{"id":44,"date":"2021-02-13T21:43:15","date_gmt":"2021-02-13T21:43:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fermentationhero.com\/?p=44"},"modified":"2022-11-06T17:12:50","modified_gmt":"2022-11-06T17:12:50","slug":"fermented-hot-sauce-foolproof-brine-percentage-and-how-to-measure-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fermentationhero.com\/fermented-hot-sauce-foolproof-brine-percentage-and-how-to-measure-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Fermented Hot Sauce: Foolproof Brine Percentage And How To Measure It"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Fermented Hot Sauce<\/a> is one of the greatest human inventions. It is remarkably delicious and versatile, and easy to make at home. However, one thing seems to confuse people: How much salt should I put on my brine? What is the correct brine salt percentage? Well, let me tell you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The correct brine percentage for a fermented hot sauce is usually between 3% and 5% of the weight, not the volume. To be safe, go with an average of 4%. So, if water + peppers (and other veggies) = 1kg (1000g)<\/em>, you will put 40g of salt. <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Here is a formula for easy visualisation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Weight of (Water + Peppers + Veggies) x 0.04 = Perfect Brine Percentage<\/strong><\/p>How to calculate the weight <\/strong>of salt <\/strong>for a perfect brine<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n If you follow the 4% rule, everything will work out fine, and you will have a nice fermented hot sauce soon. However, if you want to, you can adapt the rule to your taste preferences and the environment where you are fermenting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are interested in that, keep reading. I’ll teach you all about it in this post.<\/p>\n\n\n I follow the 4% rule because it is easy and safe. Too much salt might kill the good bacteria, and we definitely want them alive and fermenting our homemade hot sauce. On the other hand, too little salt can lead to mould or leave our fermentation project unprotected from the unhealthy bacteria we are trying to avoid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A wide range of saltiness will provide a healthy environment for Lacto-fermentation. This is why you don’t have to be too rigid with the measurements and should experiment with them. If you are a beginner, try staying between the 2% and 5% range.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Don’t be afraid to experiment! This is the only way to find out your sweet spot! <\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you live in a warmer place, you can put more salt into your brine. The salt slows down the fermentation process, so increasing the salt concentration can buy you some time for the funkiness and the umami flavour to fully develop without getting too sour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You might also add more salt if you want to leave it fermenting for longer, for the same reason as above. Salt will slow the fermentation process, so the beneficial microbes are working on your veggies for longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you like it saltier or are adding vinegar in the seasoning step, you can add more salt too. However, you can make this kind of alteration after the fermentation process, which, for me, makes more sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, you can too add more salt if your peppers are thinner-walled and you are doing a mash. Some pepper mash recipes go as high as 10%! But maybe leave this kind of high percentage mash\/brine after you have experimented a bit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\nWhen To Use More Or Less Salt?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n