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How to make fermented hot sauce (2021)
- ksaj 4y agoI just opened one 2 weekends ago. I bought a kit (because of the really nice bottles), but then ignored the instructions and found significantly better recipes online. First time I've fermented one, and it came out gloriously. I'm proud of the result because it tastes nothing like other hot sauces I've had (and there have been very many!), but also doesn't taste the least bit strange or out-of-place. I expected it to taste like Tabasco, but it came out more like Hunan because of a much darker flavour. I also make regular hot sauces with fruits and herbs that I forage from the neighbourhood. My current dipper is a slightly smokey medium heat made with morita, cascabel and guajira peppers, plum-like damson fruit and some wild mint that I lovingly call "ditch-mint" because that's where I found it. It would probably work fermented, but I've only tried fermenting once so far. Once you get the connection with how certain ingredients alter the taste and texture when combined, you can pretty much wing it as you go. The more complex, the better. There is a balance, and you quickly learn flavourful vinegars / citrus, and sweeteners (brown sugar/honey/maple) will balance out just about any amount of spices and herbs. It's very rewarding if you like hot sauces, dips, marinades, etc, and the results will pretty much always make you feel like an old pro.
- grigri907 4y agoCare to share some links to your favorites?
- ksaj 4y agoI don't keep them around since I mainly use them more for inspiration. But the non-fermented dipper I mentioned was based on the one here: https://plantedandpicked.com/habanero-plum-hot-sauce https://plantedandpicked.com/habanero-plum-hot-sauce. I've described the replacement ingredients I made in other comments, so I won't list them here. Just wing it. That's what I do beyond using recipes as a safe-guard for portioning. I will point out though that I used 1/2 the amount of habanero, and then I replace (plus a bit more) the other half with other peppers to give it a fuller flavour, and more about a pleasant lingering warmth than scorching-face heat. I really enjoy the different types of heat different peppers can impart, and I really pay attention to the flavour itself to make sauces that taste like they fit some sort of "theme" or locale. (That is to say, I probably wouldn't mix Scotch Bonnet with Pequin, because I don't think they would work all that well together, but there are combinations that are simply incredible.) Pretty much the only thing I really stick to verbatim is the spices and some of the herbs. And I use the recipe volumes (tsps or cups or whatever) to gauge what I need to do to ensure the finished sauce will be recognizable and balanced appropriately even if the ingredients I used are not the same, but merely "similar." As long as you know your flavours, and you don't over-use any given ingredient, it is really hard to go wrong.
- nomel 4y ago> but then ignored the instructions and found significantly better recipes online How did you compare them?
- prichino 4y agoHe did a peer-reviewed, double-blind study with 1000 test subjects over the course of 10 years.
- unclenoriega 4y agoOnly 1000 subjects? I hope it was a large effect size!
- ksaj 4y agoThe included recipes were of the "introductory level" type that would of course be passable, but devoid of any complexity. I've made enough sauces now that I can make a pretty good guess on how it'll turn out with various ingredients.
- rdudek 4y agoDo you have a recommendation on a kit to use?
- ksaj 4y agoNot really. I literally only bought this because I was interested in the bottles that came with the kit. Well, I looked because I'm interested in the subject, but I bought it for the bottles because they are nicer looking than what I was using prior. The kit came with a sampling of different types of dried peppers, so I'm using them for things as well. If you want to go for a kit, find one with several types of peppers. There is a lot of variety in flavour and heat levels. I mentioned cascabel, for example... they're not particularly hot, but instantly make you think "Mexican!" when you taste it. Even with kits, you still have to buy all the other ingredients, so I think it is actually better to just go that route and use ingredients you already have or buy with groceries. If you are going to ferment, I did use a water bubbler that I got from a wine brewing place. They are not expensive, since they are simply clear plastic valves and a rubber sealing ring. Just add water. I've seen them for super cheap on Wish dot com even. I don't use a pH tester (although I may in the future), but after 2 weeks, just taste it. You'll know if it is ready because it'll taste very different than how it tasted when you bottled it. Chance of it still fermenting after 2 weeks is nearly zero anyway. At least that's the general consensus I read online, and it worked out that way for my first attempt. I recommend doing vinegar based pepper sauces to gain experience with how things taste, etc. You'll know very quickly how they turn out. With fermenting, there's a long agonizing wait. Mind you, my first attempt came out so well, I am glad I made both in the same day, so I wasn't without some homemade sauce while I waited for the fermenting one. And with fermented pepper sauces, you use fewer ingredients, so maybe they always turn out well.
