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tutorial Fermenting Peppers 101

So, I started my first fermentation about 2 weeks ago?  Because of this awesome thread.   I started another probably a week or so after that, but in that one I did not use veggies, but I might have added maple syrup?  I forget.
 
The first one is a mish-mash of 4 kinds of peppers, carrots, garlic, salt, juice from some locally fermented kraut and water.   That one did nothing for about a week.  I put a ziploc with water in it in the top to try and weigh it down, and then over that I put a heavy duty nitrile rubber glove, to allow for expansion.   Friday, even after emergency venting, AND self-venting as it blew part of the glove off, I put it back on and the CO2 offgassing was so strong it ripped the glove.
 
Took it down, put a new glove on it, put it back, nothing for a day and now we are back to the glove possibly shooting off into space.
 
The other one is JUST sort of starting to get some gas into the glove.  I also had to scoop out some big glop of white stuff off the top when I put the glove on (I had it with just a sealed lit and nothing weighing it down.... (I expect failure here)
 
So with the first one, do I just keep letting it go until it is done filling up and destroying gloves?
 
I also learned that Cirtric Acid is what we want to drop PH, not ascorbic, and that it does not take much to take a two mason jar batch of sauce from 3.7 to 2.3.
 
It also does not take much Xanthan Gum to make a runny sauce into something as thick as mayo.
 
Learning is fun!

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Great first post lol.  Welcome to THP.  You're on your way HalM.  :)
 
Why is citric acid better? Ascorbic is a better antioxidant. Lactobacillus bacteria don't need oxygen but yeast and many harmful bacteria do need oxygen.
 
The chemical formula for both is very similar. Ascorbic has 1 less oxygen molecule. Ascorbic acids chemical formula is C6H8O6. Citric acids:chemical formula is C6H8O7.
 
On a side note, pretty much any brew shop carries 80% Lactic acid if the goal is simply ph adjustment for the mash.
 
I'm not a scientist so many of those words confuse me... I just googled a lot, something along the lines of "what should I used to reduce ph" and citric came out clearly on top.  Not to say it is the best choice, it just is what I found.
 
I also found that you can use it to clean scale off water heaters, coffee pots, dishwashers, etc so I was all over it.
 
Like I said, a tablespoon dropped the PH in a 2-quart batch from 3.7 to 2.3.   
 
All of that said, I don't know that I didn't poison myself by doing it, I'm hamfistedly going through all of this.  Do people have good luck with Ascorbic dropping their PH like that?  I can easily amazon some of that....
 
SmokenFire said:
Great first post lol.  Welcome to THP.  You're on your way HalM.   :)
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SmokenFire,
 
Does the fermented  sauce have to be further cooked?  If the jars are sanitized, can the sauce be added, uncooked, and kept in the fridge?
 
If your fermentation is not finished (eaten all the sugars) or the ph is not low enough to prevent lactobacillus from reproduction, it will continue in the fridge at a MUCH slower rate. Cooking/pasteurizing is the only other way besides using chemicals/preservatives..
 
If your ferment has a low enough ph it will keep in the fridge for a very long time. I had kimchi that was over 3 months old that is completely safe to eat. Fermented hot sauce should easily last as long or longer.
 
Roguejim said:
 
SmokenFire,
 
Does the fermented  sauce have to be further cooked?  If the jars are sanitized, can the sauce be added, uncooked, and kept in the fridge?
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RJ - 
 
The fermented sauce does not have to be further cooked, provided you've hit a safe ph (mine usually come in around 3.5) especially if you're putting it into containers that go into the fridge.  I will cook and process ferments that are meant to be bottled and sold, but I have pint jars of uncooked ferments in the fridge that are a year old that taste amazing.  
 
SmokenFire said:
 
 
RJ - 
 
The fermented sauce does not have to be further cooked, provided you've hit a safe ph (mine usually come in around 3.5) especially if you're putting it into containers that go into the fridge.  I will cook and process ferments that are meant to be bottled and sold, but I have pint jars of uncooked ferments in the fridge that are a year old that taste amazing.  
 
Is the flavor affected by cooking?
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I don't think the cooking really effects the flavor that much, but the processing (food mill/immersion blender) definitely effect the texture.  If anything I'd say that cooking can sometimes 'mellow' the flavors of raw ferments but not change it's flavor much overall.  Kinda like a raw carrot vs a cooked carrot - the cooked one is a bit sweeter than the raw one.  
 
Here's a post so people can get an idea of weights and quantities.  In preparation for an upcoming Making Hot Sauce class, I'm starting a ferment.  Originally, it was supposed to be a jalapeno, but I came into some habaneros, so we are on to PlanB!
 
Here's the ingredients- 32 1/2 pounds of fresh produce, before cleaning and trimming.
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I used the Robot Coupe-
1-to make it go fast (y'all know I'm inherently lazy  -lol- )
2- to get an even, small-ish dice on the veggies so they ferment at a good rate
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10 pounds of habs=this...
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my new toy!  A Big Mouth Bubbler 6 gallon
that 32pounds of produce topped off the jug, too full, so I took some out into the Little Bubbler.
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More in a bit-
 
The Ingredients-
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I added about 2% salt by weight and 1/2 cup of active kraut brine.
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Top of the Bubbler-
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The small bubbler has a well in the lid with a center port.  It has a vented cap that kind of snaps on the port, and then the well is filled with water creating the air lock.  Where I'm holding these jars is right in front of a forced air wall heater and the water in the well will evaporate very quickly.  I replaced the funky cap with a traditional cork and airlock.
 
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I purchased the Big Mouth Bubblers from Midwest Brewing Supply.  So far, I like the wide mouth.  It will be easy to clean and was nice when mixing up stuff by hand.
 
Hope this helps others trying to figure out what size jars you may need or how much can fit into a jar. 
-cheers-
 
A large air space above the ferment will encourage more yeast production and other nasties. The E-Jen fermenters i keep recommending come in some really large sizes. The inner lid insures the mash has little to no air touching the mash. As the mash expands, the inner lid will rise or allow liquid to escape through the vent hole.
 
A 22 liter is only $21.00 plus shipping. http://www.shoplivart.com/ej-r22.html
 
I do want one of those Little Big Mouth Bubblers for my smaller "beverage" ferments.
 
 
 
So my wife got tire of me hogging the deep freeze with chili peppers so I had to make some hot sauce.

 
I made my caribbean sauce which I set to ferment for about six months.
I had some Orange Thai, Ethiopian Fire, Aji Cito, I Scream, Tabasco, A mix of stuff that wasn't enough for a whole quart jar--All these will ferment for at least six months.
And I made my Creole Catsup from the Cayennes I grew.
 
A few pages back someone mentioned adding a potato to their fermented sauce and cooking it for an hour. Can anyone shed a bit more light on the why and how of this practice?
 
I don't think they'd let gas out well enough. I use mason jars and lightly tighten them so the lids can burp if they need to.
 
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