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annuum My 35 year Romance with the Jalapeno and Cayenne

What are YOUR favorite Hot Peppers?

  • Total voters
    38
pepperjoe

pepperjoe


As excited as I get to try new Chile varieties, I always go back to the good old Cayenne and Jalapeno peppers for certain advantages.
The Cayenne family of Hot Peppers are just ideal for drying. Some are as easy as putting on a paper plate in a sunny windowsil. I like to string them up with a needle and thread and hang in a sunny location. They just look so cool.
My favorite way to use the Cayennes is to de-seed them and cut into 1/2" peices. Let dry. Then I slightly roast them in the Broiler...just until they start to darken. Man, what a great, nutty and roasted flavor. Love to toss them into soups, Chili, spaghetti, on Pizza, etc.
:dance:
The Jalapeno is just perfect for freezing. The thick flesh freezes so well. Also, for stuffing they can't be beat. I like to stuff them with a mix of Philadelphia cream cheese and real bacon bits. Or with Sharp Cheese, Pepperoni (slim Jims will do) and thin slivers of Garlic and Onion. Getting hungry just describing them.
I found some cool Chile varieties in Hawaii, the Dominican Reupblic and St. Thomas this year. But I always gravitate back to the good ole' basics.
35 years....that's longer than my marriage lasted....what a Romance...
:woohoo:
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I'm still quite new to this whole world of hot chile peppers, so my experience is limited, in terms of having much contact with most of the hot peppers available out there.

So far I have enjoyed the Habaneros for their heat and flavor.

But I know that this is a journey, and that as time goes on, and I have an opportunity to sample more of the variations of heat and flavor that different chiles bring to the table, in the end, my chile knowledge and experiences will be all the more rich and well earned.

dvg
 
I guess my vote has to go to OTHER. I love jalapenos but have never been a cayenne lover. I'm also not a real habanero fan although there are many other chinenses that I do love. I can't vote for superhots since there are some good and some bad, and the same with goes with exotics.
 
New Mexico green chiles have been my favorite most of my life. I think superhots now have matched or possibly passed them by. Beaglestorm knows what I am talking about. Thanks alot Cappy, AJ, Wickedmojo, HSL, etc.!
 
POTAWIE said:
I guess my vote has to go to OTHER. I love jalapenos but have never been a cayenne lover. I'm also not a real habanero fan although there are many other chinenses that I do love. I can't vote for superhots since there are some good and some bad, and the same with goes with exotics.
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Other +1
 
This is always such a difficult question to answer. There are so many chiles that I enjoy for so many different reasons. Can't narrow it down. BTW, why are cayennes and jalapenos listed in one catagory???
 
For many years the NM green chiles and assorted jalapeno/serrano have been my favorites. Now I'm expanding the taste bud envelope to include habaneros. It's all good my friend.
 
+2 on other.

I like different varieties and how they are used for the their culinary uses. Jalapeno for stuffing, Goat weed and cayenne types for hot oils and habanero and superhots for cooking, powders and sauces. All in all i just get exited growing them. :cool:
 
Well Joe, until last year I probably would have voted for the Jalapeno's and Cayenne's, but today I'll have to vote "other" largely because of you.
Because, that was before I ordered a bunch of your seeds(with a 100%germination rate, BTW)and you tossed in a free package of Chiltepins.
I had not eaten or grown them before and they became one of my favorites almost immediately.
I really enjoy the level of "spunky" heat that comes on strong and then dissipates. I grind them, mix with some other powders of varied intensity, to get a blend of heat that moves from the front to the back and leaves a trail of flavor in between.
I can only guess how many of those little "fireballs" I picked off my 5 plants. I ate them with nearly every meal throughout the season, used about 500 for a fermented mash(which is exceptional) and still dried enough to fill 3 quart jars before the frost.(but my supply is dwindling)
And now every time I'm out breaking bread with some friends, they just look at me and shake their heads like I'm crazy when I pull a pill box out of my pocket and crunch up a half dozen or so on my meal. I just can't leave home without em'.
It appears that your free seeds created a monster.
A Chili Monsta that is.
 
