Mariner's Cookbook

Suggested Equipment:

• Wooden kraut/kimchi pounder (or heavy wooden spoon)
  
• Stainless steel mixing bowl, 2-quart
  
• Small cutting board
  
• Knives
  
• Fermenter of sufficient size to contain your "mash"
  
• Canning funnel (if needed to fill your fermenter)
  
• Tongs
  
• Strainer
  
• Blender
  
• Common kitchen tools and measures
  

Ingredients:

Directions:

1. I work on about ¼ lb of the peppers at a time. I clean each pepper by washing in running tap water, then, with a paring knife, I remove the cap and a small amount of the blossom end from each pepper. I split the pepper lengthwise and put the pieces in the stainless steel bowl.

2. I pound the cut up peppers with the kraut pounder or wooden spoon, until I've developed a wet paste of mashed peppers. I then sprinkle ½ teaspoon of canning salt over the paste, and pound some more.

3. I repeat steps 1 and 2, until all of the peppers have been macerated and salted. The result is called a mash.

4. If a starter culture is to be used, I mix it into the mash at this point, then transfer the mash into the fermenter.

5. I assemble the fermenter according to the manufacturer's instructions. I check on the ferment at least 2 or 3 times daily, at first in order to prevent or correct problems with the ferment. After fermentation slows down somewhat (gas is still being released, but at a much lower rate) one still needs to check on it at least every other day, and maybe more often.

6. One waits. The length of time a ferment requires is often the subject of debate, and many will tell you that fermentation is complete after as little as 3 days. That statement on its own, may be true under certain circumstances, but as long as the ferment is producing any gas, fermentation is not complete.

   My experience with these small batches indicates that terminal fermentation requires at least 4 to 5 weeks, and I don't begin further processing until that much time has passed.

   Also, part of the goal in fermenting is to produce a pickled product and coincidentally, pickling of almost any vegetable requires 4 to 5 weeks, whether using a vinegar brine, or using lactic acid formed in place! Shorter times are really marinating, as opposed to pickling, and those who espouse these shortened ferments are not really interested in the pickling process for which fermentation is designed.

   Some commercial producers of hot sauce allow the ferment to go for much longer periods: indeed, many are known to "age" their mashes for up to 2 years, and some for as long as 10 years!

7. When fermentation is complete, I open the fermenter, and using the tongs and strainer, separate the mash solids from the brine.

8. Using a small amount of the brine (1-2 Tbs) I determine the pH of the brine. I do this with either a pH meter, or with pH test strips. Either method is sensitive enough for this purpose. The pH must be 4.5 or below, or the entire ferment must be discarded! The reason for this is a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum - the agent that causes botulism.

   If I have done a proper job of fermenting, I have created an anaerobic environment within the mash. This is needed in order for the lacto bacteria to thrive. Problematically, it also allows Clostridium to thrive and produce its toxin; however, it can't thrive in a sufficiently acid - i.e., low pH - environment. Saline environments also retard the growth of Clostridium, and the highly saline environment of even the fresh brine can retard it long enough for the necessary acid to develop.

   In order to continue my fermenting activity, I usually reserve part of the brine as a starter culture for the next fermentation project: I simply refrigerate a small amount of the brine in a tightly-sealed jar.

9. I put the mash solids in the blender pitcher, and using the blender's "chop" setting , I begin reducing the volume of the solids. As chopping continues, I add the onion, garlic, and apple to the blend.

10. Slowly, I add back enough brine to keep the process going.

    Interesting factoid: fresh onions and garlic both contain a natural antibiotic called allicin; and it may or may not have a preservative effect on the sauce.

11. After a short time (< 2 minutes) I increase the speed of the blender to "liquify", in order to puree the mash, stopping often to check the state of the puree, and adding back brine as needed to continue liquifaction.

12. When the entire mass of pepper mash has been reduced to an acceptable puree, I add back as much of the fermentation brine as is necessary to thin the sauce to the desired consistency. This often requires all of the remaining fermentation brine. If that happens and the sauce is still too thick, I slowly add small amounts of a dilution brine (1 tsp salt, 1 tsp vinegar, 1 cup water) in order to achieve the target consistency.

If you have followed this procedure, you have created your own fermented hot sauce! But remember, I didn't tell you that you should...

The expected yield from this process is about a quart of sauce that I have used in just about any way one would use a commercial hot sauce, depending on the dish being prepared, and the Scoville rating of the peppers used to make the sauce.

Suggested Equipment:

• One-gallon bottle, sturdy, plastic or glass
  
• Stock pot, 5 or 6 quarts minimum
  
• Common kitchen tools and measures
  

Ingredients:

Directions:

1. Measure the water into the stock pot and apply heat to bring it to a moderate boil

2. Measure the salt and vinegar into the boiling water, and return to a boil

3. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and let the simmer continue for 10 minutes.

4. Remove heat and allow to cool.

5. While the brine is cooling, clean the storage bottle with soap or detergent, and water. Rinse thoroughly with hot tap water to insure that all soap/detergent residue is removed.

6. When the brine is cool, transfer it to the storage bottle, cap and store in a safe location.

This brine recipe can be multiplied as many times as necessary, to provide adequate brine for fermenting projects.