Fermented Habanero Garlic sauce

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Third batch of hot sauce for this month bottled and labeled. This one is the blend that started my obsession last year. Orange habanero ferment. 4 weeks in a 3.5% brine. Finished with heavy garlic, a little salt and sweetener along with xanthan gum to prevent separation. Immediately fiery on the lips and tongue creeping into the throat with a hint of sweet on finish. Great on tacos. Named after my friends son Aiden as he loved it last year and hoarded their bottles. I have 6 more half gallons for several blends going. Most of those I’ll process in 2 weeks View attachment 649481
Great job, but I will say I will never use z gum in my sauce again. It doesnt add well to soups and stews if I remember correctly, but that was a few years back and I am not sure. I cant say if I enjoy the sauces I ferment or the table brine more. I like to infuse rosemary into the brine and sprinkle it on poultry.
 
Great job, but I will say I will never use z gum in my sauce again. It doesnt add well to soups and stews if I remember correctly, but that was a few years back and I am not sure. I cant say if I enjoy the sauces I ferment or the table brine more. I like to infuse rosemary into the brine and sprinkle it on poultry.
Why would you not use in your hot sauce? I know overuse in soups and gravies can leave a slimy mouthfeel. In the low quantities needed to prevent separation in the hot sauce I cannot detect it.
 
I don’t pasteurize mostly because I feel like it takes extra time and is not necessary. Relative to losing the “good bacteria” in all likelihood you aren’t getting much from hot sauce unless you are doing shots :). I do think the slow fermentation though continues to change taste over time.
I wasn't concerned about the loosing the good bacteria. I was wondering if pasteurizing would alter the flavor profile.
 
I wasn't concerned about the loosing the good bacteria. I was wondering if pasteurizing would alter the flavor profile.
I’m guessing it would not change the short term flavor. It actually would likely stabilize it longer term. If not pasteurizing slow fermentation can still occur over time which many say continues to contribute to flavor complexity.
 
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I’m guessing it would not change the short term flavor. It actually would likely stabilize it longer term. If not pasteurizing slow fermentation can still occur over time which many say continues to contribute to flavor complexity.
Part of the reason some people advocate pasteurizing is to kill the beneficial bacteria and thereby stop the fermentation process.

One of the questions I had earlier in this thread was about recipes calling for adding ingredients, especially ingredients containing sugar, post-ferment and the possibility that fermentation could re-start in earnest, potentially resulting in "exploding" bottles of sauce. Fermentation cannot re-start, and hence there can be no "explosion", if there are no lactobaccili present.

Perhaps as long as the resulting sauce is refrigerated, any additional fermentation will be very "slow" and risks of messing up your refrigerator are minimal. But it would seem like you need to pasteurize a sauce if you want it to be shelf-stable if it's not going to be under refrigeration, especially if you've added sugar-containing ingredients post-ferment.

Again, I'm not an expert. I've done a few ferments and read a few things. I look forward to learning from those here who know more that I do. I'm thinking I'd like to add a bit of fruit -- post ferment -- the my next batch.
 
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Part of the reason some people advocate pasteurizing is to kill the beneficial bacteria and thereby stop the fermentation process.

One of the questions I had earlier in this thread was about recipes calling for adding ingredients, especially ingredients containing sugar, post-ferment and the possibility that fermentation could re-start in earnest, potentially resulting in "exploding" bottles of sauce. Fermentation cannot re-start, and hence there can be no "explosion", if there are no lactobaccili present.

Perhaps as long as the resulting sauce is refrigerated, any additional fermentation will be very "slow" and risks of messing up your refrigerator are minimal. But it would seem like you need to pasteurize a sauce if you want it to be shelf-stable if it's not going to be under refrigeration, especially if you've added sugar-containing ingredients post-ferment.

Again, I'm not an expert. I've done a few ferments and read a few things. I look forward to learning from those here who know more that I do. I'm thinking I'd like to add a bit of fruit -- post ferment -- the my next batch.
Another thing that stops fermentation is low PH. I read yesterday that fermentation stops below 4.2PH. Need to do a little more research on that. Most my ferments are in the 3.4 -3.6 range when finished and processed.
 
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Another thing that stops fermentation is low PH. I read yesterday that fermentation stops below 4.2PH. Need to do a little more research on that. Most my ferments are in the 3.4 -3.6 range when finished and processed.
Thanks for the feedback.

I checked the pH of my last batch right after opening it up and it was just under 3.0, maybe 2.9. My processing included only running the mash through a food mill and reserving a bit of the liquid so the sauce would flow. (I also kept some liquid to use as a starter for my next batch.) It had been fermenting for about 6 weeks.

I have read somewhere that vinegar will kill lactobacilli but I wasn't sure if that was due to low pH or the acetic acid. Vinegar, it seems, is commonly added after pasteurization.
 
Thanks for the feedback.

I checked the pH of my last batch right after opening it up and it was just under 3.0, maybe 2.9. My processing included only running the mash through a food mill and reserving a bit of the liquid so the sauce would flow. (I also kept some liquid to use as a starter for my next batch.) It had been fermenting for about 6 weeks.

I have read somewhere that vinegar will kill lactobacilli but I wasn't sure if that was due to low pH or the acetic acid. Vinegar, it seems, is commonly added after pasteurization.
Never throw any of that brine away, it’s fantastic added to other things for tang and heat. A few ideas would be salad dressings, Cole slaw, bbq sauce, marinades etc. Heck you can bottle it and use a a clear hot sauce. I have about a half gallon I’m going to do thst with.
 
