# How To: Legsbig's Pepper Mash Pictorial



## Mylegsbig

Alright guys.  Ive made a couple batches of pepper mash but this is my biggest batch and best attempt, using my best quality peppers.  It's a very simple process that can yield you a fantastic base for hot sauce, or just to eat plain.  

     Warning, this stuff is extremely spicy.  The key is letting peppers ferment like cheese or wine, they thrive on a lacto bacteria that turns them into a ripe goodness.  You just make this up and let it sit for at least a month. Preferably six months or a year.
Here goes.  This is my first try at this step by step, so bear with me.

Step 1.  Get yourself a pair of latex or rubber gloves. rinse them well and make sure all that powder **** is off them.  dont even THINK about doing this without gloves.

Take some delicious chinense peppers.  I used red habaneros and Fatalii's.

This recipe calls for about 2 dozen of each, though i used only about a dozen fatalii's.

Dust them with kosher salt.










First rinse these things as they are whole.  You will be rinsing them again, but i like to get all the crap off i possibly can.

Next, chop these things in half, lengthwise, and remove all the seeds and that pulp nasty middle section. this can be sloppy, just to do your best.









Okay, now that you got em deseeded and cleaned up, Rinse them up one more time in a good mesh strainer.






Now it's time to turn them over to the food processor.  If you dont have one, a blender should do, or a very sharp knife. You want to blend them into very fine pieces, but not pureed or a paste.






At this point, scrape the mixture into a 1 Pint Mason Jar, or any small jar with a tight sealing lid.  The average measurement is 1 tablespoon of salt for 1 pint of diced/minced pepper. After the peppers are scraped in the jar, cover them with about 1 tablespoon of kosher salt, and give them a BRIEF shake.  Finally, seal the jars up. apply the ring first if applicable, then the lid, and seal tight. Leave the majority of the salt on top.






Okay.  Get yourself a large pot, and fill it with enough water so it covers about halfway up the jars, and get it to a pretty heavy boil. like MED-HIGH.






Okay. Let this boil for around 20 minutes.  BAM! It is sterilized.

Remove jars and let cool.  Store these jars in a dark, cool cupboard.  Let them sit AT LEAST 1 month.  Most people say 6.  Some people say a year is best.  Tabasco let's theirs age for 3 years.

This will give you a FANTASTIC, deep, complex base for hotsauce.  Add white wine vinegar to this, tequila, crushed cumin seed, salt, lime, roasted garlic, chipotle, whatever you desire. But do NOT add any of this stuff during the ferminting process. Wait until it's done.  It should have turned to a liquidy mush, and smell cheesy and fermented.

NOTE: This will only work with really hot chilis like habaneros and scotch bonnets, and i have heard cayennes. thai chilies and chili pequin and tepin should also be good.

Do not use jalapenos or serranos for this.

There you have it folks.  That is how you make pepper mash.  Good luck guys and i hope you enjoy it.

Cheers


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## pdswife

Wow!  Cool!

Good Job!


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## Mylegsbig

thanks mate


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## JMediger

Very cool ... do you have a good hot sauce recipe using these that you are willing to share?  We love hot wings and I'm tired of buying them when (I think) I can make them better and cheaper!

Also, why can't you use jalapenos?


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## Mylegsbig

they attract nasty bacteria

honestly, turning this mash into a sauce, i use this

chiles,white wine vinegar, tequila, ground toasted crushed cumin, chipotle, red smoked habanero powder, honey, salt

for hot wings?  no clue mate...


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## FryBoy

Here are a couple of sites that specialize in hot sauce:

www.hothothot.com
www.mohotta.com


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## Mylegsbig

that's why i hate ordering hotsauces...sometimes they say these good sounding ingredients..then you get it and you get **** called like red dye 40 and xantham gum propylene glycol alginate erythorbic acid

come on people leave your stupid chemicals out of my sauces you cheap sell outs..make a good natural sauce not some stupid poseur sauce...

thats why i like HULA GIRL...

ingredients

HABANERO CHIPOTLE SALT VINEGAR

now that is a sauce.....


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## TATTRAT

Note to self...don't forget gloves, rub eyes, or use the bathroom!

Looks like the fear man, good stuff!


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## Mylegsbig

bringing this one back to the top. it was very short lived.

