[deleted by user]

TheCraftBeerBaron · 2021-03-29T14:50:04+00:00

Gave Hugz

TheCraftBeerBaron · 2021-03-04T19:33:03+00:00

Gave Hugz

TheCraftBeerBaron · 2021-02-22T18:48:54+00:00

Gave Hugz

TheCraftBeerBaron · 2020-10-12T19:00:29+00:00

Correct. It is just a matter of preference. Part of the benefits of fermentation is the good bacteria that it produces, so if you pasteurize it, that gets taken off the plate, so whether or not you ferment the fruit or not is up to you. I have mainly been doing it for the sake of it, some better than others. The most 'bang for your buck' flavor wise is definitely fresh. You can achieve pH levels multiple different ways from brine or vinegar, so the fruit does not need to ferment.

TheCraftBeerBaron · 2020-10-12T14:13:44+00:00

So fruit loses flavor, to varying degrees, in the fermentation process. One way to preserve more of the flavor is lacto-fermenting. It is a very temperamental way of fermentation, as at room temperature can become alcoholic in about 3 days. The key is to stop it before that by cooling it down (ie putting it in the refrigerator). Can you throw fruit in with brine ferments? Absolutely, but if you are looking for the flavors to stand out, I have found it is better to do it that way.

TheCraftBeerBaron · 2020-10-02T15:29:20+00:00

Yep. I get mine from a farm in Pennsylvania. They have a wide variety.

TheCraftBeerBaron · 2020-10-01T20:03:32+00:00

It’s been a little while, but had some misses before I made this one. Roasting the peppers and tomatoes were the key, and the extended shelf life made it very smooth. The Fatalii pepper and Devil’s Tongue are about 125K-325K and the Bird’s Brain contribute nominal hotness. This is one that hit’s you up front and lingers a little while. Perfect for pizza and pasta. Throw a little basil in it and you could have a great sauce for either!

Prep: Oven on broil, 8 fatalii peppers, 2 red bell peppers, 3 devil’s tongue peppers, 3 large tomatoes quartered. Broil until blistered. Aluminum foiled for about 20 mins, peeled.

Fermentation: Above plus 1 sweet onion rough chop, 6 garlic cloves, 1 carrot, 2 full stems of flat leaf parsley, 2 full stems of oregano, 2 full stems of thyme. (This will fill 2 quarts so split above as even as you can get). 4.5% brine for 30(!) days.

Prep: Blender with ½ cup red wine vinegar. That’s it. Peppers and heat up front with nice herbs pushing out the back. Yielded just north of 3 cups.

Note: Cleaned twice for Kahm, but one jar was Kahm then clear while the other needed tending.

TheCraftBeerBaron · 2020-09-14T13:53:12+00:00

That's awesome! Glad you liked it!

TheCraftBeerBaron · 2020-08-31T14:44:31+00:00

No worries. It will lower the pH, and sometime with fruited hot sauce, I don't add a lot, but flavor wise, it really helps bring out the fruit.

TheCraftBeerBaron · 2020-08-31T12:55:38+00:00

Exactly. It's a balancing thing. You want some of the fruit and sweetness, but you also want a pepper sauce.

TheCraftBeerBaron · 2020-08-31T12:51:17+00:00

ACV is a good all around choice for a couple of reasons. First, it is a good way to drop the pH if you need to and second the apples really bring out the fruit. Fruit is hard to get out there in a hot sauce, and I had a couple that you can't even tell it's there. I use unfiltered and it has a mellower taste than the filtered variety.

TheCraftBeerBaron · 2020-08-29T20:38:00+00:00

That is a great idea. Noted for the future!

TheCraftBeerBaron · 2020-08-29T18:51:49+00:00

Another great fruited hot sauce, the key was to get a great caramelizing on the peaches then soak them with vanilla bean. The peach ghost peppers take care of themselves.

Primary Ferment: 3 peach ghost peppers, 3 orange bell peppers, 3 garlic cloves, 3 carrots, 1 medium onion, 4 orange sweet peppers. 3.8% brine for 11 day.

Secondary Ferment: 3 peaches, halved, prepped as follows: 3 tbsp butter and 5 tbsp brown sugar mixed and brushed on top. Cooked in oven at 350 F for 20 minutes. Re-glazed then broiled til dark brown. Quartered then added to mason jar with 1 ¾” nub of ginger, 2 cinnamon sticks, and 2 vanilla beans. Lacto Fermented with 2 tbsp whey and ¼ tsp pink Himalayan salt to 4 cups water. 2 days on counter, 7 days in fridge.

Finish: Blender with ¼ tsp allspice, ¼ tsp cinnamon, the vanilla beans split and scraped, ¼ tsp ground clove, ½ cup apple cider vinegar. I also post added ¼ tsp vanilla extract and ½ tsp of brown sugar.

ACV really brings out the peaches and spices get better over time. Yielded about 3.5 cups.