- rdudek 4y agoNice! Thanks for the heads up. I'll take a look at some kits. I'm more interested in the equipment than the peppers or recipes. I've done sourcrout in the past, used a big 50 gallon plastic container and let it ferment for a week and then into the jars it went. But I'm really curious about venturing into hot pepper sauces.
- 4y ago
- wackget 4y agoWhich better recipe did you follow?
- ksaj 4y agoI literally Google Image surf and choose one that looks good and contains peppers that are the same/ similar/ compatible with the pepper(s) I plan on using. Then I use it as a guide so my ingredient portions would be reasonably correct. I also tend to stay reasonably faithful to the spices used, since that's where a lot of the characteristic flavour besides the pepper itself comes from. I don't follow the recipes entirely faithfully since I use ingredients from my garden and from the neighbourhood, and a lot of time they are quite atypical. Like the Damson I used - those are like little black plums. But literally any fruit even remotely like them will work. And I love using Perilla when mint is called for because it imparts a bright red that helps the sauce look "dangerous." Ironic that the hottest looking colour comes from the coolest tasting ingredient. Of course I use other mints as well. Like peppers, there is so much variation to be had. For example, I didn't have enough wine vinegar for my most recent dipper that I mentioned, so I mixed what I had with a little cooking rice wine and about 1/8 cup of sherry, and then added less salt than was originally called for since cooking wine tends to already be salty. And it came out quite yummy.
- tomcam 4y agoMind posting a recipe you liked?
- ksaj 4y agoI posted a link for another comment in the thread. I replaced certain ingredients, but it otherwise what I made was based entirely on the recipe. I used different peppers (half of what was called for, then a half plus a bit more of some different peppers), and completely changed the vinegar ingredient. Also I used a plum-like fruit instead of plum, but they're really close in texture and flavour. Part of what I like about that particular recipe is that the coriander seeds are really forward in the flavour.
- hardwaregeek 4y agoIt’s so fun to ferment stuff! Yogurt and sauerkraut are good starter ferments. Kimchi too. With hot sauce make sure to wear gloves and try to remove the pith and seeds. In my experience it can make the sauce quite bitter.
- tsumnia 4y agoAgreed! I picked up brewing kombucha over lockdown and its been a fun vehicle for trying out flavors you won't see in stores. I've made watermelon mint, lychee, mango carolina reaper (it took 2 attempts to get the heat right), and even attempted a bloody mary that went horribly wrong.
- mindcrime 4y agomango carolina reaper You are God to me now... OK, not seriously, but that does sound amazing. I love mango and I love hot peppers, including Carolina Reaper, so that sounds like something I should try.
- tsumnia 4y agoWhen I make it I use 1 carton of Goya Mango Nectar and TWO reapers. Let that simmer in a pot for 20-30 minutes. Let the mixer come to room temp and mix with your kombucha brew before moving to second fermentation. It'll give a noticeable burn, but the mango counters it nicely. Don't be tough with the peppers, those TWO go a long way. My first attempt I did six because I had no gauge and it felt like I was drinking sandpaper. When reapers are out of season, you can substitute with 6 habaneros. Same level of heat (maybe a bit less), but slightly different flavors since reapers and habaneros' fruity flavors are different.
