Last batch of peppers harvested. Help me pick a recipe for hot sauce.

[mtj]

Hi. Late December I harvested the last peppers from the plants (I know, crazy for central Europe). So basically I have some Yellow Jolokias, Carolina reapers and some habaneros left.
 
Last time I made a hot sauce out of these ingredients, I used some sweet bell peppers, turmeric, vinegar, lime juice, sugar and peppers to create delicious hot sauce. I got hot sauce under pH 4.0 (using litmus strips) and hot canned them, so I believe these can be stored for months on the shelf?
 
Back to my original topic.
 
FERMENTED HOT SAUCE:
Should I pay special attention to anything?
Can I use ordinary glass for pickles to ferment? (how does O2 escape, then?) 
If I find peppers:ingredients ratio not to my taste after fermentation process, is it safe to add some non-fermented ingredients to it? (some more sweet peppers, tomatoes etc.)
 
NON-FERMENTED HOT SAUCE:
If pH is low enough, should that be safe for storing for a year?
 

 

[internationalfish]

Regarding fermented sauces, I'd say check out ChilliChump on YouTube. His videos are pretty great; others will chime in with suggestions here, I'm sure, but I think for the basics (non-fermented sauces as well, and grilling, and smoking, and gardening, and...), it's a channel I'd recommend.

 

[mtj]

Regarding fermented sauces, I'd say check out ChilliChump on YouTube. His videos are pretty great; others will chime in with suggestions here, I'm sure, but I think for the basics (non-fermented sauces as well, and grilling, and smoking, and gardening, and...), it's a channel I'd recommend.

 
I've been watching his channel for the last hour and a half to be honest! His channel helps a lot! However I still can't find an answer anywhere saying whether you can mix fermented ingredients with non-fermented if you want to fix the taste.

 

[internationalfish]

I've seen it discussed, I think mostly on Reddit in the hotpeppers, fermentation, and hotsaucerecipes subs. You certainly can; for some things, you have to if you want certain results. Sugars in particular will be consumed during fermentation, so blending in sweeteners, unfermented fruits, etc. is necessary to get those flavors or sweetness.

The tradeoff is that putting more sugars in is going to jump start the fermentation, so you either refrigerate it after mixing in your fresh stuff (and eat it fairly quickly) or cook it to stop the fermentation. At that point you could add vinegar to get the pH low enough for shelf stability if you wanted to, I think.

At least, that's my understanding.

 

[MikeUSMC]

FERMENTED HOT SAUCE:
Should I pay special attention to anything?

You've gotta be a little more specific , but, at the very least, make sure everything is sanitized

I got hot sauce under pH 4.0 (using litmus strips) and hot canned them, so I believe these can be stored for months on the shelf?

You *might be* safe, but those litmus strips can be deceiving. It's really hard to get an accurate reading on those since the sauce itself is going to "tint" the color on strips anyway

Can I use ordinary glass for pickles to ferment? (how does O2 escape, then?)

Ordinary glass jars are fine, as long as they're sanitized. You just need to "burp" the jars every once in a while. Just barely unscrew the cap, and you should hear the oxygen "hissing" out, like a snake lol. Then close it back up

If I find peppers:ingredients ratio not to my taste after fermentation process, is it safe to add some non-fermented ingredients to it? (some more sweet peppers, tomatoes etc.)

Absolutely, but be very mindful of your pH level any time you're adding extra ingredients. Chances are, the pH will rise (even if it's just a little bit) every time you add something new, unless the added ingredients are more acidic than the sauce you're adding them to. Remember, you want your final pH to end up NO HIGHER than 4.0

NON-FERMENTED HOT SAUCE:
If pH is low enough, should that be safe for storing for a year?
 

As long as you're employing proper bottling/canning procedures (HFH or BWB) you shouldn't have any issues. Also remember, NEVER add any kind of oil to your sauces that you plan on bottling/canning for long term storage! Oil is a magnet for botulism, which you can't see, taste, or smell, and it'll kill you. Seriously. Sauces with oil in them should be consumed in the short term, and stored in the fridge

Hope some of that helps, I haven't had a lot coffee yet

 

[Pharthan]

Hi. Late December I harvested the last peppers from the plants (I know, crazy for central Europe). So basically I have some Yellow Jolokias, Carolina reapers and some habaneros left.
 
Last time I made a hot sauce out of these ingredients, I used some sweet bell peppers, turmeric, vinegar, lime juice, sugar and peppers to create delicious hot sauce. I got hot sauce under pH 4.0 (using litmus strips) and hot canned them, so I believe these can be stored for months on the shelf?
 
Back to my original topic.
 
FERMENTED HOT SAUCE:
Should I pay special attention to anything?
Can I use ordinary glass for pickles to ferment? (how does O2 escape, then?) 
If I find peppers:ingredients ratio not to my taste after fermentation process, is it safe to add some non-fermented ingredients to it? (some more sweet peppers, tomatoes etc.)
 
NON-FERMENTED HOT SAUCE:
If pH is low enough, should that be safe for storing for a year?
 

 
The only way I know for certain that you're safe with shelf-storage is to get the pH below 4.0 and cook the sauce.
This being said, I know there are companies like Tabasco that don't cook their sauce, and they are indeed safe with just having a low pH.

I have done the same, but only part of the sauce that I bottled that had not been present in the fermentation was the vinegar. I have no advice for adding things in that have not been fermented. If the pH is still below 4.0 after blending, I would believe you would be safe, but I would bring the sauce to a boil before bottling/putting in jars. If you can afford to be safe, be safe.

One thing I would always do is boil the jars and lids before using them to store or ferment anything. Always. I also wash mine beforehand. If you want to store things for a full year, this is something you absolutely must do. 

I use ordinary wide-mouth glass Mason Jars for my fermenting, with glass weights and silicone airlock lids, like these:

Jars:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077GHJHPZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Weights:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07C97ZJ7F/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
Lids:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072N42T61/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I know those all work together, because those are straight out of my order-history.