• If you have a question about commercial production or the hot sauce business, please post in Startup Help.

tutorial Fermenting Peppers 101

some do some don't, it's up to you. I have done it both ways and if I do it I'll use a ziplock bag filled with some glass beads. So long as you don't open the jar and allow the co2 to escape you'll be fine. The only thing I've had get into mine is some kahm yeast and it's not harmful.
 
Ahh I have opened it a couple of times to add salted water. To try to get it down. I guess I will leave it alone. Since I opened it a couple times does that mean I'm back to square one?
 
If you added salt water each time and didn't mix it up but left it on top you should be good till the co2 builds back up. If not then just keep an eye on it and as soon as you see it stop bubbling either process it or put it in the fridge for how ever long you want to age it.
 
RocketMan said:
If you added salt water each time and didn't mix it up but left it on top you should be good till the co2 builds back up. If not then just keep an eye on it and as soon as you see it stop bubbling either process it or put it in the fridge for how ever long you want to age it.
Click to expand...

What is the usual buble time?I used a whey started
 
It's hard to say without knowing your recipe but it depends on the amount of sugar in the mash. Using what I know of my own mashes, in my simple ones I let them go 45 days. The arrgessive action is usually done in a couple of weeks and then it's more about aging. In the mashes that have more sugars, ones that have fruits added, I'll let them go 90 days and the aggressive part is done in about a month. So.........

you need to look at the amount of sugars in there and kind of figure it from there. Sorry I cant give you a more deffinite answer.
 
Thanks for the replies!

Did you ever had lacto contamination problems with your beers? I'm a homebrewer too, and recently had some problems of infection.. not lactobacillus, but brettanomyces. I would be concerned to ''culture'' lacto in the same ''area'' I brew, ferment and bottle my beers.
 
no problems with my brews but I usually dont do both at the same time. Also Im very strict in my sanitation and liberally use Idophor for both applications.
 
RocketMan said:
no problems with my brews but I usually dont do both at the same time. Also Im very strict in my sanitation and liberally use Idophor for both applications.
Click to expand...

Okay, thanks! I'm also very strict on sanitation, almost maniac, and got 2 infections anyway, that's why i'm a bit concerned these days. I was using a water soluble sanitizer until these infections, I never really 100% trusted this sanitizer, but it was cheap and everything seemed to be ok. Since then, I use Star San that is a bit expensive, but really effective and so easy to use.

Since I'll be doing several big mashes of peppers (80 plans, and at least 50% will go into fermented sauce), I'll probably go with White Labs lactobacillus and large pots with airlocks. 1 vial will be enough for the whole process, i'm guess. At soon as I put a bit of lactobacillus in peppers, in controled environment (aka closed fermented w airlock), they'll reproduce. Closed fermenters will also prevent the propagation of the bacteria anywhere else.

By the way, it's a bit out topic, but topic of ''hot'' brewing...
This saturday, I'm brewing a Szechuan peppercorn Rye beer.
And at the next pepper harvest, we'll brew a Hot pepper Stout. I'm seeing a really roasted-torrefied stout with a infusion of roasted/smoked peppers. Haven't decided which one yet.
 
If you haven't been in the Homebrewing threads, we have a professional Brewmaster who is a member here and is great about helping us amatures out with our brews. He has a thread called Ask Wheebz where we can ask anything about it that we need help with. I usually send him a bottle or 2 when he helps with a brew, sometimes when he doesnt too. He gives great feedback about the beer just from enjoying one. For instance he let me know that while an English Brown Ale I made came out perfect, An Austrailian Ale I made i fermented too hot and it had developed Fussel Alcohols. It was still pretty tasty but there was a bite to it from those alcohols. Great info to have.

Cheers,
Bill
 
Quick question....would the whey off the top of cottage cheese or sour cream work as a starter as well. Is that the same stuff?
 
I haven't heard or tried so I wouldn't know, but since they're made by different processes I would think not. Good question though.
 
I agree with Adamrb about the "live" thing. Some (but not all) yogurts have "Live Cultures". Cottage cheese and sour cream are usually pasteurized which kills the culture (I think).

Some fresh sour krauts and kimchees have live cultures. I've done a successfull fermentation using Caldwell's vegetable started. Going to process my 2nd batch today, will let you know how it turns out.
 
I looked a bit... most of the cheeses have not whey in them, because it is removed through the process. Only a few one contain whey. Ricotta, ''farmer's cheese'' (I guess it means non-commercial cheese) and some of Feta producers left the whey in the water, but some don't.
 
I´m new to peppers but been baking sour dough bread for a long time so I was thrilled to find this post :)
If you are having trouble with the sourdough starter, you can add a few raisins in the mix, until it starts bubbling. Never fails!

BTW, once your starter is good to go, always remember to save a litlle bit (1 tsp should be enough, in a ziplock baggie), do not use it all. Well refrigerated or, better yet, dehydrated, it can last for years. When you need it, you just have to feed it more flour and water in several steps, doubling the volume in each one until you get the desired amount.
I have serveral doughs in my fridge. Some of them are 10+ years.
 
This article is what made me join im new to growing peppers and i was searching for some good info on fermenting peppers for hot sauce. I've tried the method worked great for me its amazing how fermenting peppers just brings out their flavor to the extreme. I mean a fresh jalapeno and serrano taste almost the same but when fermented the difference is day and night i cant wait to ferment all the chiles i can and taste all these wonderful pepper flavors. Thanks for this, there is really not alot of information out there on fermenting peppers.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top