Several new hot sauce ferments processed

[campfindit2]

I ordered the 5oz Woozy bottles. How do you sterilize the bottles? Is the dishwasher on that setting enough, or should I drop them in boiling water for 10min.?

 

[BGKYSmoker]

Major nice.

Ok gimme a price

 

[jcam222]

I ordered the 5oz Woozy bottles. How do you sterilize the bottles? Is the dishwasher on that setting enough, or should I drop them in boiling water for 10min.?

In my opinion dishwasher is fine.

 

[pkooistra]

Finally got a day to get to some of my finished ferments All were 4 week ferments 1) Green Chile Table Sauce , nice basic jalapeno / serrano sauce with a touch of garlic 2) Red Savine Table Sauce , my home grown red savine pepper sauce. Hotter than my normal hAbsoltuely Habanero which is commercially sourced red habs. LOVE this one 3) Mean Green, This is one I do at the end of the pepper season using both jalapeno along with about 20% unripened green superhots to kick it up a notch. It's the green table sauce on steroids lol 4) F-Bomb, a stupid hot blend with this batch even hotter than the last. A blend of ghost and scorpion peppers with cumin, smoked paprika and natural hickory smoke. VERY hot. Sort of an insane hot version of my Wildfire . This one is for a select few and I'm not one of them. Making it alone and tasting,rinse repeat until done destroys me LOL. Close to 50 bottles today. I have two more to get at next week and at least 3 I want to get started. Here's a few pics. Note the very cool metal F bombs @Fueling Around sent me. His son made them. Awesome! View attachment 680560 View attachment 680561View attachment 680562View attachment 680563View attachment 680564 Used the Bing AI for that wicked jalapeno lol. You may notice th bubbles in the Mean Green. I had to remix adding a little more xanthan gum. Got impatient and bottled too soon. After they settle overnight I'll use one bottle to top the rest off before shrink banding them. Time to shrink band the rest of the bottles though. Thanks for looking!

Great job. I am curious about what your 4 week "fermenting" process consists of. I just started trying to make my own Habenero hot sauce since I have a lot of them, but I am not doing any fermenting.

 

[jcam222]

Get some fermenting lids for mason jars. I prefer airlocks. Sterilize jars. Stem and halve your peppers , no need to seed them. Make a 3.5% salt brine ( use either sea salt or pink Himalayan and distilled water) Chart below makes the brine easy. Fill the jar to about an inch to half inch from the top. Use something to weight them down. I used to use glass weights but now prefer fermenting cups (I'll link later). Off to a dark place for 3-4 weeks. You really should get a PH meter to insure you got a safe PH. For home fermenting below 3.4PH is recommended to insure it's acidic enough to keep out the baddies. For your first processing, assuming it was a quart I suggest 3/4 - 1 cup of the brine and 1/4 cup white vinegar with a touch of garlic powder if you want. You can adjust consistency with another 1/2 cup of brine if you want. If you have a Vitamix or similar mixer no need to strain. If not you may need to strain the sauce. If you have to strain dry the result to use as a spice. Pack in sterilized containers. I use woozy bottles. If you start and have more questions let me know. Several folks here happy to pitch in on ferment talk.

 

[campfindit2]

I can chime in on DON'TS.

Don't reuse your brine for another batch, I tossed 4 Btls of red do to mold on top.
Even after PH testing. The (mold) ? was pure white. It may have been yeast, but I wasn't taking any chances on it.

3 week fermentation wasn't enough. My brothers X-Mass btl volcanoed on him.

I thinking 6 weeks as a fermentation period for my next run. Just me.

I gave most away for XMas but still have a 1 bottle left I'll post a pic tonight when home if I remember.

Would that be a Pview? Sorry that just sounds bad.

 

[jcam222]

I can chime in on DON'TS.

Don't reuse your brine for another batch, I tossed 4 Btls of red do to mold on top.
Even after PH testing. The (mold) ? was pure white. It may have been yeast, but I wasn't taking any chances on it.

