How To Make Homemade Fermented Ghost Pepper Mustard From Scratch
Fermented ghost pepper mustard next to smoked pork loin.
I recommend using the brine from a previous ferment or buying raw unpasteurized sauerkraut from the store and using that liquid to help jumpstart the fermentation process. Adding raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar will help with that as well. You can get the fermentation process to start without, however, you may need to add some raw garlic or onion to add more lactobacillus to the batch. Lactobacillus is responsible for how lacto fermentation works.
Ingredients:
195 g yellow mustard seeds, 1/3 of them get crushed
300 ml water
1/8 c apple cider vinegar
1/8 c brine from previous ferment
8 g fine sea salt
1-3 ghost pepper
Tools needed:
Mason jar with lid
Coffee filter or cheese cloth
Mortar and pestle
Ziplock bag filled with water or other fermentation weight
Digital scale
Immersion blender or high powered blender
Mixing bowl
Sharp knife
Cutting board
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How to make it:
***Safety precaution - Ghost peppers are very spicy with a scoville heat unit around 800,000 to 1,100,000. The capsaicin with badly burn your skin and other areas on your body if touched. Wearing gloves and safety glasses when handling and cutting these peppers is not an option. I linked rubber gloves that I use above in the tools needed section.
Wash and dry the pepper(s). I used 2 in my recipe, you can use more or less for your taste and heat desire. Cut the stem end off the pepper and rough chop. Seed and placenta removal is optional. With the high heat level of the pepper, I don’t find any real difference removing the placenta or not.
I like to grind 1/3 of the mustard seeds in my mortar and pestle. This helps the mustard flavor bloom better during the fermentation process. Add the mustard seeds to your mason jar.
Weight out the salt and measure out the brine/vinegar.
Add the peppers, brine, apple cider vinegar and salt to the jar.
If you check the pH of the brine, it should be under 4.6. When I checked mine, it was at 3.8 pH.
Mix the ingredients in the jar and place a fermentation weight to keep the peppers submerged and mustard seeds under the brine level. I place a coffee filter or cheese cloth over the top of the jar opening and lightly screw on the lid to keep it secured. Make sure the lid is loose as you need to let pressure get released as it develops. Let ferment at room temperature away from direct sunlight for 2 weeks to 1 month. You will see tiny “fermentation bubbles” accumulate in the jar after 4-5 days which is a great sign. Now you just need to leave it an let the magic happen. I have a place in my pantry that I call my fermentation station that is perfect for storing all of my fermentation projects.
After the fermentation period is done, check the pH. It should be around 3.5 pH. If it isn’t under 4.6, something went wrong and the mustard is not safe to consume. Pour the contents in the jar into a large mixing bowl and process with an immersion blender or you can use a high powered blender. Wearing gloves during this process is recommended also. Blend to a consistency of your liking or don’t blend at all. Store mustard in a glass mason jar and keep in the refrigerator. This will keep for a few months if you don’t use it all within a much shorter period of time of course. It is DELICOUS!
The flavor on this mustard at first may be slightly bitter. As the mustard sits in the refrigerator for the next day or two, that bitterness should recede.
I smeared the outside of a pork loin with this mustard, smoked it and served it sliced on smoked tomato slices and goat cheese. DELICIOUS. The video is linked here if you want to see how it all comes together in real time.
Enjoy!
Logan
