This is how I make my own chili power. I am interested in FLAVOR not fire hot food so I plant mild chili peppers. Now that the weather is cooler and the days are shorter I am getting more RED chili peppers. I have already picked several baskets of red chili peppers but now I am getting about 2 baskets of red chili peppers every week. I air dry the chili peppers it takes several month for them to get dry enough that I can grind them up in the food processor. They should be dry enough by January or February. On a windy day I grind them outside and I make sure to stand up wind of the food processor. The dry peppers are a little slow to grind so it takes several minutes to grind each batch into small pieces. Next I have to grind them again in the kitchen blender on high speed for several minutes each batch. It takes several minutes to get the seeds to grind to powder. I have 6 chili pepper plants this year I hope to get about 5 or 6 lbs of red chili power.
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h292/mikeweaver/chile1.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h292/mikeweaver/chili2.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h292/mikeweaver/chili3.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h292/mikeweaver/chili4.jpg[/img]
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stella1751
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Thanks Gary and Soil for the great information. I'd love to make some chili powder from my own peppers.stella1751 wrote:Great stuff, Soil. Thanks for sharing! What kind of peppers are you using? Are those Cayennes? I'm betting the Super Chiles would make great chili powder. They are hot but, like you said, not fire hot. I do believe I will give them a try for this purpose next year.
Stella, you gave me an inspiration: bhut jolokia chili powder
.I have what are called "Thai Peppers," they are about 4 in. long and get kind of wrinkly, these would count as a "chili pepper," wouldn't they.
Now that I think about it, what really constitutes a chili pepper?
Air drying doesn't work here because of internal mold so I cut and seed mine and they go into the dehydrator over night. Canning-mason jars have the same thread as my blender blade assembly so I often do the chopping-grinding inside a jar, especially for the hot ones.
The Mexican cuisine pepper trinity is Ancho, Guajillo, and Pasilla; and Chimayo peppers are supposed to make a gourmet chili powder.
You can also buy seed for several heat levels of Paprika peppers (the Hungarian ones with flavor, not the American ones, which are Numex types bred for color).
The Mexican cuisine pepper trinity is Ancho, Guajillo, and Pasilla; and Chimayo peppers are supposed to make a gourmet chili powder.
You can also buy seed for several heat levels of Paprika peppers (the Hungarian ones with flavor, not the American ones, which are Numex types bred for color).
I have been using the super chilis, as well as a few others I have like ancho, pasilla, and a few from seeds colllected in mexico. the serrano peppers make the amazing smoked chili powder.Great stuff, Soil. Thanks for sharing! What kind of peppers are you using? Are those Cayennes? I'm betting the Super Chiles would make great chili powder. They are hot but, like you said, not fire hot. I do believe I will give them a try for this purpose next year.
one thing I like about drying chilis(and making powder) is the storage of the chilis. they last way longer, store in less space, and don't need refrigeration or anything like that.
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Gary350
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After grinding to chili powder I sometimes put 1 cup full of the chili powder on a paper plate and microwave it. After 60 seconds I have to stop every 15 seconds to check it and stir it. I want it to get hot enough to brown just enough to give it a roasted flavor. I have to watch it pretty close so not to burn it. Roasted flavor add a lot of good flavor to certain foods.
I never use Cayennes peppers they are too hot. I only use mild chili peppers I am only interested in flavor.
A good source of seeds is the Mexican grocery store. They have dried red chili pepper by the bag only $2 per bag. A bag contains about a dozen dried chili peppers.
I never use Cayennes peppers they are too hot. I only use mild chili peppers I am only interested in flavor.
A good source of seeds is the Mexican grocery store. They have dried red chili pepper by the bag only $2 per bag. A bag contains about a dozen dried chili peppers.
Its an old old Hamilton Beach blender, but I think that the size is pretty standard because when I have mentioned this before noone has said that it didn't work for them. Its not a function of the jars having a unique diameter so much as of the threads, which are a single ridge around a deep neck on mason and similar jars. My plastic peanut butter jar looks to have the same thread, but I haven't tested it.
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lorax
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I do this with a mixture of Poblano, Serrano, and yellow Aji peppers, which gives me a nice heat without too much burn or bite to it. I dry by laying the seeded peppers on a board covered in tinfoil out in the sun, with wire baskets popped over top to keep the bugs off and the peppers from blowing away in the wind. I powder in a wooden mortar and pestle specifically for the purpose (ie nothing but chilis goes into this thing.) - AS, I took an inventory, and I've actually got something closer to 10 sets; I thought it was fewer for some reason. 
Then I do add other spices. My blend consists of the Aji mixture above, powdered sweet Hungarian-type Paprika, Cumin, ground Oregano, Clove, Turmeric, powdered Garlic, and a pinch of Cinnamon.
Then I do add other spices. My blend consists of the Aji mixture above, powdered sweet Hungarian-type Paprika, Cumin, ground Oregano, Clove, Turmeric, powdered Garlic, and a pinch of Cinnamon.
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LindsayArthurRTR
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Oh! Wide mouth or regular mouth? (Well, maybe I'll take both.... 
)I guess it's all a matter of personal preference. Some like a lot in their chili powder, while others just like that taste of a chili.
I think it'd be a great idea to mix different types of chilies, that would give you a nice variety of flavors.
TZ, great info about the blender/caning jar compatibility.
I think it'd be a great idea to mix different types of chilies, that would give you a nice variety of flavors.
TZ, great info about the blender/caning jar compatibility.
I think traditional American cooking (the Betty Crocker generation) has corrupted the use of powdered chiles by the use of "chile powder" which is a combination containing cumin and cayenne pepper. It is used to add "taco-Mexican" flavor (= cumin) and some heat, not chile flavor. Also, corrupted is the use of paprika powder (for coloring not flavor). I bet the little red can of paprika in many kitchens is 10 years old and is nothing more than reddish sawdust used to color deviled eggs for 4th of July potlucks.
I was yanked out of that mindset when I bought a simple cookbook for Mexican cuisine a while back and some of the recipes (chile colorado, chile con carne) called for three each dried ancho, pasilla and guajillo peppers (seed ribs left in or out depending on heat preference), which is a lot more pepper than the teaspoon-tablespoon of chile powder normally seen in similar recipes. The dried peppers are soaked in warm water and then liquified in a blender if you don't have powder on hand, and since it is easer to find dried chiles in stores than ground chiles, that is the usual way I do it. I think most of the recipes work out to around three dried chiles per pound of meat. You can find some of these red sauce dishes in good Mexican restaurants. Mole sauces are in the same class but contain more ingredients.
Some traditional Hungarian recipes (goulash et al) use paprika in similar amounts.
I was yanked out of that mindset when I bought a simple cookbook for Mexican cuisine a while back and some of the recipes (chile colorado, chile con carne) called for three each dried ancho, pasilla and guajillo peppers (seed ribs left in or out depending on heat preference), which is a lot more pepper than the teaspoon-tablespoon of chile powder normally seen in similar recipes. The dried peppers are soaked in warm water and then liquified in a blender if you don't have powder on hand, and since it is easer to find dried chiles in stores than ground chiles, that is the usual way I do it. I think most of the recipes work out to around three dried chiles per pound of meat. You can find some of these red sauce dishes in good Mexican restaurants. Mole sauces are in the same class but contain more ingredients.
Some traditional Hungarian recipes (goulash et al) use paprika in similar amounts.