Anyone ever make barrel-aged hot sauce? I've read many times on here about how people like to let sauce age(usually after fermentation) to develope and mellow flavors.
And we all know about that Tabasco stuff that's apparently fermented for years in oak barrels. But I don't know how that adds anything to the flavor once it's diluted with all of that vinegar.
Anyway...I've got some toasted French oak cubes that I got a few years ago when I was still homebrewing. (Though I actually intended to torch them and infuse in oil to finish off sous-vide steaks at a restaurant I was working at.) You can buy all different types of cubes, spirals, and barrels(though these are pretty pricey).
So, I just have a small pack of these sitting around, and I think it'd be a great idea to let them sit in some sauce for a year or so. It'll have to be later this season though, as I'm about to pull out the rest of my frozen pods to dehydrate and powder.
Does anybody have any ideas on what kind of sauce this would work well with?
Maybe a certain type, or color pepper?
A fruity, or savory sauce?
Definitely fermented.
But should the oak go in during the beginning of fermentation, or after the fermentation is mostly finished, just to age?
Room temp, or in the fridge?
Should the sauce be cooked afterward, or kept raw?
Sorry if that's a lot all at once(though there are plenty of variables I've probably left out). But I like to brainstorm...so I'm just starting the conversation. I'd love to hear any of your ideas if this interests you! So maybe by the time I've got some fresh pods and am ready to make some sauce, I'll have a better idea of what I want to do.
And we all know about that Tabasco stuff that's apparently fermented for years in oak barrels. But I don't know how that adds anything to the flavor once it's diluted with all of that vinegar.
Anyway...I've got some toasted French oak cubes that I got a few years ago when I was still homebrewing. (Though I actually intended to torch them and infuse in oil to finish off sous-vide steaks at a restaurant I was working at.) You can buy all different types of cubes, spirals, and barrels(though these are pretty pricey).
So, I just have a small pack of these sitting around, and I think it'd be a great idea to let them sit in some sauce for a year or so. It'll have to be later this season though, as I'm about to pull out the rest of my frozen pods to dehydrate and powder.
Does anybody have any ideas on what kind of sauce this would work well with?
Maybe a certain type, or color pepper?
A fruity, or savory sauce?
Definitely fermented.
But should the oak go in during the beginning of fermentation, or after the fermentation is mostly finished, just to age?
Room temp, or in the fridge?
Should the sauce be cooked afterward, or kept raw?
Sorry if that's a lot all at once(though there are plenty of variables I've probably left out). But I like to brainstorm...so I'm just starting the conversation. I'd love to hear any of your ideas if this interests you! So maybe by the time I've got some fresh pods and am ready to make some sauce, I'll have a better idea of what I want to do.
