# smoking and dehydrating peppers



## M88A1 (May 21, 2012)

This year we had good luck with banana, jalapeno, Serrano peppers and I smoke them between 18 and 24 hours whole. At 18 hours the larger ones still had moisture and my wife put them in the dehydrator for 4 hours. Then she left some whole or broke them slightly and the rest ground into power like a spice. This really turned out great.


----------



## danil54grl (Mar 10, 2014)

Ground my peppers inside the kitchen one time and learned my lesson! From then on its outside on back porch. I looked like a freaking bank robber with the bandana tied on my face. . . Smoking gives them a nice flavor too. Have ya seen the price at the store they want for chipotle powder and smoked paprika? Outrageous!! Good job


----------



## chuckhole (Mar 2, 2006)

danil54grl said:


> Ground my peppers inside the kitchen one time and learned my lesson! From then on its outside on back porch..............


Yeah. We did too.............with cayenne peppers. We left the house in tears and could not go back in for 4 hours. Never again.


----------



## NRA_guy (Jun 9, 2015)

I don't have a dehydrator. So I tried drying a bunch of habanero peppers on a cookie sheet in my attic (temp there runs around 125 degrees F). After a couple of days they were still not dry; so I left them on the dash of my truck parked in the sun with the windows rolled up.

Well, it worked and they came out crispy, but for days I could not enter my truck.

I then put them in a ziplock bag and crushed them.

Then I ran them through a little electric coffee grinder that my wife was not using.

It came out a fine powder that is very hot, and I filled a salt shaker with it.

I love it on most food but it makes me sneeze every time I sprinkle it on my food.


----------



## M88A1 (May 21, 2012)

That's hard core but what ever works. If I sprinkle the shaker to fast my eyes will water. the grinding in the house wasn't bad at all. the best part was the smell of those smoked peppers.


----------



## hunter63 (Jan 4, 2005)

Dehydrator .......cheepo "As seen on TV" years ago....use a 100 watt bulb...(real bulb)
Smoking...hard to keep them lit. 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/vintage-RON...833d6&pid=100677&rk=15&rkt=20&sd=112433475867


----------



## PlayingInDirt (Aug 2, 2017)

My hubby smoked some paprikas on the bbq and forgot them on there for like 2 weeks. The flavor is amazing! True chipotle.


----------



## M88A1 (May 21, 2012)

I use an electric smoker with a tray that holds wood chips/pellets. I can put about 3 handfuls of wood chips in it and that's all I use. Its takes awhile to burn off because I'm only about 165 degrees. The smoked flavor is what sets it off vs. just drying the peppers.


----------



## New2RuralHomesteading (Aug 27, 2017)

I am so pleased that this thread was made! I was actually, in a very creepy 'how'd they know!?' sort of way, was getting on here to ask what people have done with dehydrating peppers. Truth be told, I've never used my dehydrator for anything other than homemade fruit rollups, dried banana chips and similarly easy tasks. We grew some ghost peppers, jalapenos and Serrano peppers this year (first time on those ghosties... they're stubborn  ) and I have about a dozen left that I would like to dry out, ground up and use for Grumpy's hot cravings. 

They're not dried out and I've kept them in the fridge (shame on me, I know). What would be the standard way to dehydrate these peppers properly without having them smoked? (I don't have a smoker... but I have liquid smoke to fake it when I make ribs). 

Tips appreciated! Thanks all. <3


----------



## Kmac15 (May 19, 2007)

when we had a wonderful surplus of hot peppers we put them in the dehydrator and then strung them up on a string and hung them up


----------



## New2RuralHomesteading (Aug 27, 2017)

Kmac15 said:


> when we had a wonderful surplus of hot peppers we put them in the dehydrator and then strung them up on a string and hung them up


How long/what temp did you dehydrate them for? (And I love the stringing them up idea! That way it doesn't have to be powder only, he can still pick one and use it in his cooking/food as he wishes).


----------



## M88A1 (May 21, 2012)

New2RuralHomesteading----I don't have specific times for dehydrator. I would leave them whole and set them for 24 hours and check them. I used my electric smoker on 165 for 24 hours and some were still moist. Since my Initial post, ive set temp at 185 for 24 hours and had them come out better. You cant hurt them in a dehydrator leaving them in to long. If you take them out to soon just throw them back in a few more hours. Its really easy


----------



## New2RuralHomesteading (Aug 27, 2017)

M88A1 said:


> New2RuralHomesteading----I don't have specific times for dehydrator. I would leave them whole and set them for 24 hours and check them. I used my electric smoker on 165 for 24 hours and some were still moist. Since my Initial post, ive set temp at 185 for 24 hours and had them come out better. You cant hurt them in a dehydrator leaving them in to long. If you take them out to soon just throw them back in a few more hours. Its really easy


Excellent advice! I suppose I was paranoid I would make them too dry (like you said, is there such a thing, lol) so I will work on those now!


----------



## Kmac15 (May 19, 2007)

we were using a cheap round one at the time. I just put them in, turned it on and checked it the next day.


----------



## nate77 (Mar 20, 2013)

I'm a huge fan of dried habaneros. I cut them in half, put them in the nesco dehydrator at 135 degrees, for 24 hours, then I throw them in the food processor to make flakes. 

I made 2 quart jars last year, and have almost used it all, I love it on everything, especially my morning eggs.


----------



## New2RuralHomesteading (Aug 27, 2017)

I am a bit of a self-titled sissy when it comes to hot foods. Hot cheetos are about as hot as I go. Anything beyond that, I find myself muttering (between milk drinking) that it's "just so hot it's stupid, nobody can eat just hotness, there's not even flavor, I have no taste buds left, etc."

Grumpy? He's had only one pepper meet his expectations and it was the ghost pepper (Bhut Jolokia or whatever) but he's still itching to get his hands on some carolina reapers and the other 1-2 above ghosties. I don't even like to fathom he idea of nibbling on that.


----------

