Do you strictly oven roast or do you dehydrate at some point aS well? I've been thinking about oven roasting either before of after the dehydrator to get that signature tasteHawaiianero said:
clump-free pepper powder?
- Thread starter twilliams386
- Start date
If you do this, will the pods retain some flavor from whatever wood you're using? Like smoking but less intense?Scoville DeVille said:
Don't have a dehydrator, the last batch I did was in my electric oven. Family wasn't happy about it so my next batch will be using my propane smoker.twilliams386 said:
Good idea but my propane grill died - replacement elements cost more than the grill didScoville DeVille said:
I'm planning on smoking for the first hour or less and then just using heat to finish drying. I'll try what SD said and not over-dry next time too. Waiting for enough pods to make it worthwhile right now. Plants were dormant through december but starting to flower again. I'll try to post pics when I do it.twilliams386 said:
twilliams386 said:
I myself like roasted peppers way more than smoked. I know I am in the minority here but smoked peppers (except for Chipotles) all taste similar to me and the smoke flavor is too intense. Grilling them or "roasting" them add just enough toasted flavor that I tend to prefer. You can also control how much "roasting" you want to have on them. Poblanos and Peños, I turn black so the skin is literally burnt. Hotter thin walled chilis I tend to just sere on a grill that is set to "nuclear" for just a few seconds per side.
To answer your question (LOL) yes, it is less intense than smoking them. IMO
Awesome, thanks scovie. I haven't tried smoked yet, but I love the roasted taste on the ones I've tried myself. I haven't tried to roast, then dry then powder, I'm hoping the flavor will carry all the way over for a bad ass spice blendScoville DeVille said:
How much is the nu-flow stuff? I went to the link and it made it seem like it was a bulk product. They might sell smaller quantities though. Thanks
They will send you a free 1lb sample. I didn't belI've it, but SL confirmed when I asked her. I ordered it and it came about 5 days later. Looks great, can't wait to try it out
Ring-of-Fire said:
Funny you mention the free sample, I just got back here from their website and requested the free sample and was gonna post about it here. Great minds think alike I guess. I'm assuming 1 lb should last a long time for small volume hobbyists like myself. I keep my powder in a mason jar and make small jars for friends from empty spice jars. I had an idea to use empty mini liquor bottles(airplane bottles) to make cool spice shakers. My only fear was clumping due to air and humidity getting to the powder through the holes in the shaker. If this stuff works then i won't have to worry about it. I suppose you could always store the shaker with some Saran wrap over the hole and then screw the top on also.
Yeah I'm assuming 1lb is gonna last a few seasons at least. The recommended ratio is 1-3% of total product. So if you got 100 grams of powder your only gonna mix 1-3 grams of this stuff in. And it should take care of any issues as far as air and moisture go, so you wouldn't have to worry about going the extra mile on sealing up.Ring-of-Fire said:
I like the mini bottle idea, may have to adopt that one!
salsalady
eXtreme Business
1 pound of NuFlow = 454 grams / ( 2 grams per 100 grams dry mix) = 227 portions x 100 grams mix =22,700 grams spice mix = 50 pounds of spice mix. (Well, that was convoluted, but I was going off of the 100 gram portion quoted above... 
)
1 pound of NuFlow will fix up 50 pounds of spices.
And to stretch it out even further, be aware of atmospheric conditions when packaging. If you can work it on a dry/low humidity day, that will help the mixes. Try not to package on rainy/high humidity days. On occassions when I knew I had to get some mix done and the weather wasn't cooperating, I closed the kitchen up and opened one of those de-humidifier containers for about 12 hours. If you try to package in a dry environment, the NuFlow might be dropped to 1% which would let 1 pound NuFlow treat 100 pounds of dry spices.
)1 pound of NuFlow will fix up 50 pounds of spices.
