I'm not sure smoking them first is a good idea...not sure about this though so it would be great to hear other's experience. We have always fermented raw pepper mash. Not sure that is enough salt either, you should check out the book, Great Fermentations by Sandor Katz or check out his website. Lastly, canning the sauce will kill the good bacteria. Alternately it can be kept in the fridge or other cool place.

Thanks for the tips...will get the book. Will it keep well in jars at room temperature ir does it need refrigeration?

Try this one

Pepper Mash for Fermented Hot Sauce
Linda Ziedrich

Brine stemmed and halved but unseeded ripe peppers. Use 2 1/2 tablespoons pickling salt and 1 quart water per pound of peppers
(this should give you enough extra brine for a brine bag). After at least three weeks, whirl the peppers in a blender, and then strain the mash through a food mill or strainer.
To thin the sauce, add a little of the pepper brine or some vinegar.

Thanks AJS I used your ratio...the peppers are in the crock, weighted down, and filling my entire basement with a delightful aroma.....delightful to me....like tear gas to my wife.....
Cannot wait to make a sauce out of this..

Hi simsedward,

How's the mash going?

It may be a little late, but thought I'd chime in.

I agree with gardengyrl's post. Smoking first would be bad. You'd kill all the good bacteria you want to put to work. Also, Sandor Katz's book is definitely worth a read. I attended one of his workshops not long ago - interesting fellow. He certainly knows about fermentation. Regarding salt, Sandor says simply season to taste, remembering that while salt helps keeps the bad bacteria in check, it also slows down the good bacteria and retards the fermentation process.

Anyway, let us know how it's going.

Rick

Hey Rick-
Unfortunately, my pepper fermenting experiment was an epic fail. I left for a long weekend, the peppers soaked up most of the liquid I had (obviously not enough) and the entire crock had a huge amount of whitish milky mold all throughout the mix, not just on the top. Started off great too. I guess I have lot of research to do before next year....damn it.

That's exactly what I imagined happening if I tried the fermenting myself! LOL I read about people doing it with no problems and I just imagine I would be the one to wind up in the hospital with food poisoning!