Cheers


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## ronjohn55

Cool, thanks for bumping this back up, MLB! I missed it the first time. 

That's quite the interesting process you have going there, I may give it a go with the cayenne peppers I have coming in. 

I was looking at this site: http://www.fiery-foods.com/dave/hotsauce.html and they go over the process tabasco uses, it shows they ferment the peppers in barrels. I could probably come close with oak chips and a small fermenter. Hmmm.......

John


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## Michelemarie

Thanks for sharing!


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## Mylegsbig

no problem Michele


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## kitchenelf

I swear just the pictures made my eyes burn


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## Mylegsbig

to the top so more members can enjoy


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## amber

Thanks for the pictorial!  I always thought the mason jars had to be nearly full before they would seal properly, apparently not since yours have sealed.


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## Mylegsbig

The jars aren't sealed. that wont allow proper fermentation.

just loosely tightened.


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## mudbug

Mylegsbig said:
			
		

> just loosely tightened.



This description just makes me smile.


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## Constance

Leg, you're just getting better and better. That's some beautiful stuff you made there.


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## stebbs

I'm new to the forum but i had to ask about the pepper mash. You said that if the jar was sealed it wouldn't ferment correctly, so could I use a fermenting cap like for making beer?


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## AllenOK

MLB, by any chance, did you see a show recently on The History Channel called "American Eats"?  The first eppy was about condiments, and portrayed Tabasco, French's Mustard, Hienz Ketchup, and Pace Picante.

Tabasco reuses whiskey barrels to ferment their pepper mash in.  They use power tools to grind out the charred insides of the barrel, fill the barrels with mash, put the lid on, then cover the lid with salt.  The salt allows the gases and some liquids to percolate up out of the barrels, and when fermentation is done, the salt hardens into a seal.  3 years later, they uncap the barrels, scrape off the oxidized layer of mash, then take the remaining mash and put it in a mixer with vinegar.  That mix is churned non-stop for 28 days, I believe, until it's smooth and won't separate.

Interesting side note:  Avery Island, where McIlheny (sp?) makes Tabasco, is actually a salt dome that has risen up through the bedrock until it's exposed.  They mine the salt from that salt dome to use in their manufactoring process.


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## Bluesguy

This is my first post...new to this site..I have been desperately hunting down a method for making pepper mash..All questions answered.. Thanks a bunch!!!!!!!


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## FunkedOut

*I second the notion!*

Great post!  So great, you made me want to give back!  Here are some pics of my 1st attempt at producing pepper mash.  Enjoy! 

I started with a mix of habaneros, green (unripe) habaneros and daddles; a mix of peppers I graciously received as a gift from a coworker.  I destemmed them, washed them and they went straight into the food processor, seeds and all.





chop chop




into a 1 pint mason jar








add 1 tablespoon of coarse sea salt




put the top on and shake.




as you can see it settled quite a bit, and had bad luck keeping the salt on top, so i put maybe 1/3 tablespoon more and left it on top.  after reading about how tabasco uses salt to form a seal from the oxygen at http://www.fiery-foods.com/dave/hotsauce.html, i figured the extra salt was worth it.




sealed it and boiled it for 20 minutes




i read somewhere in this post some question about how tight to seal it.  here is what i did...
tightened the top pretty good without breaking a sweat, about 10 minutes into the boiling process, once the lid will not depress because of the pressure, i lifted the jar out of the pot with a towel, and loosened the lid just enough for the pressure to escape.  then put it back and finished the next 10 minutes of boiling.  when that was done, i tightened it back about 1/4 inch of rotation to make a seal again.  as the jar cooled, the lid popped back in.  i plan on using this lid as a gauge for fermenation over the next few weeks.  if it pops up, i plan on loosening the lid again to release the pressure.
i hope this turns out good.  thanks for the help!
until i saw this post, i was making hot sauce just by adding fresh peppers and garlic and onions and vinegar and spices into the food processor and pureeing it.


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## FunkedOut

*40 days later...*

...i openned the jar and did smell a trace of "cheesy."  the cheese went away and the peppers smelled fine.  through'em in the food processor, and liquified it into some white vinegar.  the salt and peppers is all that i need.  tastes like peppers and it got some real heat.  

i got some red savina seeds sowed... again.


