Finally got my first batch of hot sauce to clear up after a cloudy start

For my first three tries, the mix from my garden peppers would always stay murky, even after a month in the jar. I switched to using a 2% brine by weight and let it sit in a cool closet for six weeks, and it came out crystal clear. Has anyone else had better luck with a specific salt ratio for getting a clean brine?

3 comments

3 Comments

wesleyburns2mo ago

It's funny how that works, the exact measurement making all the difference. I see it with my bread dough too, where a kitchen scale changed everything from a guess to a sure thing. Getting the salt right seems to be one of those quiet fundamentals that just makes the whole process reliable. Your clear brine must be so satisfying to look at now.

margaret_flores172mo agoMost Upvoted

Right? Scales are total game changers.

faithg261mo ago

Oh man you are so right @margaret_flores17! I actually had a buddy who tried to get fancy with his brine ratios once. He was all about that eyeball method, thought he had it down. Then one weekend he made a huge batch of pickles and they came out tasting like straight up ocean water. He was so bummed. He ended up calling me complaining about how he wasted all those cucumbers. I told him to just get a scale and be done with it. Now he sends me pictures of his brine jars and they look like crystal clear magic. It's funny how something so small can mess up a whole batch.