- knodi123 4y agoHave you had this? https://queenmajestyhotsauce.com/products/queen-majesty-scotch-bonnet-ginger-hot-sauce-5oz https://queenmajestyhotsauce.com/products/queen-majesty-scot... Seriously my favorite hot sauce of all time. It would be easy to let the scotch bonnet overwhelm things, but it's such a nice balance, it's only considered a "medium" heat overall.
- jonnycomputer 4y agoWhen fermenting pickles and peppers, mine always end up being too salty; I tend to want to error on the side of being too salty to make sure its a safe ferment, but then I have to soak the pickles in potable water until they aren't too salty anymore. I'll get it right someday. I suspect that using volume measurements instead of mass might be part of the problem.
- powersnail 4y agoUsing volume measurement for salt is a bit problematic, because different brand of salt come with different sizes. A teaspoon of finer salt might be twice as heavy as a teaspoon of coarser salt. It's not always easy to find out that ratio between your salt and the one used by the recipe author.
- bitwrangler 4y agoI would suggest using a kitchen scale to weight the food (minus the container weight) and then add in the 3% of salt (or whatever percent you want). Using the scale made all the difference for me with getting the consistency and flavor. good luck!
- MrMetlHed 4y agoTwo of my most used and most useful kitchen tools are a Thermapen and a digital scale. Just being able to measure accurately makes all of the difference in cooking just about anything. A cup of flour or a teaspoon of salt can weigh very differently depending on how tightly packed or how fine the grain is, better to be exact and not risk screwing everything up.
- onychomys 4y agoI use this system [0], which is basically foolproof and is easy as pie. The end results are amazing. Right now I have two jars of blended up hatch chiles (with onion, garlic, carrots, and 4% salt by weight) on the counter, probably two more months to go on them. It's a super fun way to make food. [0] https://nourishedessentials.com/products/the-easy-fermenter https://nourishedessentials.com/products/the-easy-fermenter
- enviclash 4y agoFermentation shepherd here. I fusion India's and America's spicy tradition with my alioli-romesco-paella EU background. Thus a suggestion for the article: Add curcuma with the cumin, and ginger and cardamom with the garlic. My latest work is habanero-arbol-carrot-cauliflower pickle with a complex spice mix, smashed and fermented two more days. Somehow carrot & chili fermented sauces make us happy ;)
- sva_ 4y agoThis is funny to see, since just yesterday I randomly stumbled upon this HN contribution[0], which discusses an "open sauce" fermented chili sauce[1]. [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17540401 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17540401 [1] https://github.com/aweijnitz/recipe-el_fuego_viviente https://github.com/aweijnitz/recipe-el_fuego_viviente
- MisterBastahrd 4y agoI am from Louisiana. I dislike the basic Tabasco sauce. While the claim that tabasco sauce comes from fermented peppers is technically true, the sauce tastes raw and far too vinegar-forward compared to most hot sauces produced in and around Louisiana. They claim that they ferment their peppers for 8 years but I have my doubts just based on the sheer amount of heat. One of the main reasons we like the sauces, by the way, is that our food tends to be really rich and earthy. Think red beans or gumbo or white beans over jambalaya. The acid cuts through the fat.
- qbasic_forever 4y agoCrystal extra hot is the best big name sauce out there IMHO.
- Kaibeezy 4y agoCrystal hot sauce always seems right on my attempts at dirty rice. That’s the level of heat and type of flavor you mean, yes?
- MisterBastahrd 4y agoMy go-to is Louisiana brand. A little less raw heat, a little less vinegar, but more body and a better mouthfeel. I buy large bottles of the stuff and my kids tear it up, especially when eating things like red beans or pig feet.
- selimthegrim 4y agoFor some reason Louisiana brand is usually not to be found in the joints that cater to tourists. What I really never see outside the state is Cajun Chef. Saltier than most but may be an acquired taste (I like it)
- HeyLaughingBoy 4y agoYou can find Louisiana brand at Walmart in Minnesota. Minnesota's official hot sauce is ketchup, so that's saying a lot!
