My boyfriend is a huge fan of hot sauce. Me, not so much, but I wanted to make some homemade sauce because there have been a ton of gorgeous hot peppers at the farmer’s market and I knew he would love it. I turned to Bon Appétit for my inspiration on this recipe and they have a pretty hilarious video over on YouTube, which is at the bottom of this post.
Fermentation is actually really simple and overall pretty hard to mess up. It’s a technique that’s been used for centuries and you have to imagine that back then, people didn’t have fancy equipment, so you don’t need any fancy equipment either!
My armamentarium is simply this:
That’s it! Oh, and time. It’s going to take about 2 weeks!
The principle is the same as fermenting anything else – simply submerge the peppers in a brine, allow the natural bacteria and yeast to do their job, and give it some time. That’s it! It’s simple, but the end result is insanely good.
So, following the inspiration from Bon Appétit, I added in garlic, black peppercorns, Aleppo pepper, dried hibiscus and cardamom seeds into the mix. Based upon the flavor profile at the end, I feel that the garlic is instrumental in giving the sauce a very unique and rich flavor. I definitely would not leave it out. You can add in any other spices you prefer, I don’t think you can go wrong here.
Once you have all the peppers submerged in brine, it’s time to lid it and wait. Put a 4 oz mason jar on top of the peppers and fill it with some brine so it pushes down on the peppers to keep them submerged. Or put on a few glass weights. Just make sure everything is submerged or else mold may form on peppers that are sticking into the air. Loosely screw on a regular mason jar lid so that gases can vent, or put on your desired airlock type of lid. I also recommend sitting the jar in a tray or bowl to catch any brine that may bubble up and out of the jar. In a day or two, you will see lots of bubbles forming – it’s alive! The good bacteria and yeasts are fermenting the peppers and releasing their gases. This is why you need to have a lid that can vent because there will be a lot of pressure buildup in the jar.
Waiting two weeks may feel like forever, but it’s definitely worth it. The time will allow the flavors to meld and get funky. Once the time is up, strain off the brine and put all the peppers in a blender. Add in 1 cup of the brine and blend it for about 1 minute. If you want the sauce thinner, add more brine. If you want the sauce smoother, strain it through a sieve.
Blending up the peppers releases a ton of fiery gases into the air. It’s so potent that it will make you cough. I’m not even kidding! The first time I made a hotter version of this sauce, I was blending it up and when I took the lid off the blender, I started coughing immediately. Suddenly, the whole kitchen was filled with the strong stink of hot sauce. After a few minutes, I got used to it and I wasn’t coughing anymore. But then Andrey walked into the kitchen and started coughing immediately! It just hit him like a wall. After this experience, we smartened up and now blend the peppers outside with a fan to blow away the fumes. If you make a sauce with crazy hot peppers, I highly recommend that you blend the peppers outside and you may want to wear googles to keep the fumes out of your eyes.
Once the sauce is blended, put it in a little hot sauce bottle and keep the rest in a jar in your fridge. The small hot sauce bottle can be left out at room temperature or kept in the fridge, that is up to you.
If you are feeling nervous about fermentation, you should watch the YouTube video at the bottom of this post. I promise you, it’s so easy!
You can make your sauce as mild or hot as you like. Here are some pepper combination ideas. One of Andrey’s patients gave him naga viper and scorpion peppers, so that’s how we came across those pictured above! I think you will need a farmer friend who is a hot pepper enthusiast to get your hands of some of those crazy peppers.
Extra mild:
Mild:
Hot:
Deadly:
they just sound scary, yikes!
There you have it – DIY hot pepper sauce that is going to blow any store bought sauce out of the park! I particularly like the fermented sauce because it does not rely on vinegar as a preservative. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like overly vinegary-flavored hot sauces. So this recipe eliminates that flavor and replaces it with some good funk instead. It’s good. Trust me.
P.S. This sauce would be an excellent homemade gift. How cool!
xx
Dr. Romay
Makes about 3 cups
You can make this as spicy as you like depending on the peppers you use. Fermentation brings out the flavors in the ingredients, creating a rich and robust flavor that is unlike any hot sauce you can buy at the store. And it’s good for your gut with all the fermented bacteria friends in there! Please read the notes at the end of the recipe before starting
Author: Leah Romay
Dr. Leah Romay is a dentist passionate about health and wellness and believes that health is possible for everyone. She’s been in the kitchen cooking from scratch for most of her life and greatly enjoys creating healthy and delicious recipes. In addition to practicing dentistry full time, she spends her free time developing recipes, reading scientific studies, and helping others live their healthiest lives through evidence-based lifestyle and diet. Read more about Dr. Romay and her story here.
Please understand that all of the content presented here on leahromay.com is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. You should always consult with your medical doctor, qualified healthcare provider, or dentist regarding any medical or dental concerns and questions you may have. If you suspect you have a medical condition, do not delay seeking the care of a qualified healthcare provider.
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This Post Has 2 Comments
Gloria Caviglia
10 Oct 2020I had some moldin the weighted jar, but none in the pepper brine itself. Can I still use them?
Leah Romay
10 Oct 2020Hi Gloria, if it was only in the weighted jar, it probably is fine since the brine and peppers don’t have any. I would recommend keeping the final hot sauce in the fridge after you blend it to be on the safe side! Hope it turns out delicious!