Fermented chilli sauce: How to cook Carolina Reapers

Carolina Reapers are known as one of the world’s hottest chillies, appealing to lovers of thrills and intense flavours. Making a fermented chili sauce with these peppers is a great way to soften their potency while retaining their unique flavor. In this article, we’ll explore the steps involved in cooking Carolina Reaper in fermented sauce, the benefits of fermentation, and the precautions to take when handling these fearsome chillies.

What is the Carolina Reaper?

One of the world’s hottest peppers

The Carolina Reaper, developed by Ed Currie in South Carolina, USA, in 2013. It is recognized as one of the most powerful chillies on the Scoville scale, averaging 1.6 million Scoville units and reaching up to 2.5 million. It owes its intensity to a high concentration of capsaicin, the compound responsible for the burning sensation.

Today, new cultivars have been developed from the Carolina Reaper (Carolina reaper orange, Carolina reaper yellow, Carolina reaper chocolat…).

Can you really cook with Carolina Reaper?

Using Carolina Reaper in the kitchen can seem intimidating, as mishandling or overdosing can turn your guests into« human torches« . However, when used in a fermented chilli sauce, their intensity is muted (due to dilution), allowing you to enjoy their taste without suffering an unbearable burn. Fermentation is a flavor enhancer that allows you to dilute your preparations while retaining the flavor of the peppers. Note that Carolina reaper, powerful as it is, is by no means the best hot pepper in terms of taste. For preparations as powerful as they are tasty, we recommend Carolina reaper chocolate or Bhut Jolokia.

Why ferment chillies to make a sauce?

The benefits of fermentation

Fermenting peppers has several advantages:

• Nutritional enhancement: Enriches the sauce with probiotics to aid digestion.
• Long-term storage: Fermentation preserves chillies for months.
• No cooking : Fermentation (and the fact of not cooking the chillies) preserves the color of the chillies, making for very colorful sauces.

The unique taste of fermented peppers

Fermentation brings incomparable depth of flavor. The natural aromas of the chillies are intensified, and subtle sour and fruity notes develop, adding a complexity to the sauce that cannot be achieved by other methods.

The power of Fermented Pepper Sauces

Fermentation has very little influence on the potency of chillies. However, it does act as a flavor enhancer, diluting the sauce while preserving the chiles’ intense flavors. This may give the impression that fermentation reduces the burning sensation.

Ingredients for Carolina Reaper chocolate « scary black sauce

Main ingredients

To make a fermented chilli sauce with Carolina Reaper chocolate, here are the basic ingredients for 4 bottles of 100ML:

Here we’ve used Carolina reaper chocolate and Brown Bhutlah chilli pepper.

• 100gr Carolina Reaper chocolate (and other dark peppers to your taste)
• 50gr garlic
• 50gr red onions
• 3 to 4 g salt per 100 ml water (brine)

Optional ingredients for customizing other recipes

In this case, the aim is to preserve the black color and thick texture to reinforce the « sauce of death » effect.

But you can add other ingredients to create your own variation of the sauce:

• Spices: Pepper, cumin, coriander
• Fruits: Mango, pineapple for a sweet touch
• Vegetables: Carrots, onions to soften spiciness

NB: (For heaters and other members of the Ouin-Ouin brotherhood)
Scoville units are not an exact science! Yes, we love exchanging our sauce power scores as if they were bodybuilding records, but keep in mind that this Scoville scale is a little… capricious. Let’s just say it’s more of a rough estimate.
And here, our humble calculator is nothing more than a product of crosses: we take the strength of the chilli, distribute it over the whole sauce. It won’t give you the precise capsaicin content, but it should give you an indication of whether your sauce is going to be hot, or whether it’s going to turn your guests into human torches.

In short, Scoville or not, the only real unit of measurement is the tears on your cheeks and the amount of milk you drink while trying to be clever.

Steps for making a fermented chili sauce with Carolina Reapers

Step 1: Preparing the chillies

Handling Carolina Reaper with care is crucial. Wear gloves and avoid touching your face during handling. Remove the stems and seeds (save them for your seedlings) and cut the chillies into pieces to facilitate fermentation.

Step 2: Fermentation of chillies

Place the chillies in a sterilized glass jar. Cover them with brine (salted water), making sure they are completely submerged to prevent the development of mould. To ensure that the chillies are well submerged, you can use special « fermentation weights », or a large slice of onion or a cabbage leaf.

Close the jar with a non-hermetic lid to allow gases to escape. Fermenting jars with bubblers are ideal. Le Parfait  » jars are also very good. Avoid jam jars, which risk bursting and covering your kitchen with radioactive juice! We don’t recommend this type of jar.

Leave to ferment in a dark place at room temperature (18-24°C) for 4 weeks. Note that peppers can be left to ferment for several months (or even years!).

bubbler pots fermentations peppers

If you want to use screw caps, or ferment in 5 or 10L buckets, you can use this type of non-return valve to allow gases to escape.