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## Gossie

kitchenelf said:
			
		

> I swear just the pictures made my eyes burn



<hands Kitchenelf a tissue WITH GLOVES!!!>   LoL

Dad grows all these, I hate canning tho. hehehe


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## sustenation

I just tried making my own mash.  I skipped the boiling step, half out of laziness, and half because I didn't read about it elsewhere.  Does this change the flavor to boil it before the aging?  Am I going to die a horrible death when I finally make my sauce because of some evil bacteria?  

Anyway, here's a description of my "recipe", and some pictures from the making of.


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## Mylegsbig

Guys, boil the thing as long as you possibly can so you can get the PH low enough. Be careful with them once they are done boiling..dont handle them too much, and seal the top off with a ton of salt.

I had to throw away like 4-5 jars of mash because of too high a PH level.

Botulism can't grow unless the PH is higher than 4.2 i believe, but you are advised to throw out the jars if the PH is over 4.0.

Personally, i had several jars around 4.3 and none got me sick, but it might not be worth the risk.

Funked Out, that cheesy fermented smell is good!  They should smell like they are fermenting.


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## sustenation

So now you've got me worried about botulism.  Did some reading about it, and it certainly doesn't seem like something to mess around with.  However, I was reading here that 10 minutes of high temperature will destroy the toxin.  Is it an option to boil the mash at the end of the aging process before I use it to make my hot sauce?  I'd hate to throw it away, it's smelling so good right now.


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## Mylegsbig

sustenation, honestly, you are honestly more likely to get struck by lightning than get botulism from habanero mash if you follow the procedure correctly.

there are like 20-30 cases of botulism from food each year, and practically all of them are from vegetables like carrots, beets, stuff with low acidity. i did some research myself and you'd be hard pressed to find botulism from habaneros and what not.

if the PH is below 4.0 it's even less of an issue. it's impossible for botulism to develop then.

Boil the jars for a super long time initially, and layer the top with a TON of salt.  Just scrape the salt off the top when the jars are done.

Also, yes, absolutely boil them again when you are done.

It is either 4.2 or 4.3 that it becomes possible for botulism to develop.

I don't even know if even 1 person per year gets botulism from habanero mash.  i was hard pressed to find a single case.

But dont use chiles like serranos and jalapenos and stuff.  at least without researching first, because i haven't done any research on those.


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## Mylegsbig

sust, also, don't even think about ignoring getting a PH reading. the meters are cheap and easy to use


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## sustenation

Thanks for the tips, mine is a blend of cayenne and habanero, so I'll be sure to test the pH and give it a boil at the end.


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## jennyema

Mylegsbig said:
			
		

> there are like 20-30 cases of botulism from food each year, and practically all of them are from vegetables like carrots, beets, stuff with low acidity. i did some research myself and you'd be hard pressed to find botulism from habaneros and what not..


 
Just a note -- peppers of all types are low-acid vegetables so they need to be canned according to strict guidelines.

Big -- good advice about pH levels.


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## sattie

I got kind of a dumb question... but what the hey.... I bought some pepper plants this season, and so far, they are fruiting nicely which means I'm gonna have peppers to spare.  What do you use the mash for?


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## Mylegsbig

The mash is to ferment your peppers.  To age them like wine.  Really brings out their true flavor.

Use it as a base for sauces.


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## sattie

So do you use it like a condiment or in recipes?  I was trying to get an idea of what to do with it.... me being the fire mouth that I am, I would try to eat it just like it is, but you and I both know that would be very stupid, specially with some of the peppers that are being used and referenced to in this thread.


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## Mylegsbig

again, it's  a base for sauces.

you take your pepper mash and blend in some vinegar, lime juice, roasted garlic, salt, some honey or sugar, and you have something delicious.

To be used as a condiment or to spice up recipes, like rice, chili, i use hot sauce on pretty much everything.


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## sattie

Mylegsbig said:
			
		

> again, it's a base for sauces.
> 
> you take your pepper mash and blend in some vinegar, lime juice, roasted garlic, salt, some honey or sugar, and you have something delicious.
> 
> To be used as a condiment or to spice up recipes, like rice, chili, i use hot sauce on pretty much everything.


 
Ohhhhh... that would be great in chili!!!  Ok, I'm getting now!!!  Thanks for explaining.  It looks and sounds wonderful.


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## sicman

*Ph*

I have recently tried your recipe with Chocolate Hab's.  Do you know where or what type of meter I should get to take a PH reading?  I went to Wal-mart and they only had the kind you use for a pool.  Any help would be much appreciated.


