Fermented Hot Sauce Recipe

Fermented hot sauce is easy to make and so versatile you'll want to put it on everything. The sauce takes just minutes to prepare—cut the peppers, garlic, and carrots, pack them into a jar, then add a simple salt and water brine. That's all you'll have to do to prepare the peppers. After about 10 days, you'll blend the peppers with brine and vinegar and then funnel the strained sauce into bottles.

You can easily put your own spin on this hot sauce recipe. Add a few slices of onion to the pepper or add spices such as a dash of cumin seeds, peppercorns, or coriander. Fresh cilantro is another excellent option, and a dash of sugar or honey can add a touch of sweetness. If you prefer a relatively mild hot sauce, add a sliced sweet red bell pepper to temper the heat. You can reduce the heat by halving the peppers lengthwise and removing the seeds and ribs.

This recipe makes 1 quart jar or 2 (1-pint) jars, yielding about 1 1/2 cups of sauce. Double the amounts for a 2-quart jar.

Safe Fermenting

• Use clean hands, jars, lids, and work surfaces. There's no need to sterilize the jars—put them in the dishwasher or wash them by hand with hot soapy water and rinse them well.
• Oxygen is the enemy. Always make sure the ingredients are submerged in the brine as they ferment. You can use a specially made weight to hold the food under the brine, or you can try an alternative weight, such as a small plastic bag filled with extra brine.
• Carbon dioxide is produced by the ferment, forcing oxygen out. The lid must have a way to let air escape without allowing any back into the jar. You can achieve this with an airlock-style lid. If you don't have an airlock lid, you'll need to loosen the lid daily to let the air escape.
• Once you have bottled the sauce, refrigerate it. If the capped bottle stays at room temperature it will continue to ferment and could explode.
  

Hot Chili Peppers on the Scoville Scale