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How to Ferment Chile Peppers to Make Your Own Hot Sauce

Fermented hot sauce has a deeper and more complex tangy flavor that you won’t find in vinegar-based hot sauces.

And since it’s a “living” product, the flavor continues to develop in the fridge and become even more delicious as it ages.

Learn how to turn 3 simple ingredients into fermented hot sauce, then turn that fermented hot sauce into 3 different kinds of hot sauce and chile pepper paste.

Ingredients

– 3/4 pound fresh chile peppers – 1/4 ounce sea salt – 4 garlic cloves – Vinegar (optional)

Trim the stems from the peppers. If they don't pull off easily, I like to leave the little green caps on the peppers (but still remove the long stems). The caps impart a subtle, earthy perfume to the final sauce.

Combine the peppers, salt, and garlic in a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse mash. (You can also mince the peppers by hand, but I find that a food processor extracts more liquid from the pods.)

Pour the pepper mash (and all the liquid) into a quart jar. Tamp down with a spoon or rubber spatula to expel more liquid from the bits and pieces, and cover the jar with a lid.

You want to allow the fermentation gases to escape, so don't seal it tightly—I simply leave a canning lid on (without the band) to keep out dust and pests. (A kitchen towel or several layers of cheesecloth also works to cover the jar.)

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