Fermented Hot Sauce
v1.0
Fresh chiles ferment under brine until naturally tart, then blend with vinegar into a bright, pourable sauce. Submersion and measured acidity keep the process controlled rather than guesswork.
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Equipment
- Clean 1-quart jar
- Fermentation weight and airlock lid
- Blender
- Food-safe pH meter
- Clean bottles with lids
Instructions
- 1
Wear gloves while handling hot peppers. Wash the peppers under cool running water, remove the stems, and halve them. Discard any peppers with decay or mold.
⏱ 10 min
- 2
Dissolve the pickling salt in the non-chlorinated water. Pack the peppers and garlic into the clean jar, pour in enough brine to cover, and leave 2 inches of headspace.
⏱ 5 min
- 3
Add a fermentation weight so every pepper and garlic clove remains completely below the brine. Fit an airlock lid and ferment in a dark place at 68 to 72 F for about 7 days.
⏱ 10080 min
- 4
Check daily for submersion and gas release. Cloudy brine and small bubbles are expected. Fuzzy, raised, blue, green, black, or pink growth is mold; discard the entire batch without tasting if mold, slime, or a rotten odor appears.
⏱ 2 min
- 5
When the peppers taste cleanly sour, drain them and reserve 1 cup brine. Blend the peppers and garlic with the vinegar and enough reserved brine to reach a pourable consistency.
⏱ 5 min
- 6
Measure the blended sauce with a calibrated food-safe pH meter. It must be pH 4.6 or lower; aim for 4.2 or lower. If it is higher, blend in additional 5% acidity vinegar and retest. If it does not reach 4.6, discard it.
⏱ 5 min
- 7
Transfer to clean bottles and refrigerate immediately. This sauce has not been heat processed and is not shelf stable. Keep it at 40 F or colder and use within 3 months.
⏱ 3 min
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