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## AllenOK

Have you tried searching for litmus paper?  I don't know if you can get some that will indicate the different pH levels or not.


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## oldcampcook

AllenOK,
Please let me know when you are cooking this stuff.  I need to check the prevailing wind from BA to Mounds!!!!!


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## sicman

Do you think I can skip the Litmus part and just boil the jars before use?


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## AllenOK

oldcampcook, I don't actually make this.  I was just trying to help answer a question.

sicman, you could, but when you pack the product, if it's not really acidic, you'll need to steam-process the product for about 15 - 20 minutes to ensure that it's sterile.

Instead of just canning the pepper mash, you might want to consider making the mash, then processing it into your own hot sauce, with vinegar and other flavorings, to ensure that your product will have the proper acidity to prevent spoiling.  I.e., Tabasco (mashed peppers, vinegar, and salt) does NOT require any refrigeration, because of the level of acidity in it.


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## sustenation

I finally made a hot sauce out of my mash.  I boiled the mash at the end, because mylegsbig put the fear of botulism in me   I added vinegar to make the sauce, so I didn't do the litmus test, because I assumed it would be pretty acidic at that point.

I guess there's some new rule here where I don't qualify to post links because I'm only an occasional poster, but here's the URL for my pics, etc.

sustenation.typepad.com/sustenation/2007/09/my-second-hot-s.html


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## sicman

The amount of vinegar has a lot to do with the heat.  Also,  I probably used 20-25 hab's in a mash and made a little more than a pint of sauce with it.  I added a little shredded carrot for body and it is perfect. So I've noticed that when you boil the peppers in vinegar they are not as hot afterwards,  I would just add a **** load of hab's and gradually add other ingredients to tone it down.  It's easier to start too hot than not hot enough.  Oh yeah and don't add too much salt.  I wasted about three jars by doing that.


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## GrillingFool

I tried this years ago, but without the boiling part.

Can you say MOLD?

Now I am enthused to try it again! 

GREAT resurrected thread!


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## FunkedOut

sicman said:


> The amount of vinegar has a lot to do with the heat...



oh yeah.  I have run a few batches now, thanks to this thread.

1st few go 'rounds, I used a 1:1 ratio (by weight) of mash to vinegar; never was hot enough.  so i went to great lengths to grow my own Red Savina Habanero peppers.  $100 later in seeds, pots, soil, etc. I now have 5 thriving plants in 5 gallon buckets that produce way more than I can consume.  I have 8 quart jars fermenting as I type; most are over 2 months old.  I also acquired a Bhut Jolokia plant; over 1M Scoville units!!!  I have not made any sauce with the Bhut, as it hasn't produced enough for a mash.  my point, even with the second hottest pepper in the world (Red Savina), a 1:1 ratio was hot, just not hot enough.

this last batch, I used a 2:1 ratio (by weight) of mash to vinegar.  ouch!  I love it, but it must be used sparingly.

I am now ready to dilute by means of onions, garlic, carrots, celery, etc.  Here's a question for the pH balanced:
What if I place an onion and some garlic in the food processor, liquefy, then place liquid into a jar and cap it.  boil the jar like the mash for 20 minutes and then combine with the hot sauce (which contains vinegar).  Will this new sauce be safe to not refrigerate?
Will the onion garlic mash ferment like the peppers?
Is fermenting the onion garlic mash a waste of time?

Here is something that made my life easier, and you may like:
Because of the massive amounts of peppers I was processing, it broke my back to remove the seeds.  in this process, i was removing a lot of the white webbing, where a concentration of the heat is located.  so I just pull the stems off, toss the peppers whole into the food processor, chop and mash.  then when it's time to make sauce, combine mash with vinegar (and whatever else) and liquefy.  if you wish to remove the seeds, just run the sauce through a strainer.  guess what, the stuff that's left in the strainer along with the seeds can be frozen in a ziplock, and breaks easily while frozen to add to chili and other recipes.  this also makes your sauce smoother.  hope you like it, just trying to give something back!


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## wurensh

*Muchas Gracias mi amigos!*

Ok - so that's about the extent of my Spanish (un mas cerveza?)...

Anyway - I want to thank all previous posters to this thread - it got me to explore the larger group (Discusscooking.com), and join in - what a great venue! 

