best peppers for drying/grinding

[sixshooter]

What do you think? Besides cayenne (already do those). I tried drying poblanos in the o ven but that didn't really work. Id like to make some nice powder to spice my foods up. Give me some wisdom here.

[soil]

there are so many chilies with different flavors and heat levels its hard to name "the best". what type of food do you want to make? how hot?

[sixshooter]

I like moderately hot stuff. There's a bar near me that has an "ancho" flavored dry wings that I love. I can't describe the flavor though. Just taking any recommendations really.

[Spicy Chicken]

That is a good question!
I would like to know as well.

Jeff

[stella1751]

I was studying this last year, and it looked like any hot pepper could be dried. I would imagine that the thicker the wall, the longer the drying. Poblanos will give you that Ancho flavor, but the recommended method of drying (if you don't have a food dehydrator) is hanging them outside.

Here's a video I watched, I think, last year: [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjqm2RoaK64]"Cooking Techniques : How Do You Dry Fresh Hot Peppers?"[/url]

[soil]

I recommend going through this website for some peppers. they have a good selection of great chili peppers. most are good for drying.

https://www.nativeseeds.org/catalog/index.php?cPath=1_16&osCsid=ksi7mm2k5vbij701lnf84i07a4

[TZ -OH6]

Anchos don't ripen fast enough here, so I have switched to the Northern NewMexico local varieties for ground red chile. They ripen faster and are thin walled for quick drying. Chimayo has a very nice sweet flavor. Espanola Improved (a more commercial variety) is very similar (Espanola is a town next to Chimayo). Guajillo (slightly different flavor) also ripens fast enough here to be worthwhile.

I use these for Enchilada sauce (great on eggs), Chile colorado (meat stewed in basic red/echilada sauce), and chili con carne. Heat level depends on if you leave the seeds/membranes in. There is still a little bit of heat if you de-seed the pods.

Basic recipes call for about 6-9 pods per pot of chili or two cups of enchilada sauce. Ground that is about three heaping tablespoons.


For sprinkling heat on a dish, like crushed cayenne at the pizzaria, I grow De Arbol, but I really prefer a mix of equal parts of powdered habanero, onion, garlic and powdered salt....Better flavor and easier to adjust heat than using "crushed red pepper". Rather than growing the habs Its actually easier for me to go to the store and buy a pound of habs in mid winter (low humidity) and air dry them after cutting out the seeds. I don't get good flavor growing them here.

Another option for crushed red pepper flakes is fish pepper which is also and ornamental plant.

[BrianSkilton]

I just used one of those food dehydrators, I don't think it was to expensive. I dried everything from poblano's to cayenne. then grinded them with a spice grinder. Any hot pepper will dry well though.

[veteran]

I just used one of those food dehydrators, I don't think it was to expensive. I dried everything from poblano's to cayenne. then grinded them with a spice grinder. Any hot pepper will dry well though.

I have heard horror stories about people trying to dry their peppers without a dehydrator (mold, disease, insects, etc). I guess if it's nothing important and easy to get more of at your supermarket you can try alternative drying methods. But if it's a Bhut or something hard to grow I would spend the $40-$60 on a dehydrator.

[tedln]

I don't dry them, but my favorite dried pepper for flavor is the orange Habenero. I believe it has the best taste of all the chilies for overall cooking. The problem is getting it blended down with milder chilies to about the jalapeno level and still retain the distinct habenero taste.

Ted

[stella1751]

I have heard horror stories about people trying to dry their peppers without a dehydrator (mold, disease, insects, etc). I guess if it's nothing important and easy to get more of at your supermarket you can try alternative drying methods. But if it's a Bhut or something hard to grow I would spend the $40-$60 on a dehydrator.

One of the reasons I like organic gardening is its back-to-the-land feel. I know it's dumb, but I am determined to dry mine au natural. To truly horrify everyone, I also plan to use a mortal and pestle to grind them. I ground my few successes with it last year, and it just felt like something my grandparents might have done

Admittedly, after the first dozen peppers, I may break down and buy a dehydrator. I hope not.

[nosta]

I have heard horror stories about people trying to dry their peppers without a dehydrator (mold, disease, insects, etc). I guess if it's nothing important and easy to get more of at your supermarket you can try alternative drying methods. But if it's a Bhut or something hard to grow I would spend the $40-$60 on a dehydrator.

