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Pepper Powder

Helldozer

Helldozer

Hey all. Sorry for posting this here, I didn't see a specific place to post about powders. However, I have a really quick question. I dried and ground up a Trinidad Scorpion about a year ago. I didn't add anything, it's just straight pepper powder. When I taste it, there are sometimes it tastes very bitter. What would cause that, a bad pepper I added, the powder is stale, etc?
 
Thanks!
 
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Hey Chris. The powder looks like a good color, nice and red. Maybe one of the peppers I added was bad? I'm usually pretty good at picking out the bad ones, but I supposed it could be just one that went south.
 
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Many factors could influence taste HD - leaving seeds in will add some bitterness, a bad pod or two could increase bitterness as well.  Length of time drying and temps while drying can also adversely effect taste.  The scorps I dried and ground from last year's garden are bitter too, and I did not have any bad ones or seeds in the batch.  In my experience even very ripe TS pods will have a bitter note to them, which is why I use them in blends with other peppers.
 
Chris' advice on smoking them first is likely spot on, which I'll keep in mind for my 7 pots and jigsaws that are growing this year :)
 
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Not true scorpion powder I guess, but I usually dehydrate some green chili peppers and some cayenne peppers and grind them into the powder. About 50% scorps and 50% chilis. Gives a powder that is plenty hot, but has a sweet/smoky back taste. Not bitter at all.

Also, you guys that smoke them, what temp and for how long do you smoke them? I might give this a try this season. What kind of wood do you use? Do you dehydrate first? Storage?

VR,
Harold
 
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When I smoke peppers for powder it's low and slow. I have an electric smoker that will let me smoke thing below 100 dF and I'll usually give them 4 hours of smoke with Apple wood. I like apple with peppers because it's not a really strong and overpowering smoke and I can still tell the flavor of the peppers when done.

Cheers,
RM
 
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I too smoke low and slow, about 120 degrees. The first hour is electric heat without smoke to start drying the peppers so they'll more readily accept the smoke, then 4 hours of hickory smoke fueled by a small charcoal fire in a single hibachi. (the large hickory chunks are soaked in water overnight first).
 
If they're still not completely dry by that point I'll continue with low electric heat sans smoke until they are.
 
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