OT- Lacto Fermentation Fun- Peppers and Sriracha

lkapigian

fence0407 said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

Upgraded my cap to an airlock. When should I expect to see action?

Variables  , sometimes right away, some after a few days ...id you add a little dextrose on veggies with low sugar it speeds it up....sometimes it's hardly noticeable sometimes crazy rapid 

Awesome, thanks! I hope I got the salt to water ratio correct. 

@fence0407 so long as you are 2% on the low end you are good, I go a little higher on Pickles but usually 2% 

This jar has 2 cups filtered water with 2 tablespoons of kosher salt 🤔

That's about 7.5 %, a little heavy but should be fine....Scales are cheap but really help ....your salt may vary but you have roughly 479 grams water so you need around 10 grams salt, you have roughly 36 grams 

Thank you! I first started with 1 1/4 teaspoon per cup of water. Read somewhere else I needed one tablespoon per cup of water so I upped it. I will keep your measurements on hand. 

Will I need to dilute my brine when blending the final product? Obviously I don't want it to be too salty and since I added 26 more grams than is needed I'm afraid it will be too salty. Thoughts?

On a good note, I did start to see some bubbling in the airlock!

I usually add 1 tbs per 1/2 blender full anyway, you would probably not add any...just give it a taste...sounds like you are good to go 

fence0407

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

Upgraded my cap to an airlock. When should I expect to see action?

Variables  , sometimes right away, some after a few days ...id you add a little dextrose on veggies with low sugar it speeds it up....sometimes it's hardly noticeable sometimes crazy rapid 

Awesome, thanks! I hope I got the salt to water ratio correct. 

@fence0407 so long as you are 2% on the low end you are good, I go a little higher on Pickles but usually 2% 

This jar has 2 cups filtered water with 2 tablespoons of kosher salt 🤔

That's about 7.5 %, a little heavy but should be fine....Scales are cheap but really help ....your salt may vary but you have roughly 479 grams water so you need around 10 grams salt, you have roughly 36 grams 

Thank you! I first started with 1 1/4 teaspoon per cup of water. Read somewhere else I needed one tablespoon per cup of water so I upped it. I will keep your measurements on hand. 

Will I need to dilute my brine when blending the final product? Obviously I don't want it to be too salty and since I added 26 more grams than is needed I'm afraid it will be too salty. Thoughts?

On a good note, I did start to see some bubbling in the airlock!

I usually add 1 tbs per 1/2 blender full anyway, you would probably not add any...just give it a taste...sounds like you are good to go 

Gotchya makes sense! I need to pick up some gum I think to thicken it. Appreciate the help!

11Longhorns11

Got a couple small batches going so I can get the hang of it all. One with Fresno’s, garlic, and onions. One salsa verde, and two fandoms. The fruit is in just sugar some honey and water. We will see. 

11Longhorns11

The first two small batches I did with a little ginger and pineapple. I couldn’t taste the pineapple but the hint of ginger was nice. FWIW. 

lkapigian

Like to know how the fruit turns out @11Longhorns11

11Longhorns11

lkapigian said:

Like to know how the fruit turns out @11Longhorns11

It is by far the most active, it is bubbling like crazy.

lkapigian

11Longhorns11 said:

lkapigian said:

Like to know how the fruit turns out @11Longhorns11

It is by far the most active, it is bubbling like crazy.

lactobacilli love simple sugar!

poster

For you guys doing the mashes. Do you ever get yeast or mold on top from the exposed ingredients? Or does enough water come out that they soon get covered? I guess i could do a mash with the usual brine too, instead of just salt? Looking for a way to speed things up a bit 

lkapigian

poster said:

For you guys doing the mashes. Do you ever get yeast or mold on top from the exposed ingredients? Or does enough water come out that they soon get covered? I guess i could do a mash with the usual brine too, instead of just salt? Looking for a way to speed things up a bit 

with the mash, I stir Every Day ( sometimes twice a day ) ,after a few days your mash will begin to float on a layer of brine @ the bottom....I have done just mash, and mash with a bit of existing brine so it is not so dry at the start , both work well. I do not cover my mash with brine, just weigh the mash and add your salt to that weight, it will extract water soon enough 

lkapigian

Love the Fresnos ...blended this with Calabrian Pepers in Oil....5 litre crock will yield about 4 litres 

fence0407

lkapigian said:

