Brussel Sprout Kimchi

Oh yes, another Kimchi!!!! But why would I choose Brussel Sprouts? I dislike Brussel Sprouts, and I've had them prepared just about every way. After a buddy (JJG) posted his version, I thought I would give it a try. I wondered if I made Kimchi using "BS" (No-Pun intended), the flavor profile would change enough for me to change my opinion. I am happy to report I loved the "BS-Kimchi" even though I could taste the "BS."  I'll admit the puns intended or not are fun. 

Results were tremendous, so therefore, I will post a somewhat detailed recipe. Please consult the other Kimchi Recipes for extra details. 

Note: Since I've never bought BS before and after prepping them, I had a couple of takeaways. Smaller ones are less dense and will ferment better, and they are much more tender. The large ones are denser, and you need to trim more off the end. 

I recorded what I did, but this recipe can be modified easily to suit your needs. Mix and match veggies if you like. You will need about 6.5-7 lbs of Brussel Sprouts. The 6 lbs listed in the recipe is after trimming. 

Let's be honest I did not use a recipe but used what I thought would be good eats. I visualized what I thought would work with this version of Kimchi. I weighed everything for a point of reference so I could make it again.  

Cut the end off the Brussel Sprouts and cut them into little round slices. Again since I'm inexperienced with Brussel Sprouts, I noticed the little ones are more tender and yield much more. 

Brine the Brussel Sprouts using a 7% Brine for at least 12-Hrs. Make sure all veggies are below the brine. I used spring water which is superior to tap Water which contains additives that could inhibit fermentation. I also use Redmond Real Salt, which is a preferred salt for fermentation. After brining for the 12-hrs rinse the Brussel Sprouts very, very well in cold water. 

How to create a 7% brine? It's simple math.... weigh the Water and multiple by the percentage you want for the brine. I.e., 2000 grams of Water needs 140 grams of Salt. You cannot dissolve Salt in cold Water. Bring some of the Water to a boil and add the Salt, then stir to dissolve. I am a crazy guy, but I also have a small block of Ice to cool the boiling Water. Yes, I made a block of ice from the spring water.  

Prepping Veggies

I used a food processor for the carrots and a mandolin for the daikon radish. 

After prepping the Brussel Sprouts, I got all the veggies/pear together in one large bowl to be used the following day. The Bowl contains- Diakon Raddish, Green Onions, Chopped up Pear, and Carrots. 

It's been about 12-hrs, so it's time to prepare the slurry..... to a Saucier, add about 2 cups of water and bring to a boil, and lower flame to a simmer. Toss in  1/3 cup of Rice Flour. After it comes together, set it aside to cool. 

Add Garlic, Onion, Ginger, Fish Sauce, Powered Korean Pepper, Sugar, and cooled Rice-Flour-Slurry to a food processor. 

After everything has been processed, toss this into all the veggies and mix very, very well. 

In a very large container, add the now rinsed Brussel Sprouts. Add the Korean Pepper Flakes and mix very well. 

Toss in the veggies that were combined with the food processor mixture. Mix very, very well. Jar up and make sure everything is below the brine. 

After tasting and measuring the PH, I settled in on 4.23. 

I dumped everything into a large container and jarred everything up. If you find that there is not enough brine for each jar, just make a small batch using 3% salt and Korean Pepper.