One of the reasons I like organic gardening is its back-to-the-land feel. I know it's dumb, but I am determined to dry mine au natural. To truly horrify everyone, I also plan to use a mortal and pestle to grind them. I ground my few successes with it last year, and it just felt like something my grandparents might have done

Admittedly, after the first dozen peppers, I may break down and buy a dehydrator. I hope not.

I too like the mortor and pestle. A friend does woodworking and makes awesome wooden bowls, pepper mills etc. I had him make a mortar and pestle for me and it is one of my favorite kitchen tools.

I tried to dry my peppers "au natural" in the past but I think the summer humidity was not favorable to this. I bought a decent dehydrator from Kohl's and it works great.

[Canoe]

While I may not be able to help with the pepper choice. I did look into the dehydrator to see a cheaper way to dry them. Also found this on how to do it.
https://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/2008-08-01/How-To-Dry-Food.aspx

Here is a DIY dehydrator
https://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/2006-08-01/Build-a-Solar-Food-Dehydrator.aspx

Here is a really cheap DIY one from 1981 for $1. May cost a little more to make but can't be much.
https://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/1981-01-01/A-Solar-Food-Dryer-From-Cardboard-Boxes.aspx

But if you don't want solar I seen a really good DIY one in this months Urban Farm magazine. Also seen this
https://www.instructables.com/id/Inexpensive-Food-Dehydrator-with-Recycled-Parts/

Hope some of this helps with your drying. And good luck with the peppers.

Canoe

[DeborahL]

Stella, nothing dumb about doing things naturally ! I applaud this !

[TZ -OH6]

Technology is next to Godliness. God gave me opposable thumbs so that I can move beyond rubbing rocks together so it would be blasphemy if I shunned my gift. I grind my stuff in the blender. Really hot varieties go into a mason jar which screws onto the cutterblade collar threads. Normal peppers just go into the normal pitcher. I ground up enough red chiles for two quarts of powder last year, and I need pretty fine powder from the habaneros to make my hot salt.

[tedln]

What preparation do you perform on peppers before drying or dehydrating them? Do you wash them in some kind of solution either to flavor them or kill bacteria? Do you remove the seeds?

How long can you store peppers after drying them? Should you store them in the refrigerator? Should you pack them in zip lock bags (open or closed)? Do you freeze them for long term storage?

Ted

[TZ -OH6]

I wash them in soapy water to get the dirt off and then (for most peppers) using a very sharp very thin knife (boning knife) I halve and de seed them because I don't need the extra heat, and I think that the membranes add a chemical taste. Then they go into the dehydrator until crisp (over night usually) and then into a freeser ziplock. Once ground they go into a glass jar to preserve the freshness. We have pantry moths and they just love dried peppers so I have to be careful about packaging with ziplocks. If I had more than a year's worth of ground pepper It would go into the freezer.


IMO, flavor is better with faster dehydrating, so my crisp dried bright red anchos taste better to me than dried on the plant leathery-gummy raisin looking anchos from the store.

[tedln]

Some peppers, like the green or yellow banana peppers are simply too bland in taste for me to find useful. I believe they would be as bland or more bland if dehydrated. I am curious if tasteless peppers or even more tasteful peppers can be flavor enhanced by curing them in a brine solution with some honey or molasses or maple syrup and salt before drying and grinding them. Would the process ruin the peppers taste or enhance it?

The reason I love the taste of the habanero pepper is its fruity taste that can't be found in any real fruit. Would a fruit based liquor like an orange or pomegranate liquor in a brine solution impart a hint of its flavor into dried and ground pepper?

Some vegetables like tomatoes and mushrooms seem to have more intense flavors when dried. If they were dried with the peppers and ground into powder with the peppers, would the flavor combinations be good or not so good?

Would peppers dried and ground with herbs like oregano, thyme, basil, or even some Tamarin paste be good? I wouldn't want to over power the pepper flavors with other flavors. I would find it interesting if people tasting the blended flavors would say "I love the taste and I recognize it, but I can't identify it"

Ted

[gardenvt]

Pablanos are unripened Anchos and are very mild in heat - once they turn red they have a nice heat to them.

I rinse, deseed and then dry my peppers. You can add honey or syrup to your foods but, dry the food first and then add the sticky stuff. It will take awhile to do this but if you like, it might be worth your time.