3 week fermentation wasn't enough. My brothers X-Mass btl volcanoed on him.

I thinking 6 weeks as a fermentation period for my next run. Just me.

I gave most away for XMas but still have a 1 bottle left I'll post a pic tonight when home if I remember.

Would that be a Pview? Sorry that just sounds bad.

Definitely agree on not reusing brine. You can use a tablespoon or two as a starter but I've never found the need. I will say the brine is great to save and use as a hot sauce on its own or in place of vinegar in dressings and recipes to add a kick to dishes. I've had quite a few tasty sauces at 3 weeks but all ferments are different on timing. I prefer 4-6 weeks usually. I've got one going on 90 days that will be a nice funky.

 

[pkooistra]

Get some fermenting lids for mason jars. I prefer airlocks. Sterilize jars. Stem and halve your peppers , no need to seed them. Make a 3.5% salt brine ( use either sea salt or pink Himalayan and distilled water) Chart below makes the brine easy. Fill the jar to about an inch to half inch from the top. Use something to weight them down. I used to use glass weights but now prefer fermenting cups (I'll link later). Off to a dark place for 3-4 weeks. You really should get a PH meter to insure you got a safe PH. For home fermenting below 3.4PH is recommended to insure it's acidic enough to keep out the baddies. For your first processing, assuming it was a quart I suggest 3/4 - 1 cup of the brine and 1/4 cup white vinegar with a touch of garlic powder if you want. You can adjust consistency with another 1/2 cup of brine if you want. If you have a Vitamix or similar mixer no need to strain. If not you may need to strain the sauce. If you have to strain dry the result to use as a spice. Pack in sterilized containers. I use woozy bottles. If you start and have more questions let me know. Several folks here happy to pitch in on ferment talk. View attachment 684913

Thanks for the response and info. Is this primarily to extend the shelf life of the sauce or does it serve another purpose? My first attempt was by following this video which doesn't require fermenting but it does seem to have a fairly short shelf life even in the fridge -

 

[Steve H]

I'll use some of the brine to kick start dried peppers. Other than that. I don't use it for fermenting.
I'll use it like Jeff mentioned. A good PH meter is a smart thing to have. My sauces are shelf stable. But I still put them in the fridge.

 

[campfindit2]

Fermenting makes it shelf stable till opened I believe. Then fridg it. Fermenting also adds a flavor profile. Franks Red Hot, Tobasco are both fermented sauces. To each their own, I prefer fermented.

 

[jcam222]

Yep fermenting extends life and as mentioned is a flavor. Sauces like Frank's, Sriracha and Tabasco are fermented sauces.

 

[Steve H]

Hey Jeff,
Have you thought about using squeeze bottles for your hot sauces?
I just bought some of these.

These are 4oz ones. I think these should work well. Especially for thicker sauce with chunks in it. You can adjust the size of the bottle opening. And for under 20.00 for 32 of them. The price is great as well.

 

[jcam222]

Hey Jeff,
Have you thought about using squeeze bottles for your hot sauces?
I just bought some of these.
View attachment 685239

These are 4oz ones. I think these should work well. Especially for thicker sauce with chunks in it. You can adjust the size of the bottle opening. And for under 20.00 for 32 of them. The price is great as well.

I use them for my hot honey and also for my Sriracha. I think mine are 8 oz. Where do you get the 4 oz?

 

[Steve H]

I use them for my hot honey and also for my Sriracha. I think mine are 8 oz. Where do you get the 4 oz?

Amazon

Hoolerry 32 Pcs 4oz Plastic Squeeze Bottles Condiment Squirt Bottle Set with Discrete Measurements Dressing Container Ketchup Dispenser for Syrup BBQ Grilling Liquids and More​

 

[gmc2003]

The saucerer strikes again. Nice looking batches Jeff.


Point for sure
Chris

 

[pkooistra]

Since I love gardening and cooking, this seems like this could become a great new hobby for me.

Is this an adequate PG meter? Haven't used one for this kind of thing so looking for some advice from the experts.

https://a.co/d/1Zsd2St

Also, are these adequate airlock lids and the correct type? I have noticed that some are called "airlock" but they come with a "water airlock".
https://a.co/d/1Zsd2St

Get some fermenting lids for mason jars. I prefer airlocks. Sterilize jars. Stem and halve your peppers , no need to seed them. Make a 3.5% salt brine ( use either sea salt or pink Himalayan and distilled water) Chart below makes the brine easy. Fill the jar to about an inch to half inch from the top. Use something to weight them down. I used to use glass weights but now prefer fermenting cups (I'll link later). Off to a dark place for 3-4 weeks. You really should get a PH meter to insure you got a safe PH. For home fermenting below 3.4PH is recommended to insure it's acidic enough to keep out the baddies. For your first processing, assuming it was a quart I suggest 3/4 - 1 cup of the brine and 1/4 cup white vinegar with a touch of garlic powder if you want. You can adjust consistency with another 1/2 cup of brine if you want. If you have a Vitamix or similar mixer no need to strain. If not you may need to strain the sauce. If you have to strain dry the result to use as a spice. Pack in sterilized containers. I use woozy bottles. If you start and have more questions let me know. Several folks here happy to pitch in on ferment talk. View attachment 684913

 

[Steve H]

Since I love gardening and cooking, this seems like this could become a great new hobby for me.

Is this an adequate PG meter? Haven't used one for this kind of thing so looking for some advice from the experts.

https://a.co/d/1Zsd2St

Also, are these adequate airlock lids and the correct type? I have noticed that some are called "airlock" but they come with a "water airlock".
https://a.co/d/1Zsd2St

You only showed two pictures of the air lock lids. I use these from a different maker. But they work very well.
Myself. And a few others. Have this meter. Look for it on Amazon.

APERA INSTRUMENTS AI209 Value Series PH20 Waterproof pH Tester Kit, ±0.1 pH Accuracy​

Easy to use and calibrate.

 

[pkooistra]

You only showed two pictures of the air lock lids. I use these from a different maker. But they work very well.
Myself. And a few others. Have this meter. Look for it on Amazon.

APERA INSTRUMENTS AI209 Value Series PH20 Waterproof pH Tester Kit, ±0.1 pH Accuracy​

Easy to use and calibrate.

Thanks. I ordered the Apera PH tester from a vendor on Ebay. Cheaper than Amazon and includes free shipping.

Could you share the make of the airlock lids you use? And when it comes to the mason jars, is there a preferred size when making a batch of hot sauce? or is it entirely dependent on how many peppers you have to fill up the jar?

 

[Steve H]

Thanks. I ordered the Apera PH tester from a vendor on Ebay. Cheaper than Amazon and includes free shipping.

Could you share the make of the airlock lids you use? And when it comes to the mason jars, is there a preferred size when making a batch of hot sauce? or is it entirely dependent on how many peppers you have to fill up the jar?

I use these:

https://www.amazon.com/AMZUShome-Fermenting-Waterless-Fermentation-Sauerkraut/dp/B078RL7LBT/ref=sr_1_18?adgrpid=1342504261744651&hvadid=83906587398778&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=105672&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvtargid=kwd-83906862135552%3Aloc-190&hydadcr=13932_10511219&keywords=lid%2Bwith%2Bairlock&qid=1706051766&sr=8-18&th=1

Use wide mouth jars on these. I usually use gallon jars because of the reduction when processing the peppers. But, I've used quarts as well when experimenting.

 

[Steve H]

I'm also a huge fan of these to keep the peppers. Or whatever. Submerged in the brine.

https://www.amazon.com/BETTER-than-Glass-Fermentation-Weights/dp/B01GB0Y0OE/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2D2DWUR0ZUJJS&keywords=better%2Bthan%2Bglass%2Bfermentation&qid=1706052265&sprefix=better%2Bthen%2Bglass%2Bfe%2Caps%2C116&sr=8-1&th=1