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Actually tried a shorter brine for my hot sauce and it came out better

Everyone online says you gotta ferment peppers for 3 weeks minimum for good flavor, but I kept getting this weird metallic taste. So I tried a 7 day brine on a batch of habaneros from my garden last month and the flavor was way brighter and cleaner. Anyone else cut their fermentation time way shorter than the internet says and got better results?
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3 Comments
the_emery
the_emery1mo ago
Wait, you actually got rid of that metallic taste with a shorter brine? I was totally in the "longer is better" camp for years, religiously waiting 3+ weeks. But seeing this, I'm wondering if I've been overcomplicating things and missing out on brighter flavors for no reason.
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shanelee
shanelee1mo ago
Dropped mine down to like 10-12 days and it was a game changer lol. No more of that weird tinny aftertaste and the chicken actually tasted like chicken instead of salt water.
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kevin_west
kevin_west1mo agoTop Commenter
Figure it out early enough and you can skip a lot of needless waiting. I see it all the time with people who overthink stuff like marinating meat or even steeping tea. Everyone swears you need overnight for a marinade but a good hour or two does the job just fine for most cuts. Same thing with my coffee habit, I used to let it bloom forever based on some youtube guy's advice and it just tasted bitter. Cut it back and now it's smooth and actually drinkable. There's definitely a sweet spot where waiting longer just adds funk you don't want.
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