Love the Fresnos ...blended this with Calabrian Pepers in Oil....5 litre crock will yield about 4 litres 

Nice I bet that will be good! I've never heard of Calabrian peppers...how hot?

lkapigian

@fence0407 medium heat, it's the smokeyness that it adds I like...i never heard of them until I started making salami, I keep dry and oil packed on hand at all times .....they come from Calabria Italy .....worth the Amazon purchase especially if you like pepper flakes on food 

fence0407

lkapigian said:

@fence0407 medium heat, it's the smokeyness that it adds I like...i never heard of them until I started making salami, I keep dry and oil packed on hand at all times .....they come from Calabria Italy .....worth the Amazon purchase especially if you like pepper flakes on food 

I will definitely check those out. I recently bought a pack of dried chipotle meco chilies that are real smokey, not a lot of heat. I only added 1 to my fermented hot sauce, but I regularly make a campfire chipotle hot sauce with them that is really tasty - no fermenting.

Edit - I also add a few Thai chilies to the campfire chipotle sauce to make it much spicier. I believe I got the Thai chilies off Amazon.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Just pulled the sriracha. I’m hooked. This stuff is amazing. Can’t wait for next week when the pineapple habanero and salsa verde are ready. Love the way the fermentation elevates the flavors from the peppers. You can really taste the floral habanero...right before they kick you in the nuts. So much fun. Thanks for starting this thread Larry. 

And the mash is in the dehydrator. 

lkapigian

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

Just pulled the sriracha. I’m hooked. This stuff is amazing. Can’t wait for next week when the pineapple habanero and salsa verde are ready. Love the way the fermentation elevates the flavors from the peppers. You can really taste the floral habanero...right before they kick you in the nuts. So much fun. Thanks for starting this thread Larry. 

And the mash is in the dehydrator. 

Very Cool!

The Cen-Tex Smoker

We can’t stop eating it. We are Already planning meals around it lol. 

SciAggie

@The Cen-Tex Smoker The can’t stop eating it part - I put hot sauce on everything now. It’s crazy. 

lkapigian

Neighbor brought some cucumbers by...4% brine 2 TBS dry dill and Calabrian Pepper bay leaves ....about 1/2 cup brine from an existing ferment ...this is about 4 days, taste an in the fridge ...im having to use jars and plastic containers , running out of room 

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Pineapple Habanero mash leather. Dehydrated for 18 hours and Powdered it up in the blender. This is crazy good. 

lkapigian

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

Pineapple Habanero mash leather. Dehydrated for 18 hours and Powdered it up in the blender. This is crazy good. 

Dried perfect , its a great additional spice to have....i also keep a small woozey bottle with the shaker top 50/50 dried mash and kosher salt ...replaces my regular table salt 

The Cen-Tex Smoker

lkapigian said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

Pineapple Habanero mash leather. Dehydrated for 18 hours and Powdered it up in the blender. This is crazy good. 

Dried perfect , its a great additional spice to have....i also keep a small woozey bottle with the shaker top 50/50 dried mash and kosher salt ...replaces my regular table salt 

This is where I got the idea. I’m thinking this would make a great bbq rub. Salt, pepper, dust. Working on the mix now. 

fence0407

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

Upgraded my cap to an airlock. When should I expect to see action?

Variables  , sometimes right away, some after a few days ...id you add a little dextrose on veggies with low sugar it speeds it up....sometimes it's hardly noticeable sometimes crazy rapid 

Awesome, thanks! I hope I got the salt to water ratio correct. 

@fence0407 so long as you are 2% on the low end you are good, I go a little higher on Pickles but usually 2% 

This jar has 2 cups filtered water with 2 tablespoons of kosher salt 🤔

That's about 7.5 %, a little heavy but should be fine....Scales are cheap but really help ....your salt may vary but you have roughly 479 grams water so you need around 10 grams salt, you have roughly 36 grams 

Thank you! I first started with 1 1/4 teaspoon per cup of water. Read somewhere else I needed one tablespoon per cup of water so I upped it. I will keep your measurements on hand. 