[garden5]

Actually, you can dry even bell peppers, but I heard it takes a very long time to do so.

I'm still an armature at drying peppers, but I grew some Thai peppers last year and all I did was take the peppers, put them in a container, and left it up on the fridge. After a while, I checked them out and they were very dry, crumbly, and I could here the seeds rattle in them.

So, they seem to work well for me.

[Spicy Chicken]

Cool

[soil]

don't forget about smoking the thicker peppers, smoked peppers make for soem excellent sauce.

[orgoveg]

You folks who like all these hot peppers are truly blessed with good stomachs. Acid reflux keeps me awake at night. On rare occasions, I like jalapenos with my nachos at the ballpark and I'll order medium-spiced wings at restaurants. I always pay for it.

I dry other foods in the oven with the door slightly open. 125-175 degrees for a few hours does the trick for most veggies and all bacteria is killed at 160 degrees. No problems with mold, etc. You just have to make sure it is completely dry and package it properly.

I also use a mortar and pestle regularly. I searched the riverbed for years to find the perfect rocks. (I do alot of fishing). They call it a manos metate in Mexico.

[stella1751]

I also use a mortar and pestle regularly. I searched the riverbed for years to find the perfect rocks. (I do alot of fishing). They call it a manos metate in Mexico.

I would like to know more about this manos metate, Orgoveg. It doesn't sound like the standard mortar and pestle, and that interests me. One day, I would like to try to grind my own corn for meal, just for fun, and I'm betting this is what was used, way back when.

[TZ -OH6]

Metates were used for small amounts of corn, and when traveling but most native corn cultures used hollowed out tree trunks with 3 ft long pestles so that they could "pound" enough at one time for a meal. Ease of grinding was why flour corns were so popular with the Native Americans.

[soil]

I also use a mortar and pestle regularly. I searched the riverbed for years to find the perfect rocks. (I do alot of fishing). They call it a manos metate in Mexico.

I use a stone mortar and pestle to crush my chilis on an almost daily basis for cooking. when dried peppers are freshly crushed thats when you get the best flavors.

I also like hot peppers because they are just good for your body, so many health benefits.

[garden5]

Spicy, that's quite a list you have there!

I see you grow quite a few of the hot ones. In you opinion, is the bhut jolokia the hottest, or do some of the others taste hotter?

I know that the bhut jolokia ranks as the official "world's hottest," but I've heard lately that there are others with many folks consider hotter. Since you seem to be a connoisseur of peppers, I'd figure you could give me a good opinion.

Sorry if I'm taking this thread off topic.

[orgoveg]

I also use a mortar and pestle regularly. I searched the riverbed for years to find the perfect rocks. (I do alot of fishing). They call it a manos metate in Mexico.

I would like to know more about this manos metate, Orgoveg. It doesn't sound like the standard mortar and pestle, and that interests me. One day, I would like to try to grind my own corn for meal, just for fun, and I'm betting this is what was used, way back when.

I suppose a standard mortar and pestle would be like the pharmacists use (about the size of a coffee cup). When I think of a manos metate, it's a concave rock as big as a dinner plate (or bigger) and a stone about the size of a softball is used for grinding. Try Google or Bing images.

[sixshooter]

Last year I dried some cayenne and serranos by slicing them up and backing them in the oven for a night and part of the day at a low heat 170ish. Worked just fine. I've hand dried peppers in the past but it was alot of work and they got kind of nasty with cobwebbs and what appeared to be some mildew. If you keep them in a real sunny window in a dry part of the house you should be good.

[soil]

if your home/environment is not very humid you can just string them up and dry them. I do this with about 80% of my peppers until fall rolls around and there's more humidity in the air. it works great for the thin walled peppers, the thicker ones not as much, or at least not when its cool. in the summer its no problem.

[wiscopeppers]

this thread is relevant to my interests.

spicey, I like the looks of the powders you have on your site, you obviously do a lot of drying, do you use a large commercial type dehydrator or some other method?

I'm thinking counter top dehydrator of some kind for my purposes. I hope to be able to make some ghost pepper powder. I'd like to be able to make (or acquire) a keychain sized container, much like the type you'd keep heart medicine in on a necklace, to carry around with me to sprinkle on everything.