- bitwrangler 4y agoI make sauerkraut in an old clear Costco nut container, the kind with the large mouth on top and a threaded lid. Any plastic container with a large lid works. On a kitchen scale, place the container and then reset tare weight to zero out. Add cabbage previously chopped using a food processor, then add a little (about 1/4 cup) spring water (not tap water) and stir in 3% by weight of kosher salt. Leave it on the counter for two weeks and release the lid some to let out gas. Use clean spoon and stir it a couple times over the two weeks to keep it mixed. The bright green cabbage turns more tan, then move it into the fridge. Toss it onto some on salads or sandwiches, etc. It is one of the easiest healthy yummy things to make.
- short_sells_poo 4y agoWhy does the salt have to be kosher?
- selectodude 4y agoIn North America, the coarse salt with zero additives is called "kosher" salt because the Jews used it to brine meat. It's generally approved by a Rabbi but even if it weren't actually Kosher, it would still be called kosher.
- scrumbledober 4y agoIt doesn't, but kosher salt is a lot easier to work with.
- _whiteCaps_ 4y agoIf you're new to fermenting, I highly recommend making tepache: https://www.thespruceeats.com/pineapple-tepache-recipe-4078751 https://www.thespruceeats.com/pineapple-tepache-recipe-40787... It's quite easy to make, although if you bottle it, you do need to worry about overpressurization causing the bottles to explode. I always tend to err on the side of caution so it's just a slightly fizzy drink.
- uxamanda 4y agoAgree! Tepache is easy to make and nice because it is using up "scraps".
- _whiteCaps_ 4y agoYeah, exactly! Pineapple peel and core, plus some sugar and tap water is all you need.
- clawlor 4y agoI just tried this for the first time a few weeks ago. In Colombia they call it chicha de piña. The stuff I had wasn't bottled, just left on the counter in a large covered crock to ferment for a few days. Sweetened with panela and some spices like cinnamon and maybe anise.
- _whiteCaps_ 4y agoYup! If you want it more carbonated you can bottle it. I can't get panela around here so I just use brown sugar.
- ryangittins 4y agoI've made this a few times and it's pretty nice!
- HeyLaughingBoy 4y agoGreat, something else that I'm compelled to make. While I'm still tipsy from finishing the last bottle of homebrew ginger ale. Sigh!
- spelunker 4y agoQuestion for fermentation hot sauce aficionados: my Anaheim peppers are doing great in my garden and I have far more than I know what to do with; Anaheim are pretty mild, so are they even worth making a hot sauce out of?
- hahamrfunnyguy 4y agoI'd say so if you could figure what you wanted to put it on. It would be sweet and sour instead of spicy. I bet it would be good on meatloaf. Maybe you want to slice them up and just have them as pickled peppers. You could also make pepper ketchup or relish.
- uxamanda 4y agoIt's always fun to mix peppers when fermenting. Could add a couple habaneros if you wanted heat! I also sometimes char half of them to get a smoky flavor. Just make sure some are raw so that it ferments.
- nbk_2000 4y agoIf it's the flavor you like, and just want to add heat, you can augment the heat with a high scoville neutral chili. I've done this before by adding habanero or high scoville cayenne after the ferment is several days in.
- bagels 4y agoYou can still ferment them to preserve. Will make a sweeter sauce that would still make a nice condiment.
- hahamrfunnyguy 4y agoI make a lot of fermented food. This guide complicates things a bit. You don't really need an airtight container with a fermentation lock. The easiest thing to do is just keep a layer of brine above the top of whatever you are fermenting. I use mason jars of all sizes and flip the lid over backwards and put the ring on loosely. This allows any gas to escape and keeps contaminants out.
- tylersmalley 4y agoThe Noma Guide to Fermentation mentions using a vacuum-sealed plastic bag. I find this much easier to manage. You will only need to "burp" the bag by cutting a corner off, releasing the air then re-sealing.
- LesZedCB 4y agohow do you reseal after you cut off a corner?