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Never throw any of that brine away, it’s fantastic added to other things for tang and heat. Heck you can bottle it and use a a clear hot sauce. I have about a half gallon I’m going to do thst with.
I've got another batch to process very soon. I used way too much water in it, so I'm going to end up with a lot of brine. I will keep it! Thanks for the suggestion!
 
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Thanks for the feedback.

I checked the pH of my last batch right after opening it up and it was just under 3.0, maybe 2.9. My processing included only running the mash through a food mill and reserving a bit of the liquid so the sauce would flow. (I also kept some liquid to use as a starter for my next batch.) It had been fermenting for about 6 weeks.

I have read somewhere that vinegar will kill lactobacilli but I wasn't sure if that was due to low pH or the acetic acid. Vinegar, it seems, is commonly added after pasteurization.
I really need to get a pH meter. Fingers crossed Santa is on his way.
Do you add sugar to get the pH that low?
I'm currently adding vinegar to get the sourness I want, but it dilutes the pepper and ferment flavor.
 
I really need to get a pH meter. Fingers crossed Santa is on his way.
Do you add sugar to get the pH that low?
I'm currently adding vinegar to get the sourness I want, but it dilutes the pepper and ferment flavor.
Yes, a pH meter is very handy, and gives me peace of mind. I have had some ferments go bad with mold. Low pH keeps that stuff in check.

I did not add sugar to the ferment. Mine consisted of a mash several varieties of peppers, a few cloves of garlic, and half an onion, plus half a peach. I used several pro-biotic pills as a starter and let it ferment for 6 weeks. I did not open it at all during fermentation, but I looked at the jar and agitated it every day to ensure the mash stayed below the brine. Mine was a pretty boring ferment compared to others reported here. :emoji_blush:

So, for my latest batch, the sourness -- and the low pH -- was due entirely to the fermentation process. I suspect that the onion and peach contributed to that because those ingredients are inherently sweet and provide additional food for the lactobacilli, so they create more lactic acid.

I have another batch fermenting now where I roasted the ingredients before fermenting them. I got overaggressive with adding water to mash and I suspect I'll have a diluted sauce as a result. But, per jcam222 jcam222 , I will save that brine and use it as a starter or a hot sauce in its own right.
 
One thing I see mentioned a lot is using something as a starter. I only do that when I think all my ingredients are waxed or irradiated. Ordinarily it’s not needed otherwise. There are many fermenting gurus who believe it shortcuts the full cycle fermenting process negatively. I’ve got a book around here somewhere from Sandor Katz that talks about it. It’s a very in-depth book on the science behind fermenting with many recipes for fermented foods. He’s considered by most to be the worlds foremost expert.
 
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One thing I see mentioned a lot is using something as a starter. I only do that when I think all my ingredients are waxed or irradiated. Ordinarily it’s not needed otherwise. There are many fermenting gurus who believe it shortcuts the full cycle fermenting process negatively. I’ve got a book around here somewhere from Sandor Katz that talks about it. It’s a very in-depth book on the science behind fermenting with many recipes for fermented foods. He’s considered by most to be the worlds foremost expert.
The way I understand it, if you grow your own peppers and ferment them raw, then there should be enough lactobacilli present naturally to start a ferment.

I buy my peppers (and other produce) at the grocery store, so I can't be sure that any bacteria is present, so I use a starter. There are several alternatives you can use as a starter, I tend to use pills that you can get at the pharmacy, but you can also use the brine left over from a previous ferment, or there are a couple other possibilities too.

I also like to roast or sometimes smoke my produce before fermentation. That leaves plenty of sugars left in the produce to provide food for the lactobacilli, but roasting or smoking will kill all the lactobacilli, so you have to use a starter.

If you're able to see bubbles, then you've got fermentation, whether you used a starter or not.
 
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The way I understand it, if you grow your own peppers and ferment them raw, then there should be enough lactobacilli present naturally to start a ferment.

I buy my peppers (and other produce) at the grocery store, so I can't be sure that any bacteria is present, so I use a starter. There are several alternatives you can use as a starter, I tend to use pills that you can get at the pharmacy, but you can also use the brine left over from a previous ferment, or there are a couple other possibilities too.

I also like to roast or sometimes smoke my produce before fermentation. That leaves plenty of sugars left in the produce to provide food for the lactobacilli, but roasting or smoking will kill all the lactobacilli, so you have to use a starter.

If you're able to see bubbles, then you've got fermentation, whether you used a starter or not.
Yeppers. All good points. Other possilbe starters are whey off yogurt and juice from refrigerated fermented sauerkraut if not pasteurized. Right now I’ve been using a mix of store bought peppers and peppers I’m having mailed from a grower with greenhouses in Florida so plenty of natural bugs. Relative to smoke I plan on doing one with some smokiness to it soon. I did one last year out of 100% dried ancho and chile morita peppers. It was to much. Going to use a few of each with the balance fresh peppers.
 
Yeppers. All good points. Other possilbe starters are whey off yogurt and juice from refrigerated fermented sauerkraut if not pasteurized. Right now I’ve been using a mix of store bought peppers and peppers I’m having mailed from a grower with greenhouses in Florida so plenty of natural bugs. Relative to smoke I plan on doing one with some smokiness to it soon. I did one last year out of 100% dried ancho and chile morita peppers. It was to much. Going to use a few of each with the balance fresh peppers.
I did a batch with smoked peppers last year and really enjoyed it. The smoke flavor balances the "funkiness" of the ferment flavor very well. I decided not to smoke any yet this year -- albeit it's almost over -- because I wanted to make some sauce for my daughter. She likes the fermented sauce, but she doesn't like the smoke flavor.
 
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