I have a few questions specific to the making of Habanero mash... I have a singe plant (not sure of the specific type - they're orange when ripened, but still plenty hot to eat ;-). Making the mash is a perfect way not to let the fruit go to waste. I do not plan to add to larger recipies (salsa, etc.), but want to use the mash to individual items to suite my taste for fire (ie: let my wife pour a bowl of salsa, then I'll pour my own and add a bit of mash - same for ketchup, hash browns, corn bread, stir-fry, and just about everything else!)

1) I'd agree - my experiences are the seeds and the white "webbing" is the hottest part of the pepper (that, and the top, near the stem - whereas the tip is rather mild). I've heard some write that they separate out the white & seeds, and others say they leave it in. I'm leaning towards leaving in, as this is the hottest part. What would be the reasons for leaving in v. taking out? (i.e. - flavor? pH?)

2) One of the first posts indicated that once the mash is fermented, *then* you can put in additives. I'm heavily leaning towards tequila and possibly garlic. Is there a rule of thumb as to how much to add (tequila) - and does anyone have experience on how this might affect temperature (like vinegar?). If adding garlic, would roasting the garlic be enough to kill off any bacteria bugaboos to keep for a extended period of time?

3) I'm preparing to do this within the next week or so - and was intrigued by the "burping" during fermenting. I also brew beer, and know that there is a risk inherent to "burping" of adding in air/bacteria. I wouldn't think this would be a problem using the "burp" 1/2 way through boiling... but does the process really produce the need for "burping"? (i.e., when bottling beer, you *don't* "burp", because this adds the carbonation - but over priming will result in bursting bottles - is that a danger with this process?)

Ok enough questions to get me started.... I can't wait!

Hank


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## wurensh

*One more question...*

I knew there would be another - 

Is there an advantage to fermenting in larger mason jars (i.e., pint-sized+), or would the process work as well on smaller (4oz) jars?  I'm thinking this would help use bits at a time instead of risking a larger amount go bad if I keep opening and closing a jar when using (after fermentation).

Thanks!

Hank


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## FunkedOut

wurensh,

any size jar would work; i've been successful with 8oz, 16oz and 32oz.

1) yep, biology has shown that capsaicinoids are found in sacks on the inside of a pepper's flesh, and that these sacks are found in hight concentration on the white webbing of the flesh, where the seeds grow from.  as the pepper ripens, the capsaicinoids are absorbed by the seeds.  leave'em in to make it hot, take'em out to make it look pretty (if you don't like seeds).  i can't speak to pH, but can't imagine it making a difference.

2) once you add vinegar to it, it is now pickled and should last a while.  without vinegar, i would say even the sterile mash, once exposed to air would go bad.  because of this, why don't you make a sauce you like and use that to add to salsa, etc.?  that's what i do.

3) no need to burp.  just barley tighten them during boiling and tighten up after cooling once the lid pops in.


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## wurensh

<<2) once you add vinegar to it, it is now pickled and should last a while. without vinegar, i would say even the sterile mash, once exposed to air would go bad. >>

Is vinegar the only thing that pickles it for preservation?  Would anything else have teh same affect (tequila? lime/lemon juice?)  I was hoping to stay away from vinegar because of the taste, but if otherwise it would go bad in a matter of a week in the refrigerator, then I guess that's what's got to be done...

Thanks for the quick feedback!

Hank


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## sustenation

sicman said:


> The amount of vinegar has a lot to do with the heat.  Also,  I probably used 20-25 hab's in a mash and made a little more than a pint of sauce with it.  I added a little shredded carrot for body and it is perfect. So I've noticed that when you boil the peppers in vinegar they are not as hot afterwards,  I would just add a **** load of hab's and gradually add other ingredients to tone it down.  It's easier to start too hot than not hot enough.  Oh yeah and don't add too much salt.  I wasted about three jars by doing that.



Yeah, I definitely over-salted too.  I didn't bring that up, because it seemed like an easily corrected problem.  But I guess it's worth calling out for the benefit of others.


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## Mylegsbig

glad to see this thread took off.  i hope you guys have had as much pleasure with this procedure as i have.


