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Fermenting peppers in quart canning jars.
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Fermenting Hot Peppers

Fermenting peppers is an easy way to lock in heat and build tangy, complex flavor you do not get with fresh peppers. Use this updated guide for exact salt ratios, two safe methods, and clear timelines for a short ferment and a long ferment. You will also find storage tips, flavor ideas, and troubleshooting so your jars turn out right.
Course sauce
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Fermenting time 120 days
Total Time 120 days 10 minutes
Servings 3 quarts
Calories 10kcal
Author Beth Neels
Cost $2

Equipment

Ingredients

For Dry-Salting Method

  • 1000 grams hot peppers, any variety will work See post for more information
  • 25 grams canning salt see notes

For Brine Method

  • 1 liter non-chlorinated water
  • 25 grams canning salt see notes
  • hot peppers
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Dry Salting Method

  • Wash the peppers. Remove the stems.
  • Remove stem from peppers.
  • Grind in food processor.
  • Mix the salt with the peppers. Mix well. The salt will draw water out of the peppers, and they will ferment in their own juices.
  • Sterilize jars. Pack the peppers into the jars, pushing down contents to remove air. Leave 1-inch headspace.

Brining method

  • Wash the peppers. Remove the stems. Chop or slice them. Pack the peppers into clean, sterilized jars.
  • Cover the peppers in the jars with the water and salt mixture. It is important that the peppers stay below the surface of the brine. Weigh them down with fermenting weights.
  • Ferment in a cool place for 1 to 4 months, up to years. For the first 2-3 weeks, burp jars daily; thereafter, burp once per week or use a fermenting lid.
  • Use fermented peppers for making hot sauce.

Video

Notes

See the article above for important information and tips for successful fermenting.

Salt and time that work

Salt controls which microbes thrive and helps texture. Weigh for accuracy.
  • Use 2 to 3 percent salt by weight for a faster, brighter ferment with more monitoring
  • Use 3.5 to 5 percent for a slower ferment with a firmer bite
  • Dry salting uses pepper weight for the math
  • Brining uses water weight for the math
Typical timelines
  • Short ferment window is about 3 to 5 weeks. Flavor is complex and lively
  • Long ferment window is 2 to 12 months. Flavor gets deeper and rounder over time
Taste weekly after week two. When the flavor is where you like it, move the jar to the refrigerator to slow further change.
Make sure jars are sterilized before adding peppers.
For the first two weeks after adding peppers to jars, make sure that you release air daily or use a fermenting lid.
Store peppers in a cool, dark place, like a basement.
How to know if the peppers have gone bad?
  • Trust your nose. If they smell rotten or sour, the batch is bad. Discard.
  • If a pink or white fungus appears on top, the ferment has gone bad. Discard.

Nutrition

Calories: 10kcal | Sodium: 6976mg | Calcium: 4mg