Ingredients
4 cups fresh cayenne peppers (about one pound)
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
2 cups cider vinegar
Preparation
Stem the peppers and pack them in a food processor with the water. Pulse until they form a chunky mass, with pieces about the size of a BB, and then add the salt. (You are going for about 2.5 percent salinity in your initial fermentation.)
Place the peppers in a large mason jar, cover it with a square of paper towel, and secure the towel with the jar’s O-ring. Store the jar in a dark spot that hovers around 70°F (a kitchen cupboard is good) and let it do its thing for 48 hours.
Skim off any accumulated mold and stir the peppers. Cover again with the paper towel and O-ring, and repeat the skimming and stirring every day or so, for 5-10 days, or as long as the pepper mixture looks restless.
Once the peppers are fermented, place the contents of the jar, skimmed one last time, into the food processor and pulse a couple of times. Add the vinegar, blend well, and then strain the hot sauce through a fine mesh strainer before storing in clean bottles. It will stay good in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a year! If you want to stabilize the texture you can add some Ultratex 3, which is a modified tapioca starch. you can buy it online and for this application you need about 1/2 teaspoon.
