Yield: 1 cup
Ingredients
Base Ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount / Weight | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Raw honey | 1 cup | Unfiltered |
| Fresh garlic | 3 cloves | Peeled and lightly crushed |
| Fresh shallots | 2 | Peeled and thinly sliced |
| Fresh chili peppers | 4-6 | Sliced, adjust to taste |
| Sea salt | 1-2 teaspoons | Adjust based on preference |
Roasted Ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount / Weight | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Garlic cloves | 2-3 cloves | Whole, unpeeled |
| Shallot | 1 medium | Halved, unpeeled |
| Chili peppers | 2-3 | Whole |
Steps
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Place the whole garlic cloves, shallot halves, and whole chili peppers on a baking sheet. Roast for 15-20 minutes, or until soft and slightly charred. Allow to cool, then peel and slice.
- In a clean, dry bowl, mix the raw sliced chili peppers, garlic, and shallots with the sea salt. Ensure the vegetables are well coated with salt. This helps inhibit unwanted bacteria growth while promoting good bacteria for fermentation.
- Transfer the salted vegetables into a clean, dry jar.
- Add the roasted garlic, shallot, and chili peppers to the jar with the salted vegetables.
- Pour the raw honey over the vegetables, ensuring they are completely submerged. If the honey is too thick, warm it slightly to make it more pourable, but ensure it's not hot as high temperatures can kill beneficial bacteria.
- Secure the jar with an airlock lid. This is crucial to allow gases produced during fermentation to escape while preventing oxygen and contaminants from entering.
- Place the jar in a dark, room-temperature spot for 1 to 4 weeks. Check daily, stirring the mixture with a clean spoon to release gases and prevent mold formation.
- Taste the honey after 1 week, and every week thereafter, until it reaches your desired level of fermentation.
- Once fermentation is complete, replace the airlock with a tight-fitting lid and store the fermented hot honey in the refrigerator. It can be stored for several months.
Notes
- Adjust the amount of salt based on personal preference and the volume of vegetables used. More salt can result in a slower fermentation process.
- If your honey doesn't cover the ingredients after a few days, you can mix in a little non-chlorinated water to ensure they are submerged.
- Regularly check the mixture during fermentation to ensure it doesn't dry out and that mold doesn't form.
- Use the fermented honey as a drizzle on pizza, cheese, fried chicken, or incorporate it into dressings and marinades.
- Adjust the amount and type of chili peppers based on your preferred level of spiciness.
- Ensure all utensils and the jar are clean to avoid introducing unwanted bacteria into the fermentation process.
Fermentation
Fermentation is a metabolic process where microorganisms break down sugars into acids, gases, or alcohol. It's used to create foods and drinks like beer, wine, yogurt, and kimchi.
For our hot honey, fermentation adds complexity and preserves the product. We use an airlock to let CO2 escape while keeping oxygen out. This prevents pressure buildup and stops unwanted molds and bacteria from growing. The result is a safe, tangy, and complex hot honey.
Roasting some ingredients deepens their flavors, but it kills wild yeast needed for fermentation. We use a mix of roasted and raw ingredients to balance rich flavors with active cultures. This ensures proper fermentation while maximizing taste.