And to stretch it out even further, be aware of atmospheric conditions when packaging. If you can work it on a dry/low humidity day, that will help the mixes. Try not to package on rainy/high humidity days. On occassions when I knew I had to get some mix done and the weather wasn't cooperating, I closed the kitchen up and opened one of those de-humidifier containers for about 12 hours. If you try to package in a dry environment, the NuFlow might be dropped to 1% which would let 1 pound NuFlow treat 100 pounds of dry spices.
Nice!! Good work and great tips SL. Now we need Chris to weigh in on how much powder he makes on average per year, divide that by at least 4, then we can know how long it'll last the average Joe powder maker!salsalady said:1 pound of NuFlow = 454 grams / ( 2 grams per 100 grams dry mix) = 227 portions x 100 grams mix =22,700 grams spice mix = 50 pounds of spice mix. (Well, that was convoluted, but I was going off of the 100 gram portion quoted above...
1 pound of NuFlow will fix up 50 pounds of spices.
And to stretch it out even further, be aware of atmospheric conditions when packaging. If you can work it on a dry/low humidity day, that will help the mixes. Try not to package on rainy/high humidity days. On occassions when I knew I had to get some mix done and the weather wasn't cooperating, I closed the kitchen up and opened one of those de-humidifier containers for about 12 hours. If you try to package in a dry environment, the NuFlow might be dropped to 1% which would let 1 pound NuFlow treat 100 pounds of dry spices.
Mine don't clump and they are pure pepper. Some are commercial in plastic, some are homemade in glass.
I have the very occasional clump and just give it a good hard shake.
I have the very occasional clump and just give it a good hard shake.
salsalady
eXtreme Business
Now that you mention it.....I have a lot of pure dried pepper powders that do not clump, also. In glass and plastic. But the spice blend of the SW Spice Mix includes other herbs and spices and does clump up a bit. INTERESTING!
I don't use NuFlow in the SW Spice Mix made with organic spices, mostly only sold locally. It does set up a bit, but a good shake can usually take care of it. On occassion I have to open the jar and break it up with a fork. But that's just here in the valley, with that set of spices, and I made the decision to not include anything else because it's geared to the local natural organic customer. NuFlow does have organic products, but knowing the local market....I'm not including anything extra or "questionable".
I don't use NuFlow in the SW Spice Mix made with organic spices, mostly only sold locally. It does set up a bit, but a good shake can usually take care of it. On occassion I have to open the jar and break it up with a fork. But that's just here in the valley, with that set of spices, and I made the decision to not include anything else because it's geared to the local natural organic customer. NuFlow does have organic products, but knowing the local market....I'm not including anything extra or "questionable".
Yeah I can't think of any of my pure pepper powders that clumped. With spices in it yes.
Hmm this is strange. Maybe my technique is off, I am still new. Maybe it's the coastal climate. My jalapeno powder hasn't clumped yet. Nor my ghost scorpion. But my moruga and habaruga blend both clump all the time. A quick shake gets most of it though.
My powder thats stored in a mason jar doesnt clump either. I was just thinking that if i put some in a salt shaker thats unsealed then it may draw moisture and clump.
I love drying peppers and making powders out of them. I use them in all my cooking and seasonings.
What I have found is that I dry the peppers initially, and powder them in the grinder. I then place them back on the dehydrator for a few more hours to let them finish drying. I turn the temp down on the dryer also to ensure I'm not "cooking" the powders.
After doing this secondary dehydration, the never cake ever.
What I have found is that I dry the peppers initially, and powder them in the grinder. I then place them back on the dehydrator for a few more hours to let them finish drying. I turn the temp down on the dryer also to ensure I'm not "cooking" the powders.
After doing this secondary dehydration, the never cake ever.
JoynersHotPeppers said:
Yeah I made a powder out of my leftover 2014 habs and dried them some additional time before hand, Zero clumps... Then vacuum packed it except for a small sealed baggie for immediate use. Needed to make room for more. And this year, I have a vacuum packer and well a grinder also. Last year was a dehydrator. I suppose next year will be the smoker. This forum is getting me up to snuff, Thanx everyone!