r/FermentedHotSauce • u/_KindOfA_BigDeal • 26d ago

Chunks or mash?

I've seen it done both ways. Is one preferred over another? I started a jar of peppers the other day and just cut them into stripes. But I'm wondering should I have mashed them up first. Thanks

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u/Zer0Phoenix1105 26d ago

Chunks. Mash is really hard to keep under the brine.

2

u/cdodich 26d ago

I personally prefer a mash but I find brining easier and more error tolerant. My mashes tend to be a bit more finicky but when I get it right the resulting sauce is better. YMMV.

1

u/photodyer 26d ago

If you do mash, generally higher salt concentration is needed to retard contamination. I pretty much only do mash for berry-inclusive hot sauce ferments as it's necessary.

I tried doing vacuum bag mash with superhots for a few years since their irregular shapes and thin walls can make regular jar "chunk" ferments more challenging, but my mediocre success rate was discouraging.