- crygin 4y agoAn impulse sealer bar, like you'd use to seal the vacuum bag originally.
- tylersmalley 4y agoThe vacuum sealer uses heat to seal special bags. You re-seal the same way you seal it originally by placing the part of the bag with a corner cut off in the machine and turning it on. The bag will get a bit smaller each time, but even for long ferments I don't need to do it more than 1 or 2 times. I just make sure to size the bag originally to account for it.
- hnick 4y agoOur vacuum sealer said to never use it on bags with liquids. I'm guessing that's just a stupid compliance rule in case something goes wrong and it sucks the water into the machine.
- eth0up 4y agoA link to a great resource for learning about peppers and fermentation, replete with many good recipes: https://m.youtube.com/c/Chillichump https://m.youtube.com/c/Chillichump (Chilli Chump) Edit for intriguing experiment of mine: I originally began experimenting with fermented chillis due to a suspected h-pylori infection. My reasons were a) h-pylori seems to swim away from capsaicin, possibly encouraging it to develop an excessive biofilm, thus contributing to its own isolation, b) capsaicin, despite its apparent burning effect, can be helpful with ulcers due in part to encouraging healthy mucous formation and c) the lactobacillus and other probiotic factors involved. I believe this was critical in abolishing a rather nasty ulcer that nearly debilitated me.
- covercash 4y agor/fermentation is another solid resource. Definitely search the archives over there for a ton of valuable info.
- ryangittins 4y agoChillichump is great! His enthusiasm, depth and breadth of content, and general manner really got me into growing peppers and making hot sauce during the pandemic. I've got a dozen different varieties growing on my balcony right now!
- LesZedCB 4y agokombucha is also REALLY good and pretty easy! and once you scale up a little bit you can have basically as much kombucha as you want for mere pennies. way better than the $/bottle at the grocery store or costco.
- HeyLaughingBoy 4y agoSecond this. I'm a fairly experienced cook and I was surprised at how easy it was to make kombucha using a bottle of organic kombucha to grow a SCOBY. /r/kombucha has some good starter recipes. The only important thing I can think of is to be scrupulously clean.
- jamal-kumar 4y agoIn Central America, most restaurants and bars serving local food makes their own "Chilero" - it's pretty much a fermented hot condiment which often has more whole pieces of ingredients that aren't just chiles, such as various sliced/diced vegetables and quite often cabbage. It's something like a hot sauerkraut a lot of the time and very easy to make in a variety of spice ranges - but if it's only a little spicy, or not spicy at all (You find this closer to El Salvador), it's usually going to get called "Encurtido" and is also very good with more of a herbal flavor such as from oregano and thyme. One time I took a girl out to a neighbourhood bar for lunch and it was filled with a bunch of older people, when we got our food and after some of the patrons actually bought us some drinks they busted out the place's special bhut jolika chilero. Haha I swear they made it just to watch whoever was new to the place burn and sweat for a laugh. I think interestingly that the proportion of people who like spicy food vs people who don't is about the same between North and South/Central America.
- UnpossibleJim 4y agoUmmm, that sounds awesome! I don't suppose you have a favorite recipe, or should I just search for "Chilero" and "Encurtido" recipes? It almost sounds like a Central American spice palette version of Kimchee, which is rad as F.
- jamal-kumar 4y agoYeah it's pretty much that. The recipes I'm finding in English are garbage. Try searching 'chilero receta' or 'chilera receta' and you should find something in Spanish to work off of in google translate. Even better to search is 'chilero fermentado'.
- schoen 4y agoIt's interesting to think that people might have been making some form of this much longer longer than they've been making kimchi with chilis, because chilis are originally from Central American. Wikipedia: > Kimchi has been a staple in Korean culture, but historical versions were not a spicy dish. Early records of kimchi do not mention garlic or chili pepper. Chili peppers, now a standard ingredient in kimchi, had been unknown in Korea until the early seventeenth century due to its being a New World crop. Chili peppers, originally native to the Americas, were introduced to East Asia by Portuguese traders. The first mention of chili pepper is found in Jibong yuseol, an encyclopedia published in 1614. Sallim gyeongje, a 17‒18th century book on farm management, wrote on kimchi with chili peppers. However, it was not until the 19th century that the use of chili peppers in kimchi was widespread. The recipes from early 19th century closely resemble today's kimchi.
