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tutorial Fermenting Peppers 101
- Thread starter RocketMan
- Start date
I will admit I am new to hot sauces. will admit I have not read all 56 pages of golden information...Why would someone boil the product of hgardwork to kill the very bactieria that produced it? "pasteurization" has not really be3 sucha good thing...no? Save me allllllthetime in reading and tell me this has been disrpoven...
Welcome to THP, Okiwen!Okiwen said:
Boiling a fermented mash isn't necessary, unless you plan on bottling it for long term "shelf storage." If you'd like to "keep" the good bacteria in there, by all means, store it in the fridge without cooking/boiling it. If you'd like to bottle it and store it on the shelf, boiling is necessary to stop the fermentation process. If you bottle the mash without killing (boiling) the bacteria, the mash will continue to ferment and release CO2, causing pressure to build up inside the bottles/jars. Too much pressure built up in there (gas with no means to escape), and you'll end up with what we like to call "bottle bombs" going off in your pantry 
Yeah, it's a long read, but also a good oneOkiwen said:
Lots of great info in there
My follow up is what about vinegar? If you make a ferment, have a low pH of 3.8-ish let's say, and after you're done fermenting (cause you say it's done ), you add 20% of your choice of vinegar before bottling. Does it still need to be refrigerated?
It was my understanding from reading a lot of these pages and searches here that it does not and that the vinegar stops the fermentation. I tell people to refrigerate it anyway, but I do leave my own out in warm Thailand temps as a test to see what happens and so far nothing other than settling and a little darkening at the top of the bottle. I attribute this to oxidation and no sulfites being used for color retention despite doing a BWH process. I put the bottles before capping into a hot water bath for 10 mins or so till the sauce rises to the top of the bottle, I cap it and invert it.
TIA
), you add 20% of your choice of vinegar before bottling. Does it still need to be refrigerated? It was my understanding from reading a lot of these pages and searches here that it does not and that the vinegar stops the fermentation. I tell people to refrigerate it anyway, but I do leave my own out in warm Thailand temps as a test to see what happens and so far nothing other than settling and a little darkening at the top of the bottle. I attribute this to oxidation and no sulfites being used for color retention despite doing a BWH process. I put the bottles before capping into a hot water bath for 10 mins or so till the sauce rises to the top of the bottle, I cap it and invert it.
TIA
MikeUSMC said:Welcome to THP, Okiwen!
Yeah, it's a long read, but also a good one
Lots of great info in there
emanphoto said:My follow up is what about vinegar? If you make a ferment, have a low pH of 3.8-ish let's say, and after you're done fermenting (cause you say it's done
It was my understanding from reading a lot of these pages and searches here that it does not and that the vinegar stops the fermentation. I tell people to refrigerate it anyway, but I do leave my own out in warm Thailand temps as a test to see what happens and so far nothing other than settling and a little darkening at the top of the bottle. I attribute this to oxidation and no sulfites being used for color retention despite doing a BWH process. I put the bottles before capping into a hot water bath for 10 mins or so till the sauce rises to the top of the bottle, I cap it and invert it.
TIA
Vinegar after fermentation: Your pH is 3.8-ish after the ferment is finished. Then you add vinegar. The sauce is then hot water bathed.
The addition of vinegar should lower the pH even further from 3.8 (check to be sure) so the sauce should not need refrigeration.
Excellent!
Yes my pH is 3.8-3.2 before vinegar and somewhat lower after I add it.
My last batch was a major battle w/mold and so I simmered it all on the lowest setting on our electric hob, instead of doing the hot water bath. I was worried about the mold issue so took that extra precaution.
Bottles are washed, then soaked in dilute bleach, rinsed, then right before bottling I fill each w/boiling water. I dump each one just before I fill them with 140°F-ish sauce. I still got a small amount of the oily separation from the simmer that I've posted elsewhere about when cooking my thai chili sauce, but since the bottles are filled to the top, it's not really visible.
Tada. My first Thai, prik chee fa, red bell, ghost chili sauce in 60ml bottles.
Yes my pH is 3.8-3.2 before vinegar and somewhat lower after I add it.
My last batch was a major battle w/mold and so I simmered it all on the lowest setting on our electric hob, instead of doing the hot water bath. I was worried about the mold issue so took that extra precaution.
Bottles are washed, then soaked in dilute bleach, rinsed, then right before bottling I fill each w/boiling water. I dump each one just before I fill them with 140°F-ish sauce. I still got a small amount of the oily separation from the simmer that I've posted elsewhere about when cooking my thai chili sauce, but since the bottles are filled to the top, it's not really visible.
Tada. My first Thai, prik chee fa, red bell, ghost chili sauce in 60ml bottles.
SmokenFire said:
I had a Thai chili pepper to overwinter. I was surprised since we have had some freezes. It has peppers already.
I have not had any issues with not pasteurizing and keeping in fridge. I store it in a large jar and transfer to smaller as needed. It is ten months old now and still tastes yummy. Had some last night.
I have not had any issues with not pasteurizing and keeping in fridge. I store it in a large jar and transfer to smaller as needed. It is ten months old now and still tastes yummy. Had some last night.
salsalady
eXtreme Business
2 oz Boston rounds. Lots of places have them, also have typical black plastic caps.
https://www.specialtybottle.com/glass-bottles/clear-boston-rounds/silver-caps/2oz-brf2s
https://www.specialtybottle.com/glass-bottles/clear-boston-rounds/silver-caps/2oz-brf2s
Those 60ml bottles look chuggable.
I know the standard wait-time for ferments is 90 days before processing. I'll be moving soon, and would like to have my most recent batch processed before that. If I just let the ferment go through the "active" period, would there be anything wrong with that? I doubt there'd be any risk. Has anyone done a short-period ferment before?
Sriracha is not fermented. They use farms that are close to the plant and receive the harvest once per year (not meaning one day, but one period of time). They immediately process the chilies and store in barrels with vinegar, salt, and two preservatives. This mean no fermentation will take place. They are stored as a mash for production throughout the year. When ready to finish the barrels are sent to an area where garlic and sugar are added for the final product.
Crazy Monkey
eXtreme Business
Kinda off the current subject, but has anybody ever used small chunks of dry ice to purge the oxygen out of any headspace on the top of their fermentation vessel? As it sublimes into gaseous CO2 it should displace the oxygen out of the airlock.
Not so much that it overwhelms the airlock and explodes of course.
Not so much that it overwhelms the airlock and explodes of course.
salsalady
eXtreme Business
The Hot Pepper said:
That's different than what I remember seeing before...like 6 years ago. Inaccurate reporting or inaccurate memory????? Lol...let's not bet on which one....
.....uuuhhmmmm....why? The natural fermentation process displaces the oxygen. Been working for way longer than dry ice has been around....Crazy Monkey said:
salsalady said:
By that reasoning, why drive? Walking results in the same spatial displacement, and people have been doing that for far longer than we've been driving.
It's obviously not necessary, but it is an interesting question. I've read about people burning candles or combining baking soda and vinegar over a fermentation vessel to get the same effect and avoid the startup time where there's still a lot of oxygen in there. That kind of thing could potentially be useful if your ferment is for some reason slow to start.