Deryck's Red Pepper Sauce

by Deryck Terblanche
(South Africa)

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Oak shavings
  
• Red Peppers


• 1/2 cup Pickle Spice


• 500ml White wine vinegar


• 2 Tablespoons coarse sea salt


• 4 Tablespoons white/brown sugar


• 1/2 Bottle Whiskey

Step 1: Fermentation

Slit open enough red peppers (Tabasco Pepper,Cayenne Pepper or any chillies of your choice) to fill a glass bottle (2 litre) to about 1/2 full.

Medium roast the oak shavings in a pan on the stove until dark brown.

Fill glass bottle with the chillies.

Add sea salt, roasted oak shavings & pickle spice.

Cover bottle opening with cheesecloth & rubber band to allow contents to ferment without allowing oxygen to enter the bottle. (I use a cork fitted with an air trap which can be bought from hobby shops specializing in wine/beer making).

Allow to ferment for approx. 2 weeks.

Step 2: Pickling

After fermentation, drain all brine from the bottle and add heated (not boiled!) vinegar.

Add enough to cover the chillies. Add sugar.

This time you should seal the bottle completely with cork or screwcap to allow the fermented chillies to pickle.

Allow to pickle for approx. 3 - 6 weeks. Give bottle a good shake every now and then to promote emulsification of mixture.

After pickling: Put mixture through a juice extractor and there you have your "Tabasco" like sauce. Drink Whiskey and give yourself a good pat on the back for patiently executing this rigorous (but well worth) recipe. ENJOY!