- 01100011 4y agoMade some last year using fresno chilis, garlic and onions. It came out great but had a tendency to go right through me. I threw some in a pot and boiled it briefly and now it doesn't cause any issues. I'm guessing the fermentation bacteria were warring with my natural flora. Anyway, try this if you have similar issues.
- genewitch 4y agoDo onions or garlic otherwise cause you issues? I recently discovered that one or the other tend to "go right through" as you say. I used to assume it was the grease used at certain restaurants or when i cooked at home and could never figure it out, but someone said that it's possible for onions and / or garlic to do it as you get older, especially if you've had your gut biome wrecked by anti-biotics. I definitely have reduced my intake since i found that out, and it helps. and when i say "right through" i mean within 5 minutes of finishing a meal.
- 01100011 4y agoNope, my wife and I eat over a full head of garlic in many dishes. I've heard some folks have issues due to SIBO or something though.
- robocat 4y agoGoogle FODMAP - I presume you have heard of it but it could be related to your onion sensitivity and will help self-diagnose other irritants.
- tschwimmer 4y agoThis is obviously a well-researched and well written article, but I do disagree with one of the food safety recommendations the author makes. About mold, they say "Mold is another issue. If you see green, blue, black, or orange mold growing on the surface of your ferment, you don’t always have to throw it out. Just scrape it off if the growth isn’t extensive." This may seem like reasonable advice, but in fact the visible mold is merely the fruiting body. The roots (I believe they're called mycelium) of the mold grow down into the substrate (in this case your hot sauce). I can't speak to the health effects of consuming the mycelium vs the fruiting bodies, but it's not sufficient to just scrape off the surface.
- eushebdbsh 4y agomold is bacteria not fungi
- ubercore 4y agoEvery ferment has some level of mold in it, though. As do most air cured meats.
- mewse-hn 4y agoIf you consider yeast a type of mold then sure
- ssnistfajen 4y agoIt depends on the texture and density of the fermenting food/substrate. In some cases such as hard cheeses the mycelium doesn't penetrate very deep which means the mold part can be cut off and the rest is still reasonably safe to eat for anyone who isn't immuno-compromised. Although generally if there's unintended mold on home made fermented foods it means something went wrong in one of the preparation steps e.g. acidity too low, moisture too high, something was exposed to air instead of submersed in brine. Many Chinese language Youtube tutorials on fermented chili sauce also suggest thoroughly wiping the inside of the container with high ABV spirits before adding the mixture.
- alphalima 4y agoA slightly different beginner lacto ferment is turnip + beetroot "pickle". 9 parts turnips, 1 part beetroot, 2% salt of combined turnip + beetroot + water, all by weight. Super tasty, not spicy, can be done in 5 days, fermentation kicks off quickly due to sugar content in beets so you get quick feedback.
- twelvechairs 4y agoSauces are hard to get right in small batches. A good demonstration for me was Epicurious YouTube series on 'expert guesses cheap vs expensive' for various foods. The one for hot sauce [0] is basically the only one in this series where the 'expert' often preferred cheaper items to the more expensive - basically as some of the small batch ones werent as carefully flavor balanced [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVRl8VzQMQM&t=1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVRl8VzQMQM&t=1
- WaitWaitWha 4y agoGrowing up and till today, we ferment our excess vegetables. I will have to try hot peppers as I have never done them. We use a small piece of home made bread on the bottom of the primary jar. It works every time.
- nolroz 4y agoWow, this is cool to hear. Do you use any vegetables at all? Is there a particular flavor you are going for or just anything goes? Do you leave it chunky like a Kimchi? Do you make a sauce out of it? What do you serve it with? Do you put the veg in a salt water brine or just pile it in the jar with the bread?
