Matt’s Hot Sauce

Hi everyone, this is Matt from Carrboro.

One of my favorite hot sauce brands has been a little difficult to find at stores for the past year and bland table fare at my house just isn’t going to get the job done..  Lightbulb moment…I would take matters into my own hands!  I had a bumper crop of peppers this year and wanted to take a shot at making a fermented hot sauce.  

As I was using what I had, this recipe isn’t intended as a clone for the hot sauce with a rooster on the bottle.  But it came out great and I wanted to share with our readers.  Especially right now as many of are still pulling peppers out of our organic gardens.  

Of course, this recipe can be modified with the type of peppers you have available…and then it’s yours!  Think of the below as a basic approach that can be modified to your tastes.  If you give it a shot, or have your own favorites, please feel free to share the results in the comments section.  We love to learn and share!

So, here’s how you too can make Matt’s Hot Sauce: 

Step 1:  Sterilization of your fermentation vessel

• I used a 1 gallon pickle jar, grommeted lid, and econolock airlock – all included in the FSG Fermentation Kit (1 Gal size). You should sterilize the pickle jar by boiling it  for 10 mins or longer.

Step 2:  Assemble the ingredients

• 2 Bell Peppers
• 1 Serrano Pepper
• 1 Anaheim Pepper
• 1 Fresno Pepper
• 6 Cloves Garlic
• Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
• Pinch of Chili Seasoning
• 6 cups Distilled Water 
• 4 Tbsp Salt

Step 3:  Loading your jar for a good fermentation

• Mix water (room temp) and salt to form a brine and pour into pickle jar.
• Wash peppers and cut into larger chunks, removing stem and as much of the white inside (called the placenta) as you’d like. The placenta contains much of the capsaicin – not the seeds (who knew that was a myth!). Removing more of it will make the sauce milder, leaving more in will make it hotter.
• Add cut pieces of pepper, peeled garlic cloves, and as much red pepper/chili seasoning as you’d like to the brine. 
• Place a fermentation weight (or ziploc bag filled with water) on top of pieces in brine, to keep them submerged under the water line. Screw on lid, and fill econolock airlock to fill line with water and put in the air hole.  This will allow CO2 to escape without oxygen getting back in, which allows for fermentation. 

Step 4:  Patience while it ferments

• Place jar in cool, dark place, like a corner countertop.
• I will visually check the mix every day, particularly for molds, but don’t take the lid off until the process is complete (2 to 2.5 weeks, depending on size). Don’t worry if the liquid turns cloudy, this is part of the process

Step 5:  Finishing the Hot Sauce

• After 2 weeks, pour the mixture through a colander into a large saucepan or other container to separate the brine from the solids. Blend the solids into a slurry, then add brine back to the mixture and blend, one cup at a time until desired consistency is achieved. 
• Bottle and refrigerate (will keep for a couple months in the fridge, but can’t be stored at room temp).

Step 6:  Enjoy

• Once blended, your hot sauce is ready to be enjoyed.  Of course tortilla chips are a natural companion, but get creative and you can make many memorable meals!

Good luck if you decide to give your own fermented Hot Sauce a try!

 

Thanks for taking a moment to read this post.

Matt