04-24-2025, 05:35 PM
Man, love me some hot sauce, although my gastritus would tend to disagree. Since fermentation is my thing, thought I would share a recipe for my Famous (in my family) Novacaine Hot Sauce!
Tools; .5 g mason jar with wide mouth, glass weight, airlock or self burping lids (or just burp yourself), Knife, small digital scale able to weigh in grams, blender
Ingredients for fermentation:
2.5 lbs red habeneros
5 Red Scorpions (or similar superhot)
1 White onion (if not a fan of fermented onion taste, just omit)
2 Elephant Garlic bulbs (opened up and cloves peeled)
2.5-3% of total wieght in Sea Salt (don't use table salt or processed salt)
Ingredients for post fermentation:
3 dehyrdrated Guajillo peppers (rehydrated)
2 dehyrdrated Pasilla peppers (rehydrated)
1 TBSP Mexican Oregano
2 Chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce
Couple of notes: salt percentage is based on the total weight of ingredients plus water. For example, if your veggies and water combined weighed 1000g, then a 2.5% brine solution would be a total of 1025g (25g of salt)
Don't wash the veggies unless visibly dirty. The veggies hold the latent wild yeast that will ferment the hot sauce so you don't want to completely wash it off.
Make sure all your tools are nice and clean, but it is not needed to boil your jars similar to the process for canning.
Prep your peppers (don't forget to wear gloves) by cutting them into smaller pieces and removing all seeds
Cut the onion into semi-large pieces (not so big they do not fit in the jar)
Remove cloves of garlic and peel them completely
Weigh the mason jar then tare your scale to get an accurate wieght of veggie
Creat your brine by adding the weight of veggies plus about 1000g of water (grams are easier to measure)
Take that weight and add 2.5-3% of that total weight to find out how much salt to add
Add that salt to your water mixture and stir until completely dissolved.
Add your brine to your mason jar filled with veggies and fill until the veggies are completely covered plus a bit (leave room in the mason jar for piquid expansion, I usually fill until i reach the curve of the mason jar leading to the mouth)
Add your glass weight to the top. This is to make sure all the veggies stay below the brine line. Any veggies above the water line have a potential to mold and ruin your ferment. If no weight is available, save one big slice of onion to place on top of the veggies and wedge down to keep everything below brine line.
Place somewhere with little light (to limit extra kham yeast production and reduce possibility of mold) and allow to ferment for a minimum of 3 weeks to as long as you want. The longer the ferment, the more complex the flavors will become.
Once fermentation is done (no active fermentation and pH is below 3.5) you are ready to get saucy.
So, some stages can vary due to preference, but this is how I treat mine for consumption. Begin by prepping your blending ingredients. The dehydrated peppers will first have to be de-seeded, then soaked in warm water for about 1/2 hour, using a small plate to keep the peppers submirged until rehydrated. Unscrew cap and gently scrape off any kahm yeast sittin on top. Kahm yeast is differen't looking then mold and will even sometimes form a pellicle with a white color, smooth texture and tiny bubbles trapped in spiderweb looking strings. Mold looks like mold, different colors, fuzzy and clumpy. DO NOT attempt to save the ferment if mold is noticed. When done properly, fermentation is safe. If done improperly, botulism can form. Botulism kills.
Once the surface looks good, strain the ferm slowly and save the brine for later use. Scoop out the fermented product and place in a blender. A real good blender is recommended here. The quality of the blend determines how smooth the final product will be. Now add the re-hydrated peppers, Mexican oregano and Chipotle peppers (I sometimes will also use a tbsp of adobo sauce for the extra smokey kick). Blend away, using some brine to smooth out the ferment as you go. The goal (for me) is to get a nice smooth texture which will take a bit of time. Preference time.
When done blending your ingredients, you can take a couple different steps. I like to use the whole thing once blended. I like the thick consitency of my sauce which really coates things that i drench in it well. Others will actually strain the whole mixture several times through a fine mesh screen, capturing the run off. This makes for a thinner sauce, more watery let's say. Side note: I will do this sometimes, I keep the left over pulp and dehydrate it. I then blend it together with some sea salt and other stuff to make a seasoning for chicken or beef or whatever. Once you have done your desired method and captured it all, place into a pot and begin to heat up to a simmer. Simmer for roughly 10 minutes until the sauce is fully pasturized. This will kill any latent yeast left in the sauce and prevent secondary fermentation. It also allows you to store your hotsauce at room temp, not needing refrigeration. Once simmered for 10 minutes, transfer to e cooling area. Once cooled, transfer to whatever vessel you deside to use. I recommend woozy bottles, which you can either recycle from Tapatio bottles or purchase online and are small in size. Once you have hit that stage, time to enjoy on your favorite food!
CAUTION!!! A couple of warnings
Botulism kills. Do not attemp to ever "save" a fermentation. Once it's gone, it's gone. When in doubt, throw it out.
Simmering a hotsauce on the stove is the equivelant of pulling the pin on a pepper grenade. It will burn your eyes, your throat and make you cough. I HIGHLY recommend either simmering your sauce outdoors or...well just make sure the wife and kiddies aren't home
Wear GLOVES when processing or handling hot peppers. The super hots typically run about 1 million sculville. This is enough to give you chemical burns on your hands and if you touch your face or genitals? Yikes, call an waaambulance.
Botulism kills. Fermentation is fun but also runs risks that if you aren't aware, can be deadly. When in doubt, throw it out!!!
