AMAZING DIY Lacto Fermented Jalapeno Apple Hot Sauce Recipe | Easy Homemade Hot Sauce Recipe

hot peppers

🥗Healthier: bell peppers

💰Cheaper: jalapeños

Bell peppers are milder and can be used for a less spicy sauce.

vinegar

🥗Healthier: apple cider vinegar

💰Cheaper: white vinegar

Apple cider vinegar adds a fruity flavor while being a healthier option.

Wash and dry the jalapenos, then cut off the tops and slice them in half.

Inspect the insides of the jalapenos for any rot and cut them into 1-inch pieces.

Wash and air dry the green apple, cut off the tops, and cut around the core without peeling it.

Cut the apple into small pieces, similar in size to the jalapenos.

Smash the garlic cloves lightly on a cutting board, remove the outer layer, and nip off the root end.

Gather equipment: a kitchen scale, a mason jar, a fermentation weight, and optionally a pH meter.

Set the kitchen scale to grams and place the mason jar on it, then zero the scale.

Add the jalapenos, garlic, and apple pieces to the jar, pressing down if necessary to fit them all in.

Fill the jar with filtered water to just below the neck, ensuring the ingredients will be submerged with the fermentation weight.

Note the weight of the jar and ingredients (e.g., 792g) and calculate 2.5% of that weight for the amount of fine sea salt needed.

Pour the water from the jar into a mixing bowl and zero out a small dish on the scale.

Add the calculated amount of salt to the water and stir until fully dissolved.

Pour the brine back into the jar, ensuring the ingredients are submerged.

Place the fermentation weight on top of the ingredients to keep them submerged.

Cover the jar with a coffee filter secured by the mason jar ring to keep bugs out.

Let the mixture ferment at room temperature away from direct sunlight for about one month, checking for signs of fermentation after 3-4 days.

Before making the sauce, remove the fermentation weight and skim off any yeast that has formed.

Check the pH of the brine, aiming for around 3.6 to 3.7, ensuring it is below 4.6 for safety.

Strain the brine from the jar and add the solids to a blender, covering them with brine by about one-third.

Blend on high for about 30 seconds until smooth, adjusting consistency with more brine if needed.

Optionally strain the sauce through a fine strainer to remove pulp, which can be dried and used as spicy seasoned salt.

Cook the sauce if desired, noting that this step is optional.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level: