Re: [CH] Chile-Heads Digest V8 #683
Cameron Begg (begg@ceof.ohio-state.edu)
Tue, 06 May 2003 08:45:21 -0400
Hi C-H's,
Gordon Pitcairn asked:
>Im trying to make a tabasco style sauce but am aware that there is a
>process of creating a mash and fermenting it.
>How is this done, and does anyone have any good recipes and
>techniques they could share?
I looked into this once and made about a gallon of goop from home
grown tabasco peppers. The key point to understand is that the
fermentation process is accomplished by salt tolerant yeasts which
occur naturally on the surface of the peppers. You need a salt
concentration of 15-18% by weight of the peppers in order to stop
anything else from growing in your mash. The yeasts form white puffy
popcorn like growths which can be mixed in to promote fermentation.
After a year or two or three at cellar temperature you end up with an
extremely salty but very hot and tasty sauce. Unfortunately it is
inedible for anything except in a dish that also needs a large salt
addition (e.g. beans.) To "water it down" for table use dilute it
with vinegar until you can tolerate the salt. Now you know why the
McIlhenny Company's sauce tastes predominantly of salt and vinegar.
My recommendation would be instead to make a "Louisiana Style" hot
sauce from pureed peppers, salt and vinegar which you can age for a
while without the hassle of fermentation. Of course the flavor is not
the same but you can experiment with the addition of anything you
fancy. If you can get habaneros in NZ, simply wizzing them up with
citrus juice and salt makes a knockout fresh salsa for fish. Have
fun....
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Regards, Cameron.