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Authors: Robb Walsh
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full of water on top, and in a 1-quart mason jar. I found that the weight that was intended to keep the mash under the brine in the fermentation crock sunk into the liquid and allowed the mash to mold. The mold isn’t dangerous, but it is a messy and annoying project to scrape it off.
Fermentation veterans who read my blog posts about the project recommended a different strategy. It is much easier to ferment the peppers first and then grind them up into a mash, they suggested. I already knew how to make kosher pickles and fermenting peppers turned out to be very similar. You just make a brine with pickling salt and keep the peppers submerged under the brine.
I also experimented with fermenting garlic, ginger, and other ingredients along with the peppers and grinding them all up together. While the flavors were intriguing, I discovered that pepper mash with other ingredients developed harsh “off” flavors after a few weeks. Pure pepper mash with a splash of vinegar, on the other hand, keeps for six months or more in the refrigerator. You can always add the garlic or other ingredients to small batches of the finished sauces.
With a big jar of pure fermented pepper mash in the fridge, you can add vinegar to make a batch of Louisiana pepper sauce one day and then add a mixture of vinegar with garlic and sugar to make a batch of Sriracha sauce the next day. Or you can use the fiery mash straight out of the container in a soup or stew.
FERMENTED PEPPER MASH
——— Makes about 3 cups ———
Red jalapeños are excellent for this recipe because they are very fleshy and yield a lot of pepper solids. Fresno peppers work great, too. If you can find enough cayenne or Tabasco peppers, you can ferment them to make an authentic Louisiana-style sauce. You’ll notice that I ferment these chiles with their seeds, then remove the seeds later in the process. To make the seed removal easier, make sure you don’t mash the peppers too much—you want to leave them in close-to-whole pieces. I find that inserting a cabbage core into the opening of my mason jar is the best way to keep the chiles submerged during fermentation.
2 pounds ripe red chiles
¼ cup pickling salt or fine kosher salt
1 cup spring water
2 tablespoons cane vinegar, sherry vinegar, or rice wine vinegar
Wash the chiles well, then place them outdoors (in the bright sun, if possible) for a day or two. The chiles will ripen in the sun. Bring the chiles inside when they are wrinkled and very soft.
Wearing food handler’s gloves, on a cutting board, pull the stems off the peppers and cut them in half lengthwise. Put the cleaned peppers in a stainless steel mixing bowl and crush them with a potato masher until they are well bruised, but still in large pieces. Sprinkle the peppers evenly with salt and crush some more, but again, make sure to leave the peppers fairly intact. Allow to sit uncovered in the bowl overnight, until liquid forms in the bottom of the bowl.
The next day, carefully transfer the peppers and the liquid to a clean 1-quart mason jar. The peppers should fill the jar with some peppers left over. (Set the extra peppers aside in a separate sealed container.) Pour the water into the mason jar to dissolve any remaining salt and to top off the jar with liquid. (If you don’t have spring water, bring your tap water to a boil and allow tosit for a while before using.) Seal the jar loosely with the two-piece canning lid and set it on the counter on top of some paper towels.
After a day or two, the jar will begin to fizz and overflow a little, and the peppers will shrink. Add the reserved peppers to fill the jar. Then cut a chunk of cabbage core to fit the opening of the jar and wedge it into the jar so it holds the chiles under the liquid. Don’t worry if a little splashes out. Put the lid back on, but don’t screw it on too tightly. Allow the chiles to ferment for at least 1 week and up to 2 weeks, adding water as needed to keep the chiles
Fermentation veterans who read my blog posts about the project recommended a different strategy. It is much easier to ferment the peppers first and then grind them up into a mash, they suggested. I already knew how to make kosher pickles and fermenting peppers turned out to be very similar. You just make a brine with pickling salt and keep the peppers submerged under the brine.
I also experimented with fermenting garlic, ginger, and other ingredients along with the peppers and grinding them all up together. While the flavors were intriguing, I discovered that pepper mash with other ingredients developed harsh “off” flavors after a few weeks. Pure pepper mash with a splash of vinegar, on the other hand, keeps for six months or more in the refrigerator. You can always add the garlic or other ingredients to small batches of the finished sauces.
With a big jar of pure fermented pepper mash in the fridge, you can add vinegar to make a batch of Louisiana pepper sauce one day and then add a mixture of vinegar with garlic and sugar to make a batch of Sriracha sauce the next day. Or you can use the fiery mash straight out of the container in a soup or stew.
FERMENTED PEPPER MASH
——— Makes about 3 cups ———
Red jalapeños are excellent for this recipe because they are very fleshy and yield a lot of pepper solids. Fresno peppers work great, too. If you can find enough cayenne or Tabasco peppers, you can ferment them to make an authentic Louisiana-style sauce. You’ll notice that I ferment these chiles with their seeds, then remove the seeds later in the process. To make the seed removal easier, make sure you don’t mash the peppers too much—you want to leave them in close-to-whole pieces. I find that inserting a cabbage core into the opening of my mason jar is the best way to keep the chiles submerged during fermentation.
2 pounds ripe red chiles
¼ cup pickling salt or fine kosher salt
1 cup spring water
2 tablespoons cane vinegar, sherry vinegar, or rice wine vinegar
Wash the chiles well, then place them outdoors (in the bright sun, if possible) for a day or two. The chiles will ripen in the sun. Bring the chiles inside when they are wrinkled and very soft.
Wearing food handler’s gloves, on a cutting board, pull the stems off the peppers and cut them in half lengthwise. Put the cleaned peppers in a stainless steel mixing bowl and crush them with a potato masher until they are well bruised, but still in large pieces. Sprinkle the peppers evenly with salt and crush some more, but again, make sure to leave the peppers fairly intact. Allow to sit uncovered in the bowl overnight, until liquid forms in the bottom of the bowl.
The next day, carefully transfer the peppers and the liquid to a clean 1-quart mason jar. The peppers should fill the jar with some peppers left over. (Set the extra peppers aside in a separate sealed container.) Pour the water into the mason jar to dissolve any remaining salt and to top off the jar with liquid. (If you don’t have spring water, bring your tap water to a boil and allow tosit for a while before using.) Seal the jar loosely with the two-piece canning lid and set it on the counter on top of some paper towels.
After a day or two, the jar will begin to fizz and overflow a little, and the peppers will shrink. Add the reserved peppers to fill the jar. Then cut a chunk of cabbage core to fit the opening of the jar and wedge it into the jar so it holds the chiles under the liquid. Don’t worry if a little splashes out. Put the lid back on, but don’t screw it on too tightly. Allow the chiles to ferment for at least 1 week and up to 2 weeks, adding water as needed to keep the chiles
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