OT- Lacto Fermentation Fun- Peppers and Sriracha

lkapigian

paqman said:

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?

For those I just do a mash, pop the stems off add some garlic and onion and into the food processor , add 2-3% salt to the weight of the peppers garlic and onion.and blend, it will make its own brine ....stir once a day...that will be a great sauce 

The Cen-Tex Smoker

paqman said:

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?

I just did a "tobasco" style (watery) with cayenne and a little carrot, onion, garlic. 2% brine (weight of the water) for 3 weeks. It's really good but it does separate after a day or 2 in the fridge. I'm going to add 1/4tsp of Xantan gum to see if it holds together better.

I have determined I like the mash style better than the brine style (3% salt to the weight of the mash). It is a little more active (you need to stir it daily or even twice daily if you remember) but I really love the results.

I will say that of all the things I have done so far, nothing compares to the Sriracha style mash that we did. We did just pull some jalapenos that are out of this world too. By far the best pickled jalapeno I've ever had.

20stone

lkapigian said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

lkapigian said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

Question for the group- it’s my understanding that the ferment will continue in the bottle (slower in the fridge but faster if left out). If you were going to bottle some of these up to hold as a shelf stable sauce would you need to cook it to kill the ferment before sealing up in a glass bottle? Is that how commercial sauces are able to bottle these fermented sauces?

or does the ferment eventually run its course (use up all the food in that batch and stop producing co2)?

"The Cen-Tex Smoker" no need to cook it, your PH will be very low, last batch this weekend was 3.5, I just go straight into squeeze bottles , sterilization is good, but not like canning for sure

as far as the fridge, it will keep fermenting just slower , I don’t want to kill the bacteria at all, you really want to watch your blender temp for this reason

this stuff does not last long, and is very shelf stable

I don’t want to kill the ferment for me but was just wondering if I bottled some of this up and sent to friends and family, will the active ferment make a grenade out of the bottle? 

Well, I sent some to a couple people here and Leaked out the bottle....but I had them vacuumed sealed , but in winter had no issues .....the ferment will slow no matter, so if it’s a one ferment that you bottle it would be fine , I’ve had none grenade ( yet ) 

Vac sealing bottles for shipping is a pro move.  As recipient of one of the few grenades, I was thankful that the blast was contained... and, yes, I did pour the shrapnel back into the squeeze bottle for use.

buzd504

paqman said:

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?

Are you sure those are cayennes?  Do you know what varietal?

paqman

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

paqman said:

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?

I just did a "tobasco" style (watery) with cayenne and a little carrot, onion, garlic. 2% brine (weight of the water) for 3 weeks. It's really good but it does separate after a day or 2 in the fridge. I'm going to add 1/4tsp of Xantan gum to see if it holds together better.

I have determined I like the mash style better than the brine style (3% salt to the weight of the mash). It is a little more active (you need to stir it daily or even twice daily if you remember) but I really love the results.

I will say that of all the things I have done so far, nothing compares to the Sriracha style mash that we did. We did just pull some jalapenos that are out of this world too. By far the best pickled jalapeno I've ever had.

carrot and onion into the mash as well?  do you put a weight on top of the mash?

The Cen-Tex Smoker

paqman said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

paqman said:

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?

I just did a "tobasco" style (watery) with cayenne and a little carrot, onion, garlic. 2% brine (weight of the water) for 3 weeks. It's really good but it does separate after a day or 2 in the fridge. I'm going to add 1/4tsp of Xantan gum to see if it holds together better.

I have determined I like the mash style better than the brine style (3% salt to the weight of the mash). It is a little more active (you need to stir it daily or even twice daily if you remember) but I really love the results.

I will say that of all the things I have done so far, nothing compares to the Sriracha style mash that we did. We did just pull some jalapenos that are out of this world too. By far the best pickled jalapeno I've ever had.

carrot and onion into the mash as well?  do you put a weight on top of the mash?

yep- all in the mash. the carrot and onion add a little sugar to get the bugs fired up. you don't weigh the mash down. Veggies will settle on top of the liquid which is why you need to stir it every day. The salt will draw out quite a bit of liquid from the veg so it will be like a slurry after a few days. You still want this to be pepper forward so for maybe every lb of pepper you would add 1/4 of an onion and 1/4 of a carrot or something like that. In other words, way more peppers than carrot, onion, garlic.

paqman

buzd504 said:

paqman said:

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?

