Re: [CH] Peppermash and Salt
jim@wildpepper.com
Sat, 14 Jun 2003 23:01:30 -0400
I can almost sound like I know what I'm talking about on this one! :-)
A great deal depends on what you intend to do with your mash, and what your purpose is.
The 'standard' in the industry, though this is a pretty loose term, is between 18% and 22% salt by weight. I agree that this is ridiculous if you are simply looking to preserve your chile peppers. The easiest method is to use a MUCH lower amount (4% or less) and heat treat your chiles before storing them. I use 0% salt, but take the chiles to 190 F for 5 minutes before sealing into clean, unused 5 gl buckets. Smaller suitable containers are at your choice for doing it yourself.
The higher salt concentrations require you to drastically dilute the mash in order to make it palatable. This is why you find that most of the commercial sauces made from salted mash have such an incredibly LOW percentage of chiles in the sauce (Franks, Tabasco, Durkees, etc typically have only 8% - 12% chile solids or less- the other 90% is vinegar and some gum).
I've got a page on 'mash' on my site at wildpepper.com that should provide you with some information.
Hope this helps!
-Jim C
Mild to Wild
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