sorry if this is the wrong section. Im totally new at pepper growing and i have yet to harvest my bhut jolokias. they still havent grown any fruits yet, but what id like to know is how to turn my pepper from fruit to a powder form. im going to make some hot sauce but id also like some jolokias in powder form. like powdered garlic or cheyenne. what are the steps?
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How do I make powdered pepper?
- Thread starter misterbrownstone06
- Start date
Either sun dry or use a dehydrator. Then grind.
When you look for a dehydrator try to get one with a temp control on it!
Preferably that goes as low as 95f .That way you can retain a wonderful color while having the seeds remain viable!
I usually cut mine in half and they dry twice as fast.
As far as grinding them I learned a great trick from the people here.
Use your blender base screwed onto a mason jar!
It works so great for me! and you dont have the big dust cloud to contend with!
Kevin
Preferably that goes as low as 95f .That way you can retain a wonderful color while having the seeds remain viable!
I usually cut mine in half and they dry twice as fast.
As far as grinding them I learned a great trick from the people here.
Use your blender base screwed onto a mason jar!
It works so great for me! and you dont have the big dust cloud to contend with!
Kevin
If I find a cheap dehydrator in my area, ill definitely grab one. Are there any other ways to dry them other than air drying them? I heard that takes a month outside, and im afraid some bug might start to eat my peppers. Do I leave the seeds intact while dehydrating or do I deseed them? I also heard a coffee grinder works well to dehydrate them, but im not sure. Also, what are some good recipes? Im sure the powder calls for more than just peppers? Any help?
i know the grinder is is grinding silly. thanks for the help guys!
As far as pepper powder recipes, it is as easy as dry the peppers, grind the peppers. You choose what peppers to put in it. IMO, why add anything but chili's? Things that others have done is use all one color of pepper to get a distinct flavor profile and color of powder. Blend supers with chili's with less heat to tone it down a little, or to give the burn different characteristics. I will say one thing though, if you use nothing but super-hots in your powder, it will be hot enough to make even the most hard core chilihead cry. It will make anyone not familiar with what super hot heat is about go "Holy Flaming Tonsils Batman!!!" 
salsalady
Business Member
Mr 06-
it's Ok and you have a simple 2 step process-
step 1- dry
step 2- grind
Both steps are very simple and don't worry about all the technical stuff. Just do some reading on whatever seems to work for your situation and most times, it works out great. The goals are to DRY and GRIND. From there, the options are limitless!
Dry It- in an oven, a dehydrator, hanging from the pergola, in the back bedroom with an oscillating fan....
Grind It- use an old blender, a new coffee grinder, a hand crank grain mill, mortar-n-pistil..... what ever you have, whatever works, it all seems to end up good in the end.
it's Ok and you have a simple 2 step process-
step 1- dry
step 2- grind
Both steps are very simple and don't worry about all the technical stuff. Just do some reading on whatever seems to work for your situation and most times, it works out great. The goals are to DRY and GRIND. From there, the options are limitless!
Dry It- in an oven, a dehydrator, hanging from the pergola, in the back bedroom with an oscillating fan....
Grind It- use an old blender, a new coffee grinder, a hand crank grain mill, mortar-n-pistil..... what ever you have, whatever works, it all seems to end up good in the end.
I was new to drying peppers last year. I tried several methods, and by far, the best one for me was smoking on low heat in a Weber charcoal grill. You can choose various smoke flavors depending on the wood you use. I have to take a big whiff of that stuff before I sprinkle it on. Man, that smoked pepper just drives me nuts.
like everyone else said, dry then grind - anything that gives you a dry heat will do.
i just finished powdering some dried pequin peppers, i didn't grow them but purchased them from the grocery store - don enrique brand. for years i would look at these dried peppers and wonder about the viability of the seeds...well, yesterday i tossed them into the cart. this morning i deseeded some then put the rest into my cheap coffee bean grinder. seeds and all and ground to a fine powder.
when i powder my own peppers, i use my nesco fd80 and found for best drying results i had to use 135F, otherwise it was taking days to dry properly.
the only time i deseed before dehydrating is if i want to save some seeds for future planting.
i just finished powdering some dried pequin peppers, i didn't grow them but purchased them from the grocery store - don enrique brand. for years i would look at these dried peppers and wonder about the viability of the seeds...well, yesterday i tossed them into the cart. this morning i deseeded some then put the rest into my cheap coffee bean grinder. seeds and all and ground to a fine powder.
when i powder my own peppers, i use my nesco fd80 and found for best drying results i had to use 135F, otherwise it was taking days to dry properly.
the only time i deseed before dehydrating is if i want to save some seeds for future planting.
Good advice there BC, if you dry them that hot the seeds will not be viable ,so you may want to remove them first!
And it does take days to do it right!
and the color wont be as vibrant ,with a high temp like that you will get a brownish powder!
Kevin
Sure. There is alot of great information in the BBQ Forums section. It is most important to know your temps to keep it low and slow. A probe thermometer works great for me for accurate readings. Don't put your chilies in the smoker until you have learned to keep the heat down. The key for me was to not start so many coals at once and make sure the wood lumps are properly soaked. Even if the chiles are not completely dry by the end of the smoking session, let them sit out on the counter for a day or so, and they will dry up. I grind them up in a coffee grinder and add a little salt or garlic salt. Good luck!
my orange hab powder turned out orange, the problem i have with the length of time the peppers are in the dehydrator is right now, i have to dehydrate in the house and with a crabby wife(she doesn't check the hot pepper forum) and 2 little girls, i am banished to the garage. unfortuately, the garage is not heated and running the dehydrator at -40F at 95F was almost a stalemate. 2 days at -40 and the peppers hadn't even started to dry.
oh and 1 more thing mr.brown, you are probably going to have to cut jolokias in half in order for them to dry properly. ceyenne you could get way with whole. i purchased some packaged dried ghost peppers that are available in our local grocery store and they were still soft, too soft to powder as they would gum up my grinder, so i had to leave them out for a while to dry up some more(didn't have the dehydrator then).
Everything you need to know is in this thread:
http://www.thehotpepper.com/topic/18704-hot-n-heavy-2010/page__p__396281__fromsearch__1#entry396281
.....including the foolishness and drinking.
http://www.thehotpepper.com/topic/18704-hot-n-heavy-2010/page__p__396281__fromsearch__1#entry396281
.....including the foolishness and drinking.
thanks for all the help guys, im on the hunt for a dehydrator and i dont find one at a resonable price, then ill take it old school and hang it by a window. do they lose color this way?
Everything you need to know is in this thread:
http://www.thehotpep...__1#entry396281
.....including the foolishness and drinking.
One of the all-time great threads. A masterpiece.
thanks for the thread! it was helpful! But i notice that in the dehydrators, they lose color. does this happen when you hang dry them?