I agree kind of with Chili Monsta on the little bird pepper being my favorite (Mine is the Texas Bird Pepper). A die hard easy start great tasting pepper that gives me more peppers than any other species I raise. A handful a day keeps me happy all day. I always would vote for the wild ones
 
RedtailForester said:
This is always such a difficult question to answer. There are so many chiles that I enjoy for so many different reasons. Can't narrow it down. BTW, why are cayennes and jalapenos listed in one catagory???
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Normally I would put Cayennes and Jalapenos into 2 different categories. I lumped them together because this Post is about both peppers. :dance:
 
pepperjoe said:
Normally I would put Cayennes and Jalapenos into 2 different categories. I lumped them together because this Post is about both peppers. :dance:
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No problem there Joe. I just wondered since I'm more of a fan of dried, crushed cayenne type pods then I am jalapenos. Just a personal preference thing but I'm also voting "other."
 
I have 10 jalapeno and 11 cayenne seedlings. More than any other type I am growing this year. I like to try new types as much as I can, but I will always grow these peppers.
 
Chili Monsta said:
Well Joe, until last year I probably would have voted for the Jalapeno's and Cayenne's, but today I'll have to vote "other" largely because of you.
Because, that was before I ordered a bunch of your seeds(with a 100%germination rate, BTW)and you tossed in a free package of Chiltepins.
I had not eaten or grown them before and they became one of my favorites almost immediately.
I really enjoy the level of "spunky" heat that comes on strong and then dissipates. I grind them, mix with some other powders of varied intensity, to get a blend of heat that moves from the front to the back and leaves a trail of flavor in between.
I can only guess how many of those little "fireballs" I picked off my 5 plants. I ate them with nearly every meal throughout the season, used about 500 for a fermented mash(which is exceptional) and still dried enough to fill 3 quart jars before the frost.(but my supply is dwindling)
And now every time I'm out breaking bread with some friends, they just look at me and shake their heads like I'm crazy when I pull a pill box out of my pocket and crunch up a half dozen or so on my meal. I just can't leave home without em'.
It appears that your free seeds created a monster.
A Chili Monsta that is.
Click to expand...
Hey Chili Monsta....great to hear from you and I'm thrilled that your seeds did so well.Sure would appreciate it if you mentioned that in the forum "Hot Pepper talk" in "wonder where pepper Joe went". I've been travelling a lot and this is our busy season so by the time I posted there I was a little late.
Thanks again for the vote of confidence.
:dance: :dance:
Fiery Regards, Pepper Joe
 
I voted Jalapenos and Cayennes although it would have been better labelled "Jalapenos, Anaheims, and Caribbean Reds" to more aptly describe my favorite peppers. Jalapenos are so good either green or red and can be used in so many ways. My favorite is to take big, corked, red pods and smoke them with pecan and then dehydrate. I freeze them and make chilpotles in adobo throughout the year.

Anaheims are the premier stuffing pepper in my opinion and I love their taste. They're also great for cooking in a variety of dishes.

Caribbean Reds are my favorite of the chinense varieties. I love to smoke them and make powders. They're also good on ham sandwiches. Finally, I make CR Apricot pepper jelly each year and give out for XMAS presents. They also are perfect sliced in Nam Pla (fish sauce) as a side for Beef Bai Kao Pow or other Thai dishes.

I'm getting hungry...
 
I put other. I cook a lot of Thai, so I use a lot of Thai peppers. Then come jalapeno which I also use in Thai. Then comes cayenne which I put in most of my Creole/Cajun cooking.
 
I really dont care for jalapenos or cayennes ( but will eat them, green jalapenos gotta be the lowest grade of chile taste IMO) thai, serranos, fresno's are better than both of those!

hab's is such a vague vote, should of made it chinese chiles. habs are good but so are many in their class.

superhots are good for the right meal & time of day.

so I gotta vote for other since theres so many chiles that are great for certain meals & time of day LOL.
 
I vote other. I prolly sound like a broken record to those who know me, but pablanos dried to ancho are my favorite ever. Theryre the base to most powders I enjoy. Smoked is even better but not needed
 
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