Are you sure those are cayennes?  Do you know what varietal?

buzd504

paqman said:

buzd504 said:

paqman said:

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?

Are you sure those are cayennes?  Do you know what varietal?

Weird.   They look suspiciously like my thai chili peppers and not like cayennes I have grown in the past (although I acknowledge there are a bunch of different kinds of both peppers).

paqman

buzd504 said:

paqman said:

buzd504 said:

paqman said:

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?

Are you sure those are cayennes?  Do you know what varietal?

Weird.   They look suspiciously like my thai chili peppers and not like cayennes I have grown in the past (although I acknowledge there are a bunch of different kinds of both peppers).

That’s just a label... they could very well be thai chili peppers.  Still good for a sauce/fermentation?

The Cen-Tex Smoker

paqman said:

buzd504 said:

paqman said:

buzd504 said:

paqman said:

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?

Are you sure those are cayennes?  Do you know what varietal?

Weird.   They look suspiciously like my thai chili peppers and not like cayennes I have grown in the past (although I acknowledge there are a bunch of different kinds of both peppers).

That’s just a label... they could very well be thai chili peppers.  Still good for a sauce/fermentation?

for sure. Either would be great.

FWIW they look just like the cayenne I was given to make the sauce I made. My friends grew them and brought them over in a bag.  I took their word for it but they were multi-colored and looked a lot like your label

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Toot-toot. Fermentation station is brimming. 10lbs of sriracha (Fresno, Stingrays, habaneros), mango habanero, and hatch salsa verde. 4 hours of prep and it’s all in the hole for a 3 week nap. Did them all mash style. 

lkapigian

I had to look up stingrays @The Cen-Tex Smoker never seen them here, that should be an excellent ferment 

SciAggie

@The Cen-Tex Smoker Toot toot!

The Cen-Tex Smoker

lkapigian said:

I had to look up stingrays @The Cen-Tex Smoker never seen them here, that should be an excellent ferment 

They are so good. Hot AF but really floral too. Great compliment to the habanero. They had these labeled as “serrano” last time I bought them but “stingray” this time. I knew they were good from the last batch I made but I had never heard of stingray peppers either. If you see them, grab some. They make beautiful
mash and they have a fantastic flavor as well. 

The Cen-Tex Smoker

SciAggie said:

@The Cen-Tex Smoker Toot toot!

We had almost 20lbs of groceries before we started. We have 6 half gallon ferments going now and have not started the hatch salsa verde yet. 

SciAggie

Yabba Dabba Do! I’m in the game! I found a freezer! It is to be delivered next week. 

The Cen-Tex Smoker

SciAggie said:

Yabba Dabba Do! I’m in the game! I found a freezer! It is to be delivered next week. 

It’s about to get weird. 

Eggpharmer

I was given a load of jalapeños, banana and bell peppers. Any suggestions? 

lkapigian

Eggpharmer said:

I was given a load of jalapeños, banana and bell peppers. Any suggestions? 

Sky's the limit ...i just did some sauce with bell peppers ,jalapeno and a few okra ...came out great...only real rule is salt % .If you like pickled jalapenos to eat , leave them whloe ( I do poke very small holes for the prime to penetrate better) if you have the room in jars and are going to make a sauce I will tent to leave them bigger or whole, if you are limited on space / time a mash works great 

Enjoy the process

BUFFALOMOOSE

Got about 9 pounds of peppers going.  Banana's which turned red, Portugals, habaneros and 1 that a buddy gave me which he didn't know the name.  Doing food saver 2 ways.  2 in the bag and 2 in the containers.  Did not draw any air out of the containers, just sealed them tight.  I push the button on top to release any gas built up inside, but haven't heard any audible release yet.




After 2 days, the habaneros are getting a pouch and not much else going on at least by looking at them.  I shook them up to see if that would do anything.