Will I need to dilute my brine when blending the final product? Obviously I don't want it to be too salty and since I added 26 more grams than is needed I'm afraid it will be too salty. Thoughts?

On a good note, I did start to see some bubbling in the airlock!

I usually add 1 tbs per 1/2 blender full anyway, you would probably not add any...just give it a taste...sounds like you are good to go 

Gotchya makes sense! I need to pick up some gum I think to thicken it. Appreciate the help!

On day 10 of the brine. I got the xanthan gum ready to go. I know you normally due 3 week brines, but given the larger amount of salt I used, would it be better to go ahead at 10 days and blend? This is my first time making hot sauce this way so I'm not sure. 

lkapigian

fence0407 said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

Upgraded my cap to an airlock. When should I expect to see action?

Variables  , sometimes right away, some after a few days ...id you add a little dextrose on veggies with low sugar it speeds it up....sometimes it's hardly noticeable sometimes crazy rapid 

Awesome, thanks! I hope I got the salt to water ratio correct. 

@fence0407 so long as you are 2% on the low end you are good, I go a little higher on Pickles but usually 2% 

This jar has 2 cups filtered water with 2 tablespoons of kosher salt 🤔

That's about 7.5 %, a little heavy but should be fine....Scales are cheap but really help ....your salt may vary but you have roughly 479 grams water so you need around 10 grams salt, you have roughly 36 grams 

Thank you! I first started with 1 1/4 teaspoon per cup of water. Read somewhere else I needed one tablespoon per cup of water so I upped it. I will keep your measurements on hand. 

Will I need to dilute my brine when blending the final product? Obviously I don't want it to be too salty and since I added 26 more grams than is needed I'm afraid it will be too salty. Thoughts?

On a good note, I did start to see some bubbling in the airlock!

I usually add 1 tbs per 1/2 blender full anyway, you would probably not add any...just give it a taste...sounds like you are good to go 

Gotchya makes sense! I need to pick up some gum I think to thicken it. Appreciate the help!

On day 10 of the brine. I got the xanthan gum ready to go. I know you normally due 3 week brines, but given the larger amount of salt I used, would it be better to go ahead at 10 days and blend? This is my first time making hot sauce this way so I'm not sure. 

I would taste it, if it still taste more salt VS vinagary is let it go longer ( that's how I check pickles ) if it's not salt, let her rip, if not happy with sauce leave @ Room temp to mature further 

fence0407

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

Upgraded my cap to an airlock. When should I expect to see action?

Variables  , sometimes right away, some after a few days ...id you add a little dextrose on veggies with low sugar it speeds it up....sometimes it's hardly noticeable sometimes crazy rapid 

Awesome, thanks! I hope I got the salt to water ratio correct. 

@fence0407 so long as you are 2% on the low end you are good, I go a little higher on Pickles but usually 2% 

This jar has 2 cups filtered water with 2 tablespoons of kosher salt 🤔

That's about 7.5 %, a little heavy but should be fine....Scales are cheap but really help ....your salt may vary but you have roughly 479 grams water so you need around 10 grams salt, you have roughly 36 grams 

Thank you! I first started with 1 1/4 teaspoon per cup of water. Read somewhere else I needed one tablespoon per cup of water so I upped it. I will keep your measurements on hand. 

Will I need to dilute my brine when blending the final product? Obviously I don't want it to be too salty and since I added 26 more grams than is needed I'm afraid it will be too salty. Thoughts?

On a good note, I did start to see some bubbling in the airlock!

I usually add 1 tbs per 1/2 blender full anyway, you would probably not add any...just give it a taste...sounds like you are good to go 

Gotchya makes sense! I need to pick up some gum I think to thicken it. Appreciate the help!

On day 10 of the brine. I got the xanthan gum ready to go. I know you normally due 3 week brines, but given the larger amount of salt I used, would it be better to go ahead at 10 days and blend? This is my first time making hot sauce this way so I'm not sure. 

