Hot sauce is getting really expensive and we go through a lot of it. My favorite habanero sauce has gone over $4 for a 5oz bottle!
So I learned to make my own, habaneros are still pretty cheap! I picked up the jars and bottles from goodwill for $.99 each.
I blended up some peppers (habanero for one batch jalapeño for another) and left them in a jar for a week with a clove of garlic and 2% salt.
A little onion went in with the jalapeño.I topped these off with water to keep oxygen out for the week.
They were very active and bubbly lots of lacto fermentation went on.
Today I blended them up with .2% xanthan gum and a few granules of potassium sorbate.
Now I need to find a nice red sauce recipe like the local taco shop has and i’m done buying hot sauce!
$4 for 5 oz? I wish. The good ones I’ve gotten lately are $10-15.
I love it! Do you have to do anything to stop the fermentation afterwards, or does it die off when they are refrigerated?
i’m unsure, at least one source said that after a couple weeks the ‘active’ fermentation was over and to move to the fridge. Other sources say you can keep em going for years.
All the vessels i’m using should safely release any excess pressure.
I’m very new to this whole process which is why this batch is so very basic!
I recommend trying it out though fermented jalapenos and onions are a nice condiment in addition to the hot sauce benefits. Gonna try curtido next.
Thanks for the recipe. Does it involve vinegar, or end up with a vinegary taste? Im looking for a hot sauce recipe that doesn’t taste sour.
I didn’t add any vinegar just some tap water that I boiled to remove the chlorine from and then let cool.
There’s no sourness but it’s intensely spicy!
Awesome! I’ll try this recipe
cheers I hope you love it:
here’s a good resource: https://www.seriouseats.com/fermented-hot-sauce-how-to
Do I need the gum and potassium sorbate? Can I make it without them?
same jalapeño recipe without xanthan gum:
if you shake it up it’s fine but it settles within a day.
I looked at all my favorite hot sauces and every single one used xanthan gum so i guess I’m a fan.
the potassium sorbate I actually bought for a different recipe but added since I had it it’s just a cheap preservative
Thank you for the details, that’s very helpful. Any idea how long the sauce would last without a preservative?
It should last a good long while if you keep it sealed in the fridge, > 6 months. According to my sources you can ferment peppers for years if you are careful about not letting oxygen get to them!
Awesome! Thanks
They look great! I love making fermented hot sauce. What does the potassium sorbate do?
It’s a preservative against fungus
it’s a cheap preservative, these are REALLY spicy and ax little goes a long way so just in case I wanted them to stay colorful and fresh.
Gotcha. Never had a batch go bad on me, but it definitely can’t hurt.
C/fermentation
Just wanted to add my thanks for including the recipe. I love the possibility of replicating someone else’s intriguing recipes.
Thanks for sharing this
This looks great.
Anyone know how to make Valentina Black Label a.k.a. Extra Hot?