Also doing about a huge pot of Piccadilly relish. 

lkapigian

BUFFALOMOOSE said:

Got about 9 pounds of peppers going.  Banana's which turned red, Portugals, habaneros and 1 that a buddy gave me which he didn't know the name.  Doing food saver 2 ways.  2 in the bag and 2 in the containers.  Did not draw any air out of the containers, just sealed them tight.  I push the button on top to release any gas built up inside, but haven't heard any audible release yet.




After 2 days, the habaneros are getting a pouch and not much else going on at least by looking at them.  I shook them up to see if that would do anything.

Also doing about a huge pot of Piccadilly relish. 

I have wanted to try the bag method just for kicks, keep us posted..

Chilichump did it here 

https://youtu.be/GKnJiU4_8QU

poster

My last batch came out good, but 2 weeks later (in the fridge after bottling) I noticed it seemed to loose a fair bit of heat and became really bitter. Any ideas? Could it be the different peppers I used? I really liked this one at bottling, but now its way too bitter. I did transfer to a plastic squeeze bottle, but I have done this with other batches and had no problems

lkapigian

poster said:

My last batch came out good, but 2 weeks later (in the fridge after bottling) I noticed it seemed to loose a fair bit of heat and became really bitter. Any ideas? Could it be the different peppers I used? I really liked this one at bottling, but now its way too bitter. I did transfer to a plastic squeeze bottle, but I have done this with other batches and had no problems

@poster , they will all mellow out but before complex, I have only had 1 bitter ferment and it was some odd pepper I tried....when I come across its name I will post it 

I would add some sugar to offset the bitter if it is not to bad 

BUFFALOMOOSE

Both bags now have gas in them as you as you can see see in the picture. Larry stuff growing on top is that the good stuff or the bad stuff? Thanks in advance. Also should I be stirring these things on a daily basis? 

lkapigian

@BUFFALOMOOSE looks like Kahn Yeast and perfectly good ! Thanks for posting that ferment!!

Eoin

I've not got round to pictures yet, but I did a ferment with some slowburn chillies, supposed to be quite mild but actually nice and hot.  Anyway, I did a 3 week ferment and then blended it up with some xanthan gum and bottled it. 2 days later and it's overflowed - still fermenting. Didn't have this problem last time! What now, back in a jar until it calms down?

lkapigian

Eoin said:

I've not got round to pictures yet, but I did a ferment with some slowburn chillies, supposed to be quite mild but actually nice and hot.  Anyway, I did a 3 week ferment and then blended it up with some xanthan gum and bottled it. 2 days later and it's overflowed - still fermenting. Didn't have this problem last time! What now, back in a jar until it calms down?

Still active that's all ...lower temp will slow it, if at room temp it will boil over 

Eoin

lkapigian said:

Eoin said:

I've not got round to pictures yet, but I did a ferment with some slowburn chillies, supposed to be quite mild but actually nice and hot.  Anyway, I did a 3 week ferment and then blended it up with some xanthan gum and bottled it. 2 days later and it's overflowed - still fermenting. Didn't have this problem last time! What now, back in a jar until it calms down?

Still active that's all ...lower temp will slow it, if at room temp it will boil over 

Best to let it run warm now until it runs out of steam?

lkapigian

Eoin said:

lkapigian said:

Eoin said:

I've not got round to pictures yet, but I did a ferment with some slowburn chillies, supposed to be quite mild but actually nice and hot.  Anyway, I did a 3 week ferment and then blended it up with some xanthan gum and bottled it. 2 days later and it's overflowed - still fermenting. Didn't have this problem last time! What now, back in a jar until it calms down?

Still active that's all ...lower temp will slow it, if at room temp it will boil over 

Best to let it run warm now until it runs out of steam?

You can but yes, it will still ferment ...cold is the brakes 

Eoin

This is the ferment using slowburn chillies from the greenhouse. These are not supposed to be that hot, but they came out pretty good and spicy. This was the first crop 3 weeks ago, just picked some more for smoking today. It's in the fridge now to stop it from bubbling over again.