Fermented Jalapeno Peppers and Hot Sauce

I've written before about home fermentation and making sour kraut and kimchi.  I've decided to expand my fermenting endeavor and do new things.  After all, it only takes minimal ingredients and time.

No special equipment is required for this but there is lots available if you want to get into it in a big way.  They make stoneware crocks with weights and water seals that are rather pricy and on the cheap end there are caps to fit mason jars with air locks on them.  Since my good wife cans much of the produce of our garden I simply use mason jars and the regular lids.

Since Uncle T likes his hot sauce and has come up with a few recipes I added my own twist to a technique I found online.

Fresh jalapenos from the garden I believe work best but the next best source would be a farmer's market.  Produce in the stores typically are well cleaned prior to shipment so the natural bacteria required for fermentation have been removed or greatly reduced in number.  Another reason I prefer to grow my own is that the nursery I get my sets from carries a variety that is a bit hotter than those found in stores.

A fresh picking of Jalapenos from the garden

I didn't count how many jalapenos went into the jar.  It wouldn't matter because it all depends on the size of your peppers.  To prepare the jalapenos all you have to do it pull off the stem and cap then crush the jalapeno with the heel of your hand.  Crushing them isn't necessary but it will let you fit more in the jar and let the brine get to the interior of the pepper.

2 quarts of Jalapenos merrily fermenting away

All you have to put in is peppers but other things can be added to increase the depth of flavor of the final product.  This is your place to experiment.

Fermented Jalapeno Peppers

15 - 20 Jalapeno peppers
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1.5 Tbs black peppercorns
1/2 Tbs mustard seed
1/2 Tbs coriander seed
2 cups water
1 Tbs salt

Take the stem and cap off the Jalapenos.  Put the garlic, peppercorns, mustard seed, and coriander seed in the quart jar.  Start putting the Jalapenos into the jar.  They will fit better if you crush them a bit prior placing in the jar.  Leave a 1/2 inch of space below the rim of the jar.  Fill the jar with the brine all the way to the rim.  Put the lid on and lightly tighten the ring.  Let sit at room temperature anywhere from 3 weeks to 3 months.  Start tasting at 3 weeks and continue until the desired level of sourness has been reached. 

Make sure the jar is in a cake pan since the gas formed by the fermentation process will push some of the brine out of the jar.  You may need to go back in a few days and add more brine to the jar.

These can be eaten just as they are as pickled Jalapenos.  If you want to stop the fermentation process put the jar in the refrigerator when you are happy with the results.

Fermented Jalapeno Hot Sauce

Strain the brine from the jar.  Put the Jalapenos and garlic in a food processor or the Vitamix like I did.  Add a bit of the brine and puree.  Add more brine to get to the desired consistency.  This makes a hot sauce that has both heat and excellent flavor.

Straining the brine

Freshly pureed fermented hot sauce

Some people will puree the peppers prior to starting the ferment.  Using this method means you'll have to open the jar and stir the mixture.  This seems like needless work to me.  Many times people using this method will have to strain the mixture to get a smooth hot sauce.  To me, fermenting is and should be a low effort method of preservation that yields great results.

Give fermentation a try.  You'll like the results and you'll get the benefit of natural probiotics.

Uncle T