I've dried normal habs, aji crystals, cayenne, jalapeno..etc and all end up nice and brittle and dry. My trinidad scorpions, dorset nagas and naga morich dont get dry no matter how long they stay in there...is that due to the oils? I'm only drying at around 105-110F but its been 2 days and they are still sort of squishy and leathery. The other peppers are dry and can be.
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preservation Dehydrating superhots...
- Thread starter svtcontour
- Start date
I haven't had any trouble with any particular variety. Thicker pieces or folds tend to dry slower. As a result of running my dehydrator in my garage, I also find that pods have difficulty drying during extended periods of rain. I am assuming the high humidity levels cause this.
I never tried drying at temps that low. I pump up to 115-125 deg. It would take FOREVER at 105 deg!!
Chris
Chris
Mine works fine at 130F 12 hours and they're brittle.
Hmmm see I was hoping I'd dry them at a low temp to make sure the seeds are safe. I think I read that anything over 110F might cause the sees to be rendered unusable.
Ya I might have to do that. I wanted to avoid picking off too many seeds right at the moment because I was being lazy. I figured I'll dry it slowly and then later, I'd shake a bag of dry peppers and have a bunch of seeds at the bottom to collect 
I remove seeds before drying them, put them on a paper towel for a few weeks and good to go.
bcz of the capisum oil is very concentrated they stay looking moist
I dried a Naga Morich the other day and it was fine after about.....30 hours I think. Brought the lone Naga pod to our local pizza joint to have some fun with my buddy. He loved it! Dried naga flakes is a must now on pizza.
Here is what I do, and I will include pics later today when I start up a new patch.
Step 1. Was and dry all pods
Step 2. Cut in half length wise
Step 3. place on dehydrator rack without touching each other
Step 4. set temp to 125 - 135 F
Step 5. turn on homemade exhaust system
It usually take about 8-16 hours for my pods to become dehydrated and I check them periodically. I know they are done when they are extra brittle.
Step 1. Was and dry all pods
Step 2. Cut in half length wise
Step 3. place on dehydrator rack without touching each other
Step 4. set temp to 125 - 135 F
Step 5. turn on homemade exhaust system
It usually take about 8-16 hours for my pods to become dehydrated and I check them periodically. I know they are done when they are extra brittle.
I purchased a Nesco Dehydrator today and picked all the Bhut pods off of 1 plant, rinsed them off and into the dehydrator they went. Smells kinda fruity in here after 3 hours, will update on them tomorrow sometime on how dry they are getting.
Fruity - To me the fresh bhut's smell fruity, almost rhubarbish.
Fruity - To me the fresh bhut's smell fruity, almost rhubarbish.
I agree Jolokias do smell fruity and sweet, they trick ya like that.
I should elaborate as to why I cut mine in half, but first I dehydrate my pods to make powders with. So, it's in the dehydrator and then into the grinder. I cut them in half because I find with most of my super hots, every year I've grown them, that by cutting them in half, I find bad seeds and bad spots inside the pods that I don't want in my powders. These spots are inside otherwise perfect looking pods and I would never have found these if they