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## jetjr55

hi,
I am new to the site and have been doing some expiramenting with my own grown habanaros trying to make some mash.where can you get a meter or test kit to check ph? I do a prety good job with keeping it right in the pool ,but i imagine it must be a little bit trickier when it comes to food.
                                                            Thanks for your help 
                                                                        J.T.


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## Cajun Cook

I am very interested in trying this but I am confused on one point. The byproduct of fermentation is carbon dioxide. (as far as I know) So if you can/seal the jars and then let them ferment, doesn't that blow the vacuum seal? I am not trying to be a pinhead, just want to get this straight in my mind before I try it.  

Thanx,

Jim


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## RStar

Hello! Newbie here as well!

I have enjoyed this thread as I'm doing some work on a hot pepper sauce formula myself.

One of the things I have found is theat the FDA classifys Low-Acid Canned Foods (LACF) as havibg a pH of 4.6 or less. I think a pH of 3.5 to 4.0 should be optimum to be sure botch cant grow (could this be where the expressin to "botch" something comes from?). They also say that C Botulinum bacteria (Botulism) only grow under the right conditions. Foods packed in the absence of oxygen, a favorable pH (above 4.6), the right tempurature (mainly room temp), and contain water and nutrients for growth. Salt helps bind the water and peppers are low in carbs and have almost no protien. 

For a pH meter, try eBay or Amizon.

Good luck everyone!

~Bob


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## RStar

Oh, and I forgot, using low acid ingredients like lemon juice and lime juice would lower the pH and allow you to use less vinegar.

You could also try different vinegars, but white is used because it doesn't alter the pepper flavor. 

One site (pepperFool.com) suggested using Korean KimChi as a starter because it has natural lactic acid. Also, because lactic acid bacteria (LAB) require carbs to grow and peppers have very little, adding carrots to the peppers helps. This will also give the end sauce a thicker body.

Another site that talks about "Keeping it safe" is fiery-foods.com/dave/safe_hotsauce.html

And if you want to skip the mashing all together, you can get mash at leeners.com/hotsauce.html



Yesterday I ordered the Red Habanero, Jalapeno, and red serrano mashes to try. But this season I'm going to grow some more and try mashing myself.

Also, Legsbig, I noticed they mashed Jalapeno, so I guess it can work. I don't think there is much difference in the hot peppers to worry about.


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## Zonie

Since you don't seal the jars, what's the point in sterilization? I would think that the ambient microorganisms that get into the jar after you sterilize would be exactly the same as the ones that are on the chiles before sterilization.


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## RStar

Zonie said:


> Since you don't seal the jars, what's the point in sterilization? I would think that the ambient microorganisms that get into the jar after you sterilize would be exactly the same as the ones that are on the chiles before sterilization.


That depends. If you allow the air pressure out with out letting air in that would contain the bad organizims then it's not a problem. This can be achieved with a water-type air lock (often used in home wine making). Another way is to layer salt on top, thus keeping the nasties at bay.


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## Bilby

Welcome to DC Zonie and RStar!!


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## Zonie

RStar said:


> That depends. If you allow the air pressure out with out letting air in that would contain the bad organizims then it's not a problem. This can be achieved with a water-type air lock (often used in home wine making).


  I'm not sure I follow you. If the jars are not sealed then microorganisms will get in after the jar cools off, period. I don't see why they wouldn't  





RStar said:


> Another way is to layer salt on top, thus keeping the nasties at bay.



 Wouldn't that layer of salt also keep out the good microorganisms that are necessary for fermentation?


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## Cajun Cook

RStar said:


> That depends. If you allow the air pressure out with out letting air in that would contain the bad organizims then it's not a problem. This can be achieved with a water-type air lock (often used in home wine making). Another way is to layer salt on top, thus keeping the nasties at bay.


 
Thank you for the reply RStar.  I have a bunch of pepper plants growing this spring with the sole intent of trying this.
Jim


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## Whrfrt

Thanks for the info, very nicely done. I'm looking to take my "Death Camp" Naga dip to the liquid stage & had no idea where to start. I also applaud your taste in peppers. Unfortunately the last of my Fataliis are earmarked for shrimp, cheese & bacon stuffing, and all my nagas are going out as promised dips. But this year's batch we're goin for the Bhut cousins (I forget the name, but they're over a mil in scovilles !


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## dussasr

*Don't Boil Your Mash*

Hey, this is a great post and clearly a lot of effort has been put into it.  However, the boiling step should be omitted.  Also, put the lids on half tight so the gasses released during fermentation can escape.  Don't worry, your jars won't explode if you put on too tight.