Step 3: Safety measures during fermentation

The fermentation of Carolina Reaper will generate very pungent gases! Caution: it’s possible that the jars will « drool » an extremely pungent liquid, so place the jars in a safe area out of reach of children. Beware of possible splashes or « radioactive droplets » at this stage.

Here are 3 different preparations: carolina choco+creme de balsame black sauce. Orange habanero sauce+carrot+cider vinegar. The carolina reaper yellow+pineapple+cider vinegar sauce.

Step 4: Final preparation of the sauce

Once fermentation is complete, drain the chillies (but keep the brine) and blend them with the garlic, a little vinegar and brine to the desired consistency. Be careful, putting Carolina reaper in a blender is a rather…difficult experience. Avoid doing this with children playing in the kitchen, as the smell is unbearable.

If you prefer a smooth texture, strain to remove any solid bits. Store the sauce in a sterilized bottle.

We want something thick! So in this case, don’t filter

So for 100gr Carolina reaper chocolate (+100gr garlic/onions), add :

• 100Ml brine
• 50ML balsamic vinegar (for preservation and to reinforce the black color)
• 50ML cream of balsam (for thickening the sauce)

Step 5: Test PH

Before bottling, it’s important to measure the PH level, as this is the key to proper fermentation and preservation of your sauce. It must be below 4, ideally below 3.6. If your PH is above 4, you can add vinegar to bring it down.
For precise measurements, we recommend « food-grade digital PH meters » (approx. €30).

So we arrive at this little calculation:

Fermented garlic turns blue!. Is it serious, Doctor?

Often, but not necessarily, garlic turns blue/green. This coloration is due to the PH of the solution. So, if sanitary precautions were taken during preparation, blue garlic is a sign that the PH has dropped to around 4.

With longer fermentations, it’s not impossible for blue garlic to turn white again. If you’re interested in this subject, don’t hesitate this article, which explains the phenomenon in detail.

Or this article from the thesis (yes, there are 6 people on earth who have devoted several years of their lives to unraveling the mystery of blue garlic…) Mechanism of the Greening Color Formation of « Laba » Garlic, a Traditional Homemade Chinese Food Product (Bing Bai, Fang Chen, Zhengfu Wang, Xiaojun Liao, Guanghua Zhao, Xiaosong Hu)

This is blue garlic after 4 days of fermentation. It doesn’t look very appetizing… but that’s okay.

Tips for storing and using fermented chilli sauce

Shelf life and storage

To maximize shelf life, keep the sauce refrigerated. It will keep for several months, thanks to the natural properties of fermentation.

Recipe ideas for using the sauce

This spicy sauce can be used in many ways:

• Marinades for meats
• Sauces for tacos, burgers or pizzas
• Seasoning for soups and stews
• For fun: a teaspoon of sauce on a piece of bread or a nugget and you’re off for a timeless culinary experience!

Precautions to take with Carolina Reaper

How to handle these peppers safely

Wear gloves and goggles if necessary, and work in a well-ventilated area to avoid irritation.

Dosage and spiciness tolerance

Start with a small amount of sauce and adjust according to your tolerance. Everyone reacts differently to very hot peppers.

Our tips for cutting the spiciness of chillies

To soothe the burning sensation, use :

• Milk, cream, yoghurt or oil: Capsaicin is soluble in fats but not in water.

Our tip for original sauce labels

Find a design with Canva

Create a personalized label using Canva.com, an easy-to-use visual design tool.

Logo design with Copilot

Use AI Copilot to create an original logo and add a professional touch to your product.

Result after 5 min playing on Canva

Conclusion

Cooking Carolina Reaper in fermented sauce allows you to savor its intensity while making it more bearable. Don’t hesitate to try this recipe and personalize it to your own tastes. Share your experiences in the comments to exchange ideas and variations.

FAQ about fermented chilli sauces and Carolina Reaper

Is it possible to use other peppers in this recipe?

Yes, you can replace Carolina Reapers with less hot peppers such as Jalapeños or Habaneros.

What is the ideal fermentation time?

Fermentation generally lasts 2-4 weeks, but you can adjust this depending on the desired acidity and flavor.

Should the sauce be pasteurized or cooked before bottling?

Fermentation, which lowers the PH below 4, ensures good preservation. It is still possible to pasteurize the sauce before bottling. This will extend the shelf life, but the product is no longer « alive ».

How can I reduce the spiciness of the sauce?

Add more sugar, fruit or vegetables to sweeten the sauce, or dilute it with vinegar.

With this recipe and these tips, you’re ready to make your own chilli sauce and impress your friends with explosive flavours.

Should the sauce be strained?

It all depends on the ingredients and the texture of the sauce. If you use carrots or mangoes in your preparations, your sauce may be very thick. Then strain it through a chinois.

Are you interested in fermentation techniques?

We recommend the site nicrunicuit.com a reference for fermented products.

And for even more spicy recipes, we recommend the ChilliChump website. ChilliChump (they also have a great Youtube channel).