I would taste it, if it still taste more salt VS vinagary is let it go longer ( that's how I check pickles ) if it's not salt, let her rip, if not happy with sauce leave @ Room temp to mature further 

Awesome I appreciate the help! I'll give it a taste and see where it's at!

fence0407

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

Upgraded my cap to an airlock. When should I expect to see action?

Variables  , sometimes right away, some after a few days ...id you add a little dextrose on veggies with low sugar it speeds it up....sometimes it's hardly noticeable sometimes crazy rapid 

Awesome, thanks! I hope I got the salt to water ratio correct. 

@fence0407 so long as you are 2% on the low end you are good, I go a little higher on Pickles but usually 2% 

This jar has 2 cups filtered water with 2 tablespoons of kosher salt 🤔

That's about 7.5 %, a little heavy but should be fine....Scales are cheap but really help ....your salt may vary but you have roughly 479 grams water so you need around 10 grams salt, you have roughly 36 grams 

Thank you! I first started with 1 1/4 teaspoon per cup of water. Read somewhere else I needed one tablespoon per cup of water so I upped it. I will keep your measurements on hand. 

Will I need to dilute my brine when blending the final product? Obviously I don't want it to be too salty and since I added 26 more grams than is needed I'm afraid it will be too salty. Thoughts?

On a good note, I did start to see some bubbling in the airlock!

I usually add 1 tbs per 1/2 blender full anyway, you would probably not add any...just give it a taste...sounds like you are good to go 

Gotchya makes sense! I need to pick up some gum I think to thicken it. Appreciate the help!

On day 10 of the brine. I got the xanthan gum ready to go. I know you normally due 3 week brines, but given the larger amount of salt I used, would it be better to go ahead at 10 days and blend? This is my first time making hot sauce this way so I'm not sure. 

I would taste it, if it still taste more salt VS vinagary is let it go longer ( that's how I check pickles ) if it's not salt, let her rip, if not happy with sauce leave @ Room temp to mature further 

Awesome I appreciate the help! I'll give it a taste and see where it's at!

Still pretty salty! I'll let it sit for another week and see where it's at by then. How do you determine how much xanthan gum to add to the final product? Assume you just add it to the blender at the end?

lkapigian

fence0407 said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

Upgraded my cap to an airlock. When should I expect to see action?

Variables  , sometimes right away, some after a few days ...id you add a little dextrose on veggies with low sugar it speeds it up....sometimes it's hardly noticeable sometimes crazy rapid 

Awesome, thanks! I hope I got the salt to water ratio correct. 

@fence0407 so long as you are 2% on the low end you are good, I go a little higher on Pickles but usually 2% 

This jar has 2 cups filtered water with 2 tablespoons of kosher salt 🤔

That's about 7.5 %, a little heavy but should be fine....Scales are cheap but really help ....your salt may vary but you have roughly 479 grams water so you need around 10 grams salt, you have roughly 36 grams 

Thank you! I first started with 1 1/4 teaspoon per cup of water. Read somewhere else I needed one tablespoon per cup of water so I upped it. I will keep your measurements on hand. 

Will I need to dilute my brine when blending the final product? Obviously I don't want it to be too salty and since I added 26 more grams than is needed I'm afraid it will be too salty. Thoughts?

On a good note, I did start to see some bubbling in the airlock!

I usually add 1 tbs per 1/2 blender full anyway, you would probably not add any...just give it a taste...sounds like you are good to go 

Gotchya makes sense! I need to pick up some gum I think to thicken it. Appreciate the help!

On day 10 of the brine. I got the xanthan gum ready to go. I know you normally due 3 week brines, but given the larger amount of salt I used, would it be better to go ahead at 10 days and blend? This is my first time making hot sauce this way so I'm not sure. 

I would taste it, if it still taste more salt VS vinagary is let it go longer ( that's how I check pickles ) if it's not salt, let her rip, if not happy with sauce leave @ Room temp to mature further 

Awesome I appreciate the help! I'll give it a taste and see where it's at!

Still pretty salty! I'll let it sit for another week and see where it's at by then. How do you determine how much xanthan gum to add to the final product? Assume you just add it to the blender at the end?

