Tried fermenting hot sauce for 3 weeks vs my usual 2 weeks and the difference in heat level was insane

I let a batch of habanero sauce go 21 days instead of my normal 14 and it lost almost all its punch, so now I'm wondering if longer ferments always kill the heat or if I messed something up with my brine ratio that time? anyone else notice this?

3 comments

3 Comments

matthewkim25d ago

Wait, the heat was totally gone after 21 days? I thought longer ferments made things more intense, not less. I had a ghost pepper sauce go for a full month once and it was still ridiculously hot, but my brine was way saltier than what you're describing. Maybe your salt ratio was too low and it let some of the capsaicin break down, or your ferment temps were off? That's wild though, I've never heard of a 3 week batch losing its punch like that.

lunakim14d ago

Bet your pH was too high letting bad bugs eat the heat instead.

west.henry25d ago

Wait, what temp were you fermenting at?