- WaitWaitWha 4y ago> Do you use any vegetables at all? I must not have made myself clear. We put a piece of bread at the bottom of a large glass jar, added what we wanted to ferment on top, added seasoning, pour salty brine on top (this depends on the plant). The only thing I try to make sure is that everything is covered with the liquid. Finally, put the jar out onto a sunny spot. I tend to mix the vegetables, and although evenly cut, leave them larger if possible. I can always blend them down before use. As for the salt brine - the salt does not have to come from direct salt. I have used salted & dried fish, some existing high salt sauces, and similar. Also, I have done where I dry salt the vegetable, wait till some of the liquid is pulled out then just put it the jar, and pour regular water over it. The bread gives a kick start with fermentation. You could also just keep the brine liquid left-over from an emptied jar and pour it into the next batch. I ferment cucumbers, tomatoes, cauliflower, onions, carrots, asparagus, corn, bean sprouts, green beans, shelled beans of all kinds, cabbage of all types, garlic, beats, potatoes, radishes, olives. Really, I cannot think anything edible plant that cannot be fermented. I fermented nettle and turned out okay. Caveat emptor - I am making this for myself and my family. We eat this stuff all the time. Check and double check. I do not want to hear you blaming me for having magic moments in the WC after eating your ferment!
- joshu 4y agoi have six different kinds of chilis fermenting right now. it's a lot of fun and the results can be spectacular. also you can put a bit of dried chilis in there to add a bunch of lovely smokiness. i do lactofermentation in a vacuum bag. it works very well, just need to put a pinhole in it before it explodes.
- sbf501 4y agoI started making fermented hot sauce during COVID in 2020. There's a fancy grocery store near me that sells scorpions, ghosts, and reapers, as well as burdock, tamarind, mango, etc. I usually fermented for a week, and I've tried longer with little difference. I made an entire spreadsheet full of recipes that I tried, but ultimately I thought the fermented sour flavor overwhelmed everything. So, I started making them without fermenting, but with a little cooking to help break down some of the fruits and veggies and blend the flavors, and suddenly everything tasted 10x better. I was surprised, because for some reason I got it in my head that hot sauce must be fermented, when that's totally not true. Anyway, my $0.02 on fermenting hotsauce.
- chefandy 4y agoThe fermentation slows down after a few days so the difference between one and two weeks isn't huge but the difference between a week and 4 months is significant. Consider that Worcestershire sauce is mostly fermented onions and fish... It's amazing what a couple years of aging can do. Also, there's no reason your final product can't be a mix of both! Get the best of both worlds.
- agitator 4y agoYeah was going to say the same thing. I've been making kombucha for a while, and I have a process down where at the final stage I blend kombucha from various fermentation stages to get the mix of tartness, sweetness, fruit flavor, and alcohol content I'm looking for. It doesn't need to be binary. You can always mix cooked sauce with fermented to get the flavor profile you are looking for.
- shaburn 4y agoThis place has really exceeded its reputation as bastion of intellect.
- goindeep 4y agoI just finished a batch that's been fermenting for 6 months. I make mine with Turmeric, salt and chili. I finished with vinegar to stop the ferment and add some more tanginess. Made about 24 bottles. Im thinking of adding some charred wood like oak, cherry or apple tree next time to give some additional flavour.
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- thematrixturtle 4y agoOn-Topic: Anything that good hackers would find interesting. That includes more than hacking and startups. If you had to reduce it to a sentence, the answer might be: anything that gratifies one's intellectual curiosity.
- vrc 4y agoJust wanted to add this anecdote in case people want to get frisky with fermented hot sauces. I’ve been experimenting with fermented hot-sauce equivalents of Indian pickles, using green mango, dried lemon, turmeric, fenugreek, nigella, mustard, etc (not all in the same sauce) and it’s shockingly similar in taste to the original pickle but without any oil.