Yes, I left the airlock on when moving it to the fridge...simply because I didn't want to introduce any oxygen at that stage of the ferment process. But after I opened it up to make the sauce...I removed the airlock.
I had to adjust the shelf on one side of the fridge to allow space for my quart and half gallon ferment jars with the airlocks.
I'm pretty lucky...since I do the cooking and grocery shopping around our homestead, the missus doesn't get too upset with me when the fridge is full of my fermented stuff along with umpteen bottles of hot sauce.

 

[rmardis]

I am try using sorghum this next time. I already have some up in the cabnet, so it should make things a bit easier. Aji Limon sounds good. I just got a load of seeds in today from ajijoe on here. Next grow season i am using the Aji yellow. Also growing Red trinidad, yellow bhut, jamaican hot choc, wild brazil, wiri wiri, white bullet, dado de moco red, yellow fatalie, yellow trinidad perfume, zavory, plus a few more i will grab at the nursery. Man, i am pumped up. Next year, mash bash!!!! The main thing now is making a sauce i like with the mash. I did one with carrot, rice ving, lime, onions, garlic, and hot peppers, but the taste is not all that. have a good one bro. Prob start me another mash tomorrow

 

[Downriver]

Wow CM, that's impressive. I have read somewhere (here?) that "GREEN" (ripe) peppers didn't ferment very well, if at all. You have certainly disproved that theory.

Awesome.

Thanks for sharing your experiences.

 

[Chili Monsta]

The reason I refrigerated after the initial stage is actually two fold...
When the second stage is allowed to ferment more slowly(at lower temp's)I think the vegetables retain more of their fresh texture/crunch along with their individual flavors.
My plans for this particular ferment is as a base for sauces, various relish/chutney's, and possibly as a "Secret Ingredient" in my competition green chili.

The other reason is more of simply being cautious due to the assortment of ingredients I used in this batch.
Some fermented pepper recipes I've found state specifically that they don't recommend using any of the milder varieties (jalapeno, Anaheim, bells) because they are more prone to spoilage than the hotter peppers.

Each variety of vegetable or pepper, along with the garlic, is unique in what it brings to the ferment.
Some varieties have more or less carbs for example, and when using whole pods...who knows what potential contaminate might be lurking inside... escapes detection ...and is just waiting for the opportunity to regain the upper hand if left at room temp after the initial ferment is complete.
It might be a little over-kill on my part....but then, I don't experience failed ferments very often either.
(But that's not to say I haven't had batches where I don't like the results... so they got tossed out.)