Go Back
+ servings
Emmy holding a glass with fire burning all around here. Next to her is a bottle of orange hot suace.
Print
5 from 2 votes

Homemade Hot Sauce

A homemade hot sauce using Thai bird's eye chilis, garlic, and a 2% brine solution.
Prep Time1 hour
Active Time20 minutes
21 days
Total Time21 days 1 hour 20 minutes
Course: Condiments
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chili peppers, holiday gift, Homemade, hot sauce
Yield: 1 bottle
Cost: $2

Equipment

  • Vitamix or similar
  • strainer
  • quart-sized jar
  • bottle

Materials

  • 1 lb chili peppers I used Thai bird's eye
  • 20 grams salt
  • 1000 grams water
  • 3 cloves garlic crushed

Instructions

  • Wash peppers. 
    Wooden bowl filled with red Thai bird's eye chilis.
  • Cut peppers into pieces. (Depending on the type of chili you use, you may want to wear gloves and goggles to protect your hands and eyes.)

To Prepare Brine Solution

  • Add salt to water.

To Prepare Chilis for Fermentation

  • Place chopped chilies into a clean quart-sized jar.
  • Add aromatics: a couple cloves of crushed garlic, thyme, onions; whatever you like that will infuse your hot sauce with more flavor.
  • Add your brine solution. 
  • At this point, the chilis will want to float up. Press them down so they stay below the brine. I used an onion with the outside layers removed; on top of that I placed a pickling weight to keep everything down. If you don’t do this you may get mold growth, a definite no-no! Also, be sure not to use anything metal as it will react with the salt.

Fermentation Process

  • Put quart jar on a plate for storage.
  • Place a lid loosely on top to allow the CO2 gas that will be created to escape.
  • Place the in a dark spot at room temperature, allowing it to ferment for a minimum of 10 days. (Two to three weeks is probably optimal.) 
  • Once it is happily fermented, place it in the refrigerator to slow down the fermentation process. 

To make the Hot Sauce

  • Remove the pickling weight and pour all of the chili peppers through a strainer. 
  • Using a blender or a Vitamix, liquify the peppers, increasing the speed slowly as you go. (You may need to add back a little of the brine to aid in the process.)
  • Using a funnel, pour your hot sauce into a decorative bottle, or even a recycled hot sauce bottle. (I used an antique bottle my husband found in the woods.)

Video