Fermented Garlic Tabasco Pepper Sauce
Servings: 96 · Prep: 25 min · Total: 20185 min
Ingredients
- 30 grams Garlic cloves
- 16 grams Kosher salt
- 200 milliliters Filtered water
- 120 milliliters White vinegar, 5% acidity
- 300 g fresh Tabasco peppers
Equipment
Blender; Fine-mesh strainer; Cutting board and knife; Measuring jug; Digital kitchen scale; food-safe gloves; glass jar with lid; food-safe fermentation weight; small bowl and spoon; food pH meter; glass bottles with caps; blender; fine-mesh strainer; cutting board and knife; measuring jug; digital kitchen scale; food ph meter
Steps
- Wash, prepare, and measure the peppers and garlic. Wash the jar, lid, weight, bottles, and utensils thoroughly with hot, soapy water; rinse well. Wearing gloves, rinse the peppers, remove their stems, and chop them coarsely. Peel and thinly slice the garlic. Measure 300 grams of prepared peppers and 30 grams of prepared garlic.
- 30 grams garlic — peeling
- 300 grams fresh Tabasco peppers
Wear gloves when handling the peppers, avoid touching your eyes, and wash your hands and tools afterward.
- Measure salt for the 3% ratio. Measure the salt carefully. The produce weighs 330 grams, so its salt allowance is 3% of the combined prepared pepper and garlic weight: 9.9 grams. Add another 6 grams of salt for the 200 grams of water, giving 15.9 grams total salt and maintaining the same 3% ratio throughout the mixture.
- 16 grams Kosher Salt
- Dissolve salt and pack the produce under brine. Dissolve all the salt in the water. Pack the peppers and garlic into the jar, pour in the brine, and press gently to release trapped air. Fit the fermentation weight so all produce stays beneath the brine. Leave at least 2 inches of headspace above the liquid.
- 16 grams Kosher Salt
- 200 milliliters water
- 30 grams garlic — peeling
- 300 grams fresh Tabasco peppers
Keep all peppers and garlic fully submerged beneath the brine and leave the specified headspace.
- Vent the jar and ferment out of sunlight. Set the jar in a small bowl to catch any overflow. Attach the lid loosely enough for gas to escape; do not seal it tightly. Ferment out of direct sunlight at 65–75°F (18–24°C).
Keep the lid loose enough for gas to escape; never seal the fermenting jar tightly.
- Release gas and keep the produce submerged. Check daily, release trapped gas away from your face, and keep all peppers and garlic submerged. Use the calibrated food pH meter on a representative mashed sample: check for pH 5.2 or lower within 24 hours and below 4.6 within 48 hours. Discard without tasting if either target is missed; added vinegar cannot rescue a failed ferment. Discard tested samples and continue monitoring acidity.
Do not wait until day 7 to begin acidity measurements.
- Check fermentation readiness and acidity. Once the early acidity checks have passed, begin checking flavor-development readiness after 7 days; fermentation typically takes 7–14 days. Look for slowed bubbling and a pleasantly tangy aroma. Confirm the representative mashed sample remains below pH 4.6 before proceeding. Do not return the sample to the jar. Discard any spoiled batch.
The later readiness check does not replace the first-24-hour and first-48-hour acidity checks.
- Strain and add brine and vinegar. Strain the fermented mixture, reserving the brine. Transfer the peppers and garlic to the blender. Add 60 milliliters (1/4 cup) of the reserved brine and all 120 milliliters (1/2 cup) of white vinegar. Discard the remaining brine.
- 120 milliliters white vinegar
- Blend until smooth and check the pH. Blend for 1–2 minutes until very smooth and pourable. Let any foam settle, then check that the finished sauce also measures pH 4.6 or below.
Open the blender away from your face to avoid irritating pepper vapors.
Confirm that the finished sauce measures pH 4.6 or below before refrigerating it.
- Bottle, refrigerate, rest, and shake the sauce. Transfer to the clean bottles, cap, label with the date, and refrigerate immediately. Let the sauce rest in the refrigerator for 24 hours for a more rounded flavor. Shake before serving in 1-teaspoon portions alongside tacos, beans, roasted vegetables, and other dishes.
Refrigerate the sauce at 40°F (4°C) or below and discard it if mold, an unpleasant odor, or unexpected pressure develops.
Notes
Serving size: 1 teaspoon; makes approximately 2 cups (96 servings)
Weigh the salt rather than measuring it by spoon: kosher salt crystal sizes vary substantially.
Natural separation is normal; shake the bottle before each use.
Yield is approximate because the peppers’ moisture content and blending losses vary.
Cooking safety
Wear gloves when handling Tabasco peppers, avoid touching your eyes, and wash your hands and tools afterward. Open the blender away from your face to avoid irritating pepper vapors.
Keep all produce submerged during fermentation. Never ferment in a tightly sealed jar without daily pressure release.
Discard the entire batch if you see fuzzy growth, colored surface growth, unusual sliminess, or detect a rotten odor. Do not scrape off mold and use the remainder.
Use a calibrated food pH meter for the early acidity checks described in the instructions. Discard without tasting if an early target is missed; do not wait 14 days or attempt to rescue a failed ferment with vinegar.
Refrigerate the finished sauce at 40°F (4°C) or below and use within 1 month. Discard it if mold, an unpleasant odor, or unexpected pressure develops.
https://plumtally.com/recipes/fermented-garlic-tabasco-pepper-sauce-rgavbyqq3sni
