Homemade Fermented Buffalo Sauce (From Scratch!)
Learn how to make buffalo sauce from scratch at home! This fermented chili sauce requires just 7 ingredients and tastes just like the real one, if not better! You are going to love this Frank's RedHot copycat!
Equipment
Ingredients
Brine
- 1 and 1/2 tsp (6 g) salt
- 1 and 1/2 cup (360 ml) water
- 10 ounces (300 g) red cayenne peppers (about 12 peppers)
The Rest
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) white vinegar or white rice vinegar
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp butter flavor optional
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Before starting: Be aware that chili peppers can easily irritate your skin and/or eyes, so I recommend using gloves when handling them.
- Make the brine. Add the salt to a small bowl. Pour in warm water and stir until the salt dissolves. Allow the brine to cool for a few minutes, or until it is no longer warm.
- Clean the peppers. Run the peppers under cold water and pat them dry using kitchen paper towels.
- Remove the seeds and stems. Next, chop off the stems of the peppers. Using a thin and sharp knife, slice the peppers in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and the long, bright strips (Capsaicin Glands) and discard them.
- Chop them. Chop each pepper into 1-inch (2.5 cm) thick slices.
- Transfer the peppers to a jar. Add the chopped peppers to a clean 32 oz (1 liter) glass jar.
- Cover with the brine. Then, pour the brine into the jar containing the peppers. You want the peppers to be fully immersed. They should not be floating. To do so, you can use either a fermentation weight or a freezer bag filled with water.
- Let it ferment. Loosely cover the jar with plastic wrap and allow the peppers to ferment at room temperature in a dark place for 3-7 days. After a couple of days, you should start to see bubbles in the jar. This means the fermentation has begun! 2-4 days later, the bubbles will have disappeared and the brine should look cloudy. At this point, the peppers won’t have a raw smell and will have a sweeter, more pleasant flavor.
- Drain. Once the peppers have fermented, drain them using a colander and discard the brine.
- Blend. Transfer the drained peppers to a blender. Add the vinegar, paprika, garlic powder, butter flavor if using, and salt. Blend on high speed for about 1 minute, or until the mixture is liquid and smooth.
- Strain the mixture. To achieve a smoother consistency, strain the blended sauce through a fine-mesh sieve. Optional: For the same consistency as Frank’s RedHot, you can add 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum to the filtered sauce and blend again.You can then transfer the sauce to a clean jar or a hot sauce bottle!
- You can store the sauce in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Notes
Do not decrease the amount of salt.
The salt plays a crucial role in the brine, as it prevents the development of harmful bacteria while promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria. So do not decrease the amount of salt or increase the amount of water. The ratio I am giving is specifically designed for this recipe and yields a brine with approximately 2.5% salt. If you prefer, you can increase the salt to up to 2 teaspoons, which brings the brine closer to 3.5%. Just keep in mind that a higher salt level will slow down the fermentation process.Adjust the fermenting time.
Depending on the temperature, you may need to let the peppers ferment for a longer period. I usually let mine ferment for 7 days or about 4 days during the hotter days. I didn’t notice any significant difference in flavor if it’s fermented for longer than that.Nutrition
Serving: 0.25 cup | Calories: 12 kcal | Carbohydrates: 1 g | Protein: 0.8 g | Fiber: 0.5 g | Sugar: 1 g