Couple things, a PH  meter is a great indicator , you had a very high salt % to to start so it may be ok....Xanthan gum 1 TBS Per large blender is more than enough...you can control it by stopping the blend , you will hear ir.....start with a small amount an increase to your liking 

fence0407

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

Upgraded my cap to an airlock. When should I expect to see action?

Variables  , sometimes right away, some after a few days ...id you add a little dextrose on veggies with low sugar it speeds it up....sometimes it's hardly noticeable sometimes crazy rapid 

Awesome, thanks! I hope I got the salt to water ratio correct. 

@fence0407 so long as you are 2% on the low end you are good, I go a little higher on Pickles but usually 2% 

This jar has 2 cups filtered water with 2 tablespoons of kosher salt 🤔

That's about 7.5 %, a little heavy but should be fine....Scales are cheap but really help ....your salt may vary but you have roughly 479 grams water so you need around 10 grams salt, you have roughly 36 grams 

Thank you! I first started with 1 1/4 teaspoon per cup of water. Read somewhere else I needed one tablespoon per cup of water so I upped it. I will keep your measurements on hand. 

Will I need to dilute my brine when blending the final product? Obviously I don't want it to be too salty and since I added 26 more grams than is needed I'm afraid it will be too salty. Thoughts?

On a good note, I did start to see some bubbling in the airlock!

I usually add 1 tbs per 1/2 blender full anyway, you would probably not add any...just give it a taste...sounds like you are good to go 

Gotchya makes sense! I need to pick up some gum I think to thicken it. Appreciate the help!

On day 10 of the brine. I got the xanthan gum ready to go. I know you normally due 3 week brines, but given the larger amount of salt I used, would it be better to go ahead at 10 days and blend? This is my first time making hot sauce this way so I'm not sure. 

I would taste it, if it still taste more salt VS vinagary is let it go longer ( that's how I check pickles ) if it's not salt, let her rip, if not happy with sauce leave @ Room temp to mature further 

Awesome I appreciate the help! I'll give it a taste and see where it's at!

Still pretty salty! I'll let it sit for another week and see where it's at by then. How do you determine how much xanthan gum to add to the final product? Assume you just add it to the blender at the end?

Couple things, a PH  meter is a great indicator , you had a very high salt % to to start so it may be ok....Xanthan gum 1 TBS Per large blender is more than enough...you can control it by stopping the blend , you will hear ir.....start with a small amount an increase to your liking 

Something like this? What ph level should I be looking for?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08FRFZRYS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_TjZpFbMWAJ949 

I'll start real slowly with the xanthan gum, thanks! 

lkapigian

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

Upgraded my cap to an airlock. When should I expect to see action?

Variables  , sometimes right away, some after a few days ...id you add a little dextrose on veggies with low sugar it speeds it up....sometimes it's hardly noticeable sometimes crazy rapid 

Awesome, thanks! I hope I got the salt to water ratio correct. 

@fence0407 so long as you are 2% on the low end you are good, I go a little higher on Pickles but usually 2% 

This jar has 2 cups filtered water with 2 tablespoons of kosher salt 🤔

That's about 7.5 %, a little heavy but should be fine....Scales are cheap but really help ....your salt may vary but you have roughly 479 grams water so you need around 10 grams salt, you have roughly 36 grams 

Thank you! I first started with 1 1/4 teaspoon per cup of water. Read somewhere else I needed one tablespoon per cup of water so I upped it. I will keep your measurements on hand. 

Will I need to dilute my brine when blending the final product? Obviously I don't want it to be too salty and since I added 26 more grams than is needed I'm afraid it will be too salty. Thoughts?

On a good note, I did start to see some bubbling in the airlock!

I usually add 1 tbs per 1/2 blender full anyway, you would probably not add any...just give it a taste...sounds like you are good to go 

Gotchya makes sense! I need to pick up some gum I think to thicken it. Appreciate the help!

On day 10 of the brine. I got the xanthan gum ready to go. I know you normally due 3 week brines, but given the larger amount of salt I used, would it be better to go ahead at 10 days and blend? This is my first time making hot sauce this way so I'm not sure. 

