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Believe it or not, most of your favorite hot sauces is fermented. That slightly funky, vinegary taste you get from sauces like Tabasco and sriracha actually comes from a fermentation process that is crazy easy to do at home.

All you need is a food processor, a blender, some chiles, and salt. When you add salt in the correct amounts to food, it will prevent spoilage that can make you sick and allow the chiles to ferment (which is basically a controlled, purposeful spoiling process).

One quick note on measurements. We give everything in this recipe by weight. This is very important, because the amount of salt added needs to be in the right proportion in order to prevent any bad bacteria from growing. You can do this with a kitchen scale that can be picked up in most grocery or big box stores.

We used fresno chiles because we love the amount of fruity heat it provides (without being too intense) and the vibrant orange-y red color of the sauce it makes. But you can use any chiles you want! We recommend not getting too carried away on the spice level. No Carolina reapers or Trinidad scorpions here. But if you want to toss in a few habaneros or scotch bonnets, they can add another dimension of spice and flavor we love. Fresnos are essentially slightly spicier, red jalapeños, so if you’re interested in a green sauce, you can use those as well.

To keep things food-safe, ensure you're using precise measurements and you “burp”, or let the gas release, from the fermentation container, so you can enjoy the sauce safely.

Let us know what chiles you used in the comments below!

fresno chiles, roughly chopped (weighed after stems removed)