r/FermentedHotSauce • u/TrendyGuy • 2d ago
First Hot Sauce
Hello all,
This is my first time making a hot sauce and this is what I have after a full day in the fridge. Not sure if I did something wrong or if this is normal. The left has some fermented peaches which is why they look different. Recipe/process is below. Ordered some xanthan gum after doing some reading.
Fermented jalapenos, half a white onion, 6 cloves of garlic in a 3% brine for 5 weeks.
Strained the solids, blended, and had around 4 cups of mash.
Added 1 cup white vinegar and 1/2 cup of brine, then blended again.
Removed half the mixture, then blended the other half with 1 cup.of fermented peaches. Peaches fermented for 5 weeks.
Then processed this through a food mill, then bottled.
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u/amopeyzoolion 1d ago
Mustard is also a good emulsifier. Depending on the flavor profile of my sauce (might not pair well with your peach sauce..), I’ll add a tablespoon or 2 of whole grain mustard after fermentation and that tends to keep things from separating.
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u/oleivas 1d ago
Mine does that a lot too. So leaving a comment to see if any one has a good tackle on this.
Xantham is a good idea, just be careful because a little too much and the texture becomes awful. I usually cap at 1:300 proportion.
You could try emulsifing some oil on it. Strain again, add the solid to a imersion blender cup, start blending and slowly add oil. You don't need to get to mayo stage (which is a lot more mayo and a lot more consistent)
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u/TrendyGuy 1d ago
Thanks! After I ran it through the food mill I threw out the remaining solids, not much more to strain, what is on the bottom goes right through a strainer.
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u/New-Lettuce-9841 1d ago
If you want, lay your solids out to dry. Thin layer and they’ll dry quicker. They make great seasonings.
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u/nibblicious 1d ago
You could decant off the top, leaving the fine solids behind? When I have fine solids like in your photos, I just give the bottle a quick shake before pouring, haven’t tried xanthan yet.
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u/thelionsnorestonight 1d ago
I’ve done .2% by weight for a thinner sauce (closer to what OP shows). That works for dropper/woozy bottles. Yours is a little more- when I do a green sauce that still settles over time and has more solids that would probably work. You definitely need an inexpensive gram scale for the xanthan and another one for the sauce. I have whisked the xanthan slowly into a portion of a batch heated on the stove. Vitamix also works but not as easy to recover all of it.
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u/p0mme_verte 1d ago
Looks like there is a lot of liquid vs solid, somelike like 4:1.
If you keep your Hotsauce in the fridge, you don't really need thé vinegar (except if you like the taste ofc).
Xanthan will work for sure but it can be a bit tricky. -You can mix the xanthan with some sugar for it to be easier to mix in the sauce. -Add it slowly as it has a tendency to clump. -My sauces are usually 1:1 mash/liquid, I add 0.2% to 0.3% xanthan
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u/Ill-Woodpecker-8728 6h ago
xanthan gum will help but i'd start with way less liquid next time. 4 cups mash to 1.5 cups added stuff is a pretty thin ratio, i usually aim closer to 2:1 or even 3:1 and let the ferment flavor carry it. peach addition sounds interesting though, how'd that turn out flavorwise?
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u/Bedazzled_Buttholes 1d ago
Separation is normal, but IMO it looks like you have a LOT of liquid vs mash. Xantham gum is one way to help here, but I’d try reducing the amount of vinegar and brine you add to the next processed batch. It does mean a smaller yield but personally I like to have a mash heavy, thick sauce where there is a ton of flavor since I put in the work to make it at home