Hot Sauce
Ingredients
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- 1 pounds red chiles – stems removed, sliced (~25 n/a chili peppers)
- 1 1/2 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 cups non-chlorinated water
- 1 cups distilled white vinegar
Instructions
1. Wash and dry a 1-quart glass jar and lid; rinse with hot water and air-dry. Wear gloves, then rinse the peppers, remove stems, and slice.
2. In a small saucepan over low heat, dissolve the kosher salt in the non-chlorinated water, stirring until clear, 1–2 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
3. Pack the red chiles into the jar, leaving about 1 inch headspace. Pour in the cooled brine to fully cover the peppers, pressing to release air pockets. Weigh the peppers down so they stay submerged and close the jar (use an airlock if you have one).
4. Ferment at cool room temperature (68–75°F/20–24°C) out of direct sunlight for 7–14 days. Check daily: if using a regular lid, briefly loosen to vent gas, then re-seal; keep everything submerged. The brine should show bubbles and smell pleasantly tangy when ready.
5. When fermentation tastes bright and sour, transfer the peppers and 1/2–3/4 cup of their brine to a blender. Add the distilled white vinegar and blend until very smooth, 30–60 seconds; add more brine a splash at a time for a pourable consistency.
6. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve for a smooth sauce (optional), then bottle. Refrigerate and use within 3 months; flavor continues to round out after a few days. Shake before each use.
Hot sauce is a pepper-forward condiment with a bright, tangy kick and a clean, lingering heat. In its classic vinegar-based form, it is thin and pourable, designed to season food without weighing it down. A fermented version adds gentle lactic acidity and complexity, giving you a lively, savory depth behind the heat.
Chiles are native to the Americas, and vinegar-spiked pepper sauces took shape in the U.S. South, especially Louisiana, in the 19th century. Fermenting peppers was an old preservation method that also created signature flavor, later popularized by commercial producers. Today, home cooks craft small-batch hot sauces that honor those roots, adjusting heat and texture while keeping the simple pepper–salt–vinegar backbone.