Why ferment? 

• Hot brine (refrigerator pickles) is quicker and simpler, but..

Fermentation transforms the flavor!

• Hot brines may be sharp, bright and "fresh"
• Fermentation adds complexity and depth
  • less "green", more roundness and character
• Lactic acid is "softer" tasting than Vinegar

Why Ferment A Hot Sauce

Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB)

• Vegetable ferments largely
  • Lactiplantibacillus plantarum
  • Levilactobacillus brevis
  • And others....
• Ferment sugars into lactic acid+
• The pH drop and sugar consumption preserve food

Other ferments favor different mixes of cultures

Our Main Actor

• Make a world where our friendly critters outcompete the contaminants

The universal maxim of fermentation - promote our allies to prevent chaos

Our Job Is...

Get Hostile

Lacto ferments use salt to discourage contamination

Usual salinity: 2.0-4.0%

Salt(g) = (Veggie(g) +Water(g)) * %age

3% "dry" example

(800g (Veg) + 0g (Water))* 0.03 =

24g salt

Less Salt = Speed; More = Safety

Plus Flavor!

Wet vs. Dry Brine

Maybe?

• Most "classic" recipes/procedures don't emphasize sanitizing, just cleaning
• Old techniques: vinegar washes, etc.
• Brewers have easy sanitation at hand.
• Bleach solutions work - rinse well!

Sanitizing?

• Brewers think "build a big yeast starter for best results!"
• LAB ferments traditionally just use the naturally occurring organisms
• I cheat and pitch an ounce of "live" brine (from Sauerkraut or pickle)

VROOM VROOM!

On Being Cultured

Loads of fermenting vessels

• Crocks, Jars and Vacuum Seal Bags!
• Airlocks (or not) and Weights

Your fermenter needs to keep dust at bay and your veggies submerged. 

Airlocks are great, but so is just burping the jar. (Careful! Exploding peppers are not fun)

Safety bucket isn't a terrible idea

The Vessel with the Pickle...

Simple Vegetable Lacto Ferment

What I Use

• Food Processor 
  • I like a coarse mash
• A Scale(s)
  • Weigh veg, salt, additions
• Fermentation Setup
• Blender
• Sieve & Spatula
• pH meter/papers (bonus!)

The Gear

What to "Expect"

• 24-48 hours
  • bubbles form
• 1 week of "active fermentation"
  • lacto ferments less violent than yeast ferments
  • Can still blow out the top!
• 2-3 weeks of "aging"
• Week 4 - package!
• Schedule can vary - let the ferment tell you

The Schedule

• Puree the sauce to desired consistency
• Measure the pH (<4.5?)
• Taste the sauce and adjust
  • Does it need more salt?
  • Acid?
  • Sweetness?
• Pasteurization?
• Bottle and store in the fridge
  • Room temp stability requires work
  • I sanitize the bottles

Finishing Up

• Acid
  • Vinegar - Apple Cider, Rice, etc.
  • Citrus 
  • Acid salts
• Sugar
  • Honey
  • Fruit
• Salt / Spices / Herbs

Flavor Additives

• Ascorbic Acid (aka Vitamin C)
  • used as an anti-oxidant - keep the colors bright and fresh
• Xanthan Gum - polysaccharide
  • thickens and stabilizes
  • prevents separation
  • add while blending!!
• Vegetable Glycerin
  • adds body and sweetness

Final Additives

Two most common contaminants

• Kahm (top) - Wild Yeast with white rafts that forms on top
  • mostly harmless, funky smell
• Mold (bottom) - green,black and multicolored fuzzy growth
  • vegetation above the brine / O2
  • chuck it - mold indicates bad spoilage.
  • not worth the risk

Use Your Nose!

Sometimes It Gets Spicy (badly)

A sample lacto ferment project

What to do with super ripe garden peppers? (red jalapenos and habaneros) 

The goal - a hyped up boosted Sriracha

First step - supplement the harvest to get enough for a ferment!

• Farmers Market - Late for Deals

Super Rooster Project

(The Prep and Ferment)

520g Red Jalapeños/Fresnos
275g Red Italian Frying peppers
221g Cayennes
86g Thai Bird's Eye
55g Habaneros
65g Garlic

27g Kosher Salt (2.5%)* 

1 oz Sauerkraut Brine

* - cleaned veg yield 1078g

Salt = (1078g (Veg) + 0g (Water) ) *0.025

Salt= 27g

Super Rooster Project

• Wash the peppers
• Split and remove the seeds from the frying peppers, jalapenos, and cayennes
• Destem all the peppers
• Weigh the total mash
• Coarsely Chop (think pico, not salsa)

WEAR GLOVES OR REGRET IT

(mask & safety glasses recommended)

Super Rooster Project

• Add non-iodized salt and stir it through
• Wait 30 minutes
  • Brine comes out & mash relaxes
  • If there's not enough liquid, make fresh brine (same salinity).

PPE Beats Macing Yourself

Super Rooster Project

• Add brine (if using)
• Pack into the fermenter
• Weight the mash to submerge it completely in the brine
  • I use a sanitized filled baggie

Wash Your Hands Please

(even if you used gloves)

Super Rooster Project

• Ferment for 4 Weeks at cool room temp (65-75°F)

• Keep the pepper mash submerged

• Don't Mess With It

Super Rooster Project (Ferment)

• Pureed finely with minimal brine
  • you can thin the finished sauce down
• Pass through a sieve
• Re-blend the mash with a little sauce and pass again
• Adjust flavor with salt, sugar and vinegar
• Add Ascorbic Acid (color/oxidation)
• Blend in Xanthan Gum to prevent separation

Super Rooster Project (Finish)