I would taste it, if it still taste more salt VS vinagary is let it go longer ( that's how I check pickles ) if it's not salt, let her rip, if not happy with sauce leave @ Room temp to mature further 

Awesome I appreciate the help! I'll give it a taste and see where it's at!

Still pretty salty! I'll let it sit for another week and see where it's at by then. How do you determine how much xanthan gum to add to the final product? Assume you just add it to the blender at the end?

Couple things, a PH  meter is a great indicator , you had a very high salt % to to start so it may be ok....Xanthan gum 1 TBS Per large blender is more than enough...you can control it by stopping the blend , you will hear ir.....start with a small amount an increase to your liking 

Something like this? What ph level should I be looking for?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08FRFZRYS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_TjZpFbMWAJ949 

I'll start real slowly with the xanthan gum, thanks! 

Don't know anything about that meter but it's probably fine....anythung bow 4.6 is pretty safe shelf stable , I have this one ( non ble tooth ) I use it for fermented, salami and sour dough https://www.amazon.com/Apera-Instruments-LLC-Bluetooth-Tester/dp/B07NW1FH2X

fence0407

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

lkapigian said:

fence0407 said:

Upgraded my cap to an airlock. When should I expect to see action?

Variables  , sometimes right away, some after a few days ...id you add a little dextrose on veggies with low sugar it speeds it up....sometimes it's hardly noticeable sometimes crazy rapid 

Awesome, thanks! I hope I got the salt to water ratio correct. 

@fence0407 so long as you are 2% on the low end you are good, I go a little higher on Pickles but usually 2% 

This jar has 2 cups filtered water with 2 tablespoons of kosher salt 🤔

That's about 7.5 %, a little heavy but should be fine....Scales are cheap but really help ....your salt may vary but you have roughly 479 grams water so you need around 10 grams salt, you have roughly 36 grams 

Thank you! I first started with 1 1/4 teaspoon per cup of water. Read somewhere else I needed one tablespoon per cup of water so I upped it. I will keep your measurements on hand. 

Will I need to dilute my brine when blending the final product? Obviously I don't want it to be too salty and since I added 26 more grams than is needed I'm afraid it will be too salty. Thoughts?

On a good note, I did start to see some bubbling in the airlock!

I usually add 1 tbs per 1/2 blender full anyway, you would probably not add any...just give it a taste...sounds like you are good to go 

Gotchya makes sense! I need to pick up some gum I think to thicken it. Appreciate the help!

On day 10 of the brine. I got the xanthan gum ready to go. I know you normally due 3 week brines, but given the larger amount of salt I used, would it be better to go ahead at 10 days and blend? This is my first time making hot sauce this way so I'm not sure. 

I would taste it, if it still taste more salt VS vinagary is let it go longer ( that's how I check pickles ) if it's not salt, let her rip, if not happy with sauce leave @ Room temp to mature further 

Awesome I appreciate the help! I'll give it a taste and see where it's at!

Still pretty salty! I'll let it sit for another week and see where it's at by then. How do you determine how much xanthan gum to add to the final product? Assume you just add it to the blender at the end?

Couple things, a PH  meter is a great indicator , you had a very high salt % to to start so it may be ok....Xanthan gum 1 TBS Per large blender is more than enough...you can control it by stopping the blend , you will hear ir.....start with a small amount an increase to your liking 

Something like this? What ph level should I be looking for?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08FRFZRYS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_TjZpFbMWAJ949 

I'll start real slowly with the xanthan gum, thanks! 

Don't know anything about that meter but it's probably fine....anythung bow 4.6 is pretty safe shelf stable , I have this one ( non ble tooth ) I use it for fermented, salami and sour dough https://www.amazon.com/Apera-Instruments-LLC-Bluetooth-Tester/dp/B07NW1FH2X

Thanks! That one is a tad out of my price range but might go on a birthday or Christmas list. 

paqman

I’m about ready to harvest the cayenne peppers from this little guy, where do I start?  I was initially going to go with 3% salt (total weight of peppers + water) but I read that 3% may not be enough for peppers.  I was also going to remove the stems, slice them in half but otherwise let them ferment whole... or should I do a mash?  Maybe drop some garlic and a carrot in there?