5 minutes of active work and a total cost of $5. Cool.

Today’s recipe makes the absolute best hot sauce using fermentation.

You do require a bit of special equipment (a jar and an airlock) but the total cost is around $5 and everything can be reused. The total active time is less than 5 minutes (elapsed time is about 3-5 days) and the cost of ingredients is less than $2. And it’s virtually impossible to mess up.

Here’s a few primers that people new to fermentation may want to start with:

• The difference Between Wild Fermentation and Lactofermentation
• Airlocks for Mason Jars (you don’t need to use one of these but it makes the process almost foolproof and helps prevent mould with no effort)
• How to Strain Yogurt to Make Greek Yogurt (this is where the whey is from)
• Other uses for whey (I include this as you’re likely to end up with extra)

We store the whey in a jar in the fridge for a few weeks at a time and use it for fermenting small batches.

Hot peppers aren’t available locally this time of year but I’m a big fan of practicing my technique and recipes in the off-season so that I don’t ruin a bushel of local product during the actual season.  I happened to have a half-cup of Thai Chiles (they are small, long and red) and was on the verge of losing them, so I decided to test a new version of last years hot sauce by experimenting with whey.

The final product is extremely hot and has tremendous flavor that only fermenting can provide.  There’s a sour kick to it that most can relate to when they think of eating kosher pickles.  It’s earthy, sour, acidic and very potent.  This is a similar style to Tabasco (which is fermented in woods barrels) or Franks Red Hot but its way hotter.  If you’re scared of heat, here’s a handy article explaining why you might actually prefer a HOTTER hot sauce than others you’ve tried.  I’ve had a lot of different fermented hot sauces in the last few years and I’m more excited about this one than any other I’ve made in that time.

The link for the first bullet did not work.  Try dis: http://www.wellpreserved.ca/different-types-of-fermentation-the-difference-between-wild-fermentation-and-lactofermentation/

Btw, THANKS for posting this!  I think I'll dip my toes in fermentation!  Because science and health!

Oh, thank you for correcting that web page address.

You're welcome for posting this. It seems straightforward so I'm looking forward to hearing your results.

Imzy comment:

Currently got a hatch chili pepper, cilantro, and cucumber thing going.

Cucumber smooths and cools it off both texturally and flavor-wise. Kind of emulsifies it too, gels up almost.

Make sure to add some sugar or honey to even it out! Yeah it's great!

Source: https://imzy.com/pickling/post/good_tips_on_fermenting_your_own_hot_sauce