Most importantly remember, gastritus is gonna happen.
Have fun and get Saucy!
Tools; .5 g mason jar with wide mouth, glass weight, airlock or self burping lids (or just burp yourself), Knife, small digital scale able to weigh in grams, blender
Ingredients for fermentation:
2.5 lbs red habeneros
5 Red Scorpions (or similar superhot)
1 White onion (if not a fan of fermented onion taste, just omit)
2 Elephant Garlic bulbs (opened up and cloves peeled)
2.5-3% of total wieght in Sea Salt (don't use table salt or processed salt)
Ingredients for post fermentation:
3 dehyrdrated Guajillo peppers (rehydrated)
2 dehyrdrated Pasilla peppers (rehydrated)
1 TBSP Mexican Oregano
2 Chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce
Couple of notes: salt percentage is based on the total weight of ingredients plus water. For example, if your veggies and water combined weighed 1000g, then a 2.5% brine solution would be a total of 1025g (25g of salt)
Don't wash the veggies unless visibly dirty. The veggies hold the latent wild yeast that will ferment the hot sauce so you don't want to completely wash it off.
Make sure all your tools are nice and clean, but it is not needed to boil your jars similar to the process for canning.
Prep your peppers (don't forget to wear gloves) by cutting them into smaller pieces and removing all seeds
Cut the onion into semi-large pieces (not so big they do not fit in the jar)
Remove cloves of garlic and peel them completely
Weigh the mason jar then tare your scale to get an accurate wieght of veggie
Creat your brine by adding the weight of veggies plus about 1000g of water (grams are easier to measure)
Take that weight and add 2.5-3% of that total weight to find out how much salt to add
Add that salt to your water mixture and stir until completely dissolved.
Add your brine to your mason jar filled with veggies and fill until the veggies are completely covered plus a bit (leave room in the mason jar for piquid expansion, I usually fill until i reach the curve of the mason jar leading to the mouth)
Add your glass weight to the top. This is to make sure all the veggies stay below the brine line. Any veggies above the water line have a potential to mold and ruin your ferment. If no weight is available, save one big slice of onion to place on top of the veggies and wedge down to keep everything below brine line.
Place somewhere with little light (to limit extra kham yeast production and reduce possibility of mold) and allow to ferment for a minimum of 3 weeks to as long as you want. The longer the ferment, the more complex the flavors will become.
Once fermentation is done (no active fermentation and pH is below 3.5) you are ready to get saucy.
So, some stages can vary due to preference, but this is how I treat mine for consumption. Begin by prepping your blending ingredients. The dehydrated peppers will first have to be de-seeded, then soaked in warm water for about 1/2 hour, using a small plate to keep the peppers submirged until rehydrated. Unscrew cap and gently scrape off any kahm yeast sittin on top. Kahm yeast is differen't looking then mold and will even sometimes form a pellicle with a white color, smooth texture and tiny bubbles trapped in spiderweb looking strings. Mold looks like mold, different colors, fuzzy and clumpy. DO NOT attempt to save the ferment if mold is noticed. When done properly, fermentation is safe. If done improperly, botulism can form. Botulism kills.
Once the surface looks good, strain the ferm slowly and save the brine for later use. Scoop out the fermented product and place in a blender. A real good blender is recommended here. The quality of the blend determines how smooth the final product will be. Now add the re-hydrated peppers, Mexican oregano and Chipotle peppers (I sometimes will also use a tbsp of adobo sauce for the extra smokey kick). Blend away, using some brine to smooth out the ferment as you go. The goal (for me) is to get a nice smooth texture which will take a bit of time. Preference time.
When done blending your ingredients, you can take a couple different steps. I like to use the whole thing once blended. I like the thick consitency of my sauce which really coates things that i drench in it well. Others will actually strain the whole mixture several times through a fine mesh screen, capturing the run off. This makes for a thinner sauce, more watery let's say. Side note: I will do this sometimes, I keep the left over pulp and dehydrate it. I then blend it together with some sea salt and other stuff to make a seasoning for chicken or beef or whatever. Once you have done your desired method and captured it all, place into a pot and begin to heat up to a simmer. Simmer for roughly 10 minutes until the sauce is fully pasturized. This will kill any latent yeast left in the sauce and prevent secondary fermentation. It also allows you to store your hotsauce at room temp, not needing refrigeration. Once simmered for 10 minutes, transfer to e cooling area. Once cooled, transfer to whatever vessel you deside to use. I recommend woozy bottles, which you can either recycle from Tapatio bottles or purchase online and are small in size. Once you have hit that stage, time to enjoy on your favorite food!
CAUTION!!! A couple of warnings
Botulism kills. Do not attemp to ever "save" a fermentation. Once it's gone, it's gone. When in doubt, throw it out.
Simmering a hotsauce on the stove is the equivelant of pulling the pin on a pepper grenade. It will burn your eyes, your throat and make you cough. I HIGHLY recommend either simmering your sauce outdoors or...well just make sure the wife and kiddies aren't home
Wear GLOVES when processing or handling hot peppers. The super hots typically run about 1 million sculville. This is enough to give you chemical burns on your hands and if you touch your face or genitals? Yikes, call an waaambulance.
Botulism kills. Fermentation is fun but also runs risks that if you aren't aware, can be deadly. When in doubt, throw it out!!!
Most importantly remember, gastritus is gonna happen.
Have fun and get Saucy!
