Making hot sauce is fun. Fermenting it in the process is an adventure.

Finely chopping peppers and adding a bit of sea salt ferments them in their own delicious juices, giving subtle flavors and an unbelievable kick. Lacto-fermentation is a popular way of making hot sauce and is implemented by many brands like Tabasco and Sriracha.

I used one-pound of fiery habaneros and three-pounds of a Serrano/jalapeño mix for this batch. The peppers were finely chopped in a food processor with just over an ounce of sea salt, then pressed in to a sanitary 1/2 gallon Ball jar with an airlock on top for four weeks. It required scooping harmless, white mold off the top few layers and re-pressing the peppers to cover in their own brine every few days, but was essentially easy. The end result is incredibly spicy and certainly not for the faint of heart. Next time around I’ll use a significant amount of bell or mild hatch peppers to help bring out sweetness and round out the flavor. This sauce is good, but the entire pound of habaneros is overpowering and tilts the flavor a little too far.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Recipe adapted from RLM Provisions

4 lbs fermented hot pepper mash

3/4 head garlic, peeled

1 3/4 cup distilled white vinegar

1 1/2 cup raw apple cider vinegar

Bring all ingredients to a boil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. Reduce to simmer for 5-10 minutes. Purée ingredients in food processor or blender and strain with a fine-mesh strainer in to bottles.