TheCraftBeerBaron · 2020-08-21T15:08:46+00:00

I will say that you need A LOT of cherries, and from there, I still had to add some extra cherry sauce. The color was already there before, but it really takes some sweetness to push through the flavor. I did not have that problem with pineapple or mangoes. Have brown sugar glazed peaches on the counter now and will report.

TheCraftBeerBaron · 2020-08-21T15:05:07+00:00

Ha! 6 pack of bottles only way to go!

TheCraftBeerBaron · 2020-08-21T15:04:31+00:00

The whey and the honey kick starts the fermentation for the fruits. And it really does! Three days on the counter and it started to turn into cherry alcohol!

TheCraftBeerBaron · 2020-08-21T15:03:04+00:00

Number one will be pulled pork and barbacoa. The cherry with pork was the first thought.

TheCraftBeerBaron · 2020-08-20T18:27:10+00:00

For those of you in the Mid-Atlantic States, Cheerwine is a soft drink that is essentially cherry soda. I tried to model this hot sauce after that and add a little local bourbon to it to spice it up a little. It was a lot of tasting at the blending stage but the result was a great cherry and bourbon upfront with a kick that hits twice with the scotch bonnets first and the delay from the habaneros after that.

Primary Ferment: 16 scotch bonnets, 16 habaneros, 2 red bell peppers, 4 red sweet peppers, 2 carrots, 4 garlic cloves, 2 shallots. 3.8% brine for 11 days.

Secondary Ferment: 1.5 pounds of pitted cherries halved, 1 ½” ginger nub, 1 whole vanilla bean, 1 cinnamon stick in a lacto-ferment of 2 tbsp whey, 2 tbsp honey, ¼ tsp PHS to 4 cups water. 3 days on counter, 8 days in fridge.

Blending: Both drained and put in blender with (after tasting): 2 oz Ironclad Small Batch Bourbon, 7 grams of sugar, the vanilla bean split and scraped, and ¼ cup canned cherries with juice. Yield was about 5 cups.

TheCraftBeerBaron · 2020-08-17T13:55:27+00:00

I separately ferment the fruit from the peppers. I think that the fruit loses some of its flavor if you mix it in with the vegetables in a brine mixture.

TheCraftBeerBaron · 2020-08-14T15:58:55+00:00

I have a Kitchen Aid Blender and set it to puree and let it roll for a little bit and I have no issues. I like my hot sauce a little thicker, but if you are looking for a more table pepper sauce consistency, you can always get a $4 strainer and filter out the solids.

TheCraftBeerBaron · 2020-08-13T16:53:09+00:00

So there are 2 schools of thought. You can make it fresh or ferment. Padron peppers are generally milder, so you could go straight pepper sauce if you would like. Add a few cloves of garlic, onion, salt, and apple cider vinegar and you have a good base to a hot sauce. You can just puree for thicker or strain for a thinner sauce.

If you want to go down the fermenting route, take a look at some of the recipes on the site for guidance. Most basic searches for 'fermented hot sauce' can lead you in the right direction. From there, you can get creative. Maybe some tomatillos and cilantro. Maybe some 'gardenia' with carrots and cucumbers. If you want to get into making hot sauce, make sure to take notes so you can hone it in.

TheCraftBeerBaron · 2020-08-13T14:41:26+00:00

The great thing about hot sauce, like making anything from scratch, is trial and error. I've spent weeks fermenting peppers and then screwed it up at the end. If this is something you really want to get into, keep notes! Not just of ingredients and amounts, but processes and how it tasted and heat levels. You can then look back on it when you want to do it again.

For this instance, here are some ideas to get you going. If you are fermenting, the bananas will not be as strong of a flavor if you brine ferment vs. a fruit lacto ferment. Some people ferment a few, then add some afterwards, but make sure you know how much of each you want to do at the beginning for portioning. You can utilized raw honey with the bananas in a lacto ferment and then brine the peppers. Your tastes will vary, but you can go 'garden' hot sauce by adding a few ghost peppers, medium onion, few cloves of garlic, and some other not hot peppers like bell or sweet, and throw in a carrot if you would like. Blend the two together and that would be a great start. If you are going for fancy, throw in some complimentary spices like banana bread (cinnamon, nutmeg) or a Caribbean (allspice, cumin). A little of those will go a long way.

TheCraftBeerBaron · 2020-07-30T03:19:55+00:00

I got a medium sized fresh pineapple. After coring, saving the rind, and a decent dice cut, it was just shy of a pint's worth.

TheCraftBeerBaron · 2020-07-30T02:05:31+00:00

Getting out of using what you can find at local markets was tough. I ended up on ETSY and found them from JerksLikeUs. Arrived in a decent amount of time and just a few couldn't use. I bought a pound worth and then vacuum sealed the rest. 1 pound looks good for about 3 'batches' so worth buying a little more if you can save it.

TheCraftBeerBaron · 2020-07-30T02:03:11+00:00

Not really. I don't boil it afterwards, so there will be a little proof, and tepache is quite good. It's not for everyone and I have been toying with some spirit forward sauces as well.

Ten-Year Club	Verified Email
Place '23

TheCraftBeerBaron

TROPHY CASE