pepper grill

[pensrock]

Haven't had time to make a pepper grill out of stainless at work yet but needed to tinker. I found an old cake/baking pan and made a simple pepper grill out of it.

[Habanero Smoker]

Pens or other;

Do you make any hot sauce. I got about six pounds of green jalapenos; I had to take them off the plant do to a frost warning. All six pound will be smoked, but not dried. I'm going to pickle about three pounds, but thinking about making hot sauce with the rest. I'm not sure if I want to go through the extra steps of making a pepper mash, or just go ahead and make the sauce. If you make hot sauce do you make a mash.

I have four Tabasco plants, the yield it not great. Right now they are yellow, and I'm hoping to protect them from the frost until they turn red. I'll probably make those into a mash. I was checking out another forum in which one member was going to place oak chips in his mash to simulate aging in oak barrels. That sounds feasible, so I think I may try that.

Any thoughts.

Also your jalapeno holder looks great.

[pensrock]

  I have not made sauce myself but a friend does. He makes mash then ferments it for a couple months before making the sauce. I think the flavor would be better if the peppers were ripe/red rather than green. He has an oak board that just fits into the crock and it holds the peppers down as well as adds flavor.
   I was going to do cayenne sauce this year but just do not have the time to mess with it. I just found out that my dad has a hundred or so red penos and a few green ones, I'll have to go pick them this week. We are going to the Outer Banks, NC on the 11th. so I'll have to do something before then. I'll most likely smoke/dry most of them and maybe stuff/vac/freeze the rest. One thing you can try is to fire roast the penos and then chop them up and freeze for other dishes.
   I went way overboard this year with peppers, I have containers full of dried, shakers full of powdered. A pile frozen. And there are still piles of them on the deck.

[Habanero Smoker]

Don't tell me where your father lives, or I'll quickly get over my fear of flying and raid the garden before you get there. ;)

Tabasco makes a green jalapeno sauce, which isn't bad and with the right seasoning I'm hoping mine will turn out alright. I also plan to mix in some habaneros into the sauce for an extra kick.

If I go through with this I'll post my results, both on the sauce and the pickled peppers.

[HCT]

Habs, I have tabasco plants too, all peppers are green, I may have gotten a dozen red ones, alot of good that does me. :( I'm just hoping I can beat the frost, next few nights look okay over here.

[pensrock]

Are you fermenting the pickled peppers? My friend says they taste much better than canned/pickled.

[Habanero Smoker]

Habs, I have tabasco plants too, all peppers are green, I may have gotten a dozen red ones, alot of good that does me. :( I'm just hoping I can beat the frost, next few nights look okay over here.

I'm almost at the base of the Berkshires, so that cold air rolls down the mountain side. Friday night it got down to 33.5°F. Tonight and tomorrow night we have another frost warning in my area. After those two days, it looks good for the next five.

Are you fermenting the pickled peppers? My friend says they taste much better than canned/pickled.

I wasn't going to ferment the ones that I was going to pickle, maybe the ones that I will be turning into sauce. I have made kimchi in the past, if it is not a problem I would be interested in how your friend ferments his pepper. I would like to try that for the next time.

Will smoking them first interfere with the fermentation process?

[pensrock]

I wasn't going to ferment the ones that I was going to pickle, maybe the ones that I will be turning into sauce. I have made kimchi in the past, if it is not a problem I would be interested in how your friend ferments his pepper. I would like to try that for the next time.

Will smoking them first interfere with the fermentation process?

Next time I talk to him I'll ask how he pickles the peppers. I've had some cauliflower with habs that he pickled by fermentation and they were great.  ;D
From what I can remember when he makes sauce he cuts the peppers up small and packs into a jar/crock adds salt, not sure if he adds anything else. puts an oak cover on a little smaller than the jar and uses it to hold the peppers/mash down. I would think it is very close to making kraut or kimchi.

I asked about using smoked penos one time and he thought the smoke might get too strong and suggested just making the sauce directly from the smoked peppers and not fermenting.

I'll try to remember to ask. I'm getting old and forgetful, I turn the big 5-0 on Friday.  :P :'(

[pensrock]

Just found this online and it sounds very close to what my friend does. For sauces he does not add any water or liquid, there is enough from the peppers. But for veggies he must add something besides salt because the veggies need to be covered in liquid.

The article I found is below:

Sandor Ellix Katz, aka Sandorkraut, wrote a book on vegetable ferments and has a website full of useful facts and recipes (including a recipe for sauerkraut!). This exerpt from her book describes how the basic process works:

The simple key to successful vegetable fermentation is to make sure your vegetables are submerged in liquid. That's it, the big secret. Usually the liquid is salty water, also known as brine, but fermentation can be done without salt, or with other liquids, such as wine or whey. Typically, when fresh vegetables are chopped or grated in preparation for fermentation—which creates greater surface area—salting pulls out the vegetable juices via osmosis, and pounding or tamping the vegetables breaks down cell walls to further release juices, so no additional water is required. However, if the vegetables have lost moisture during long storage, occasionally some water is needed; if brine hasn't risen to submerge the weighted vegetables by the following day, add a little water. In the case of vegetables left whole (cabbage heads, cucumbers, green tomatoes, string beans, okra, zucchini, eggplant, peppers—try anything), the vegetables should be submerged in brine.

Pretty much any vegetable can be fermented. Use what is abundantly available and be bold in your experimentation. Seaweeds are a wonderful addition to ferments, as are fruits, though mostly fruit ferments go through their process very quickly. I've even made delicious sauerkraut with mashed potatoes layered in with the salted cabbage, as well as kimchi with sticky rice layers. The sharp fermented starches are delicious. The spicing of vegetable ferments is quite varied, too. Kimchi typically includes red chili peppers, garlic, ginger, and scallions. Sauerkraut might include caraway seeds (my favorite), juniper berries, apples, or cranberries. New York–style sour pickles are spiced with dill, garlic, and sometimes hot peppers. To keep cucumbers crunchy, add to the brine some grape leaves or leaves of horseradish, oak, currant, or cherry.

[Habanero Smoker]

Pensrock;

Thanks for the information. I copied it and will use it. Now I cannot get kimchi out of my mind, that may be my new fad for my favorite side dish (probably caused by the 13 months I spent in Korea). :)

It's strange I was waiting for my fuel company to arrive to service my furnace. They never did show up but while waiting I went through some old boxes and found a book titled "Stocking Up: How to Preserve the Foods You Grow, Naturally"; edited by Carol Hupping Stoner, Rodale Press (1977). That book has a chapter on brining and fermenting vegetables.

So my plan is to apply smoke to all the jalapenos. Once smoked 1/3 will be pickled without fermentation; 1/3 fermented then pickled (hopefully the antimicrobial properties of the smoke won't prevent the fermentation process); 1/3 made into a sweet relish.

[iceman]

Nice info pensrock. I love kimchi and sauerkraut. It's to late for us this year but next season is a must to restock the pantry.

[pensrock]

I spent five weeks in Korea installing a high temp furnace for the military. I ate a lot of kinchi. It all tastes different, everyone seems to have their own little different flavor. I liked it all.