The whole idea behind fermenting is to let the lacto bacteria go to work on the food so it makes no sense to sterilize the food and kill this bacteria.  If you don't believe me check out some books on making sauerkraut or Korean Kimchi or other pickled (fermented, not vinegared) foods.  The information available is better than for pepper mash, but it's the same technique.  

If you are making sauce with the mash then feel free to can in a water bath.  Just make sure your fermentation is completed first.


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## Whrfrt

So, you're telling me the mix I've had sitting in a jar for 6 months is just as when I put it in? Sigh. Is there any way to begin the fermentation now? Perhaps cracking open the jar & resalting? Or do I just have a jar of chopped (very) hot peppers?


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## dussasr

Did you get bubbles at first?  If you are getting fermentation, you should see bubbles within several days.  The fermentation is rapid in the first few weeks and is mostly complete after one month.  The bubbles will stop then.

If you sterilized everything and sealed it up tight you probably don't have any fermentation.  That's OK, though - just open the jar!  I'd take the lid off and loosely cover with a clean cloth until you see some bubbles.  Then put the lid back on, but only half tight to let the bubbles escape.


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## Whrfrt

Dont recall seeing bubbles.......I'll give the cloth a try. Thanks


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## dussasr

I almost forgot - you also should make sure that the pepper solids are covered up by the liquid that forms when the salt is added.  Pack everything down to squeeze the liquid to the top.  If you skip this step you are likely to get some mold on top.  Hope this helps.


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## Whrfrt

Thanks again  (where were you 6 months ago?


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## KitchenEngineer

*Mash Recipe - Just What I needed - THANKS!*

My buddy kept giving me Habanero, Cayenne, and Tabasco Peppers and I made some vinegar, garlic, and salt "splashing" sauce. I wanted to take it to the next level and this was one of the few threads that explained it well enough to do. I currently have a 70/30 mix of Habanero/Cayenne and a 50/30/20 of Habanero(ripe and green)/Cayenne/Tabasco brewing as I write this. 

Didn't realize I needed to pop the lid, but did it one week later. Hope it's ok. 

Anyone know if Tabascos mix well with others?


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## Atomik kitty

me and a buddy of mine are starting a lil side job selling hot stuff..  we are using habanero and jalapenos we was just boiling our stuff in  vinegar then blinding it together with some other stuff and we keep getting the same taste do u think vinegar is a bad thing to use to boil them in?? well we are gonna try and make this mash stuff.. we left the seeds in some sites say not to.. is it bad to do that??


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## dussasr

I think most people leave the seeds in when making mash. The mash will be hotter that way and it's just too much work to take them out!


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## smokedout78

*Re about boil*

Hello

I am new to this site and was wondering about the whole fermentation process. I boiled my mash with canning jars and some sucked down on the lids and others didnt, this is why I came back and read the rest of this post and now I am confused. So now I am going to pop open all my lids and pack down the pepers till the juices come to the top ( by juices do you mean the juice from the peppers or add water to the top after I packed them down and fyi I put a tablespoon of salt at the top pre boil and gave a slight shake) and wait for bubbles. Know here is my question, after I do all this I lightly close the lid now these are canning jars I used if I pack salt around the top where the canning jar ring and the lid connect will that give a well enough seal after the gasses escape, or should I use a completly diffrent container. LOL please help I love hot sauces and this is my first atempt at sacraficing my little babies that I grew all summer.


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## Food-on-4-legs

*Salt-Free process question???*

This is a great thread.  I've read lots of other sites and this has the most useful information.  One question.  I love everything hot, but also have hypertension which means keeping salt low.  One good site is Mild to Wild where they describe the process they use to make mash.  What's unique is they don't use any salt!  I'm wondering if the wine-making water fermentation air locks mentioned on a few posts here could be used and then just skip the salt layering used here?  There have no feedback/comments on actual experience from those mentioning air locks.  Would appreciate some advice?
Thanks much!


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## GrillingFool

I got a hot pepper sauce kit for Christmas a few years back, and it came with 
a fermentation air lock. Instructions had no salt layer mentioned.

My puppy at the time ate the freaking air lock while I was happily preparing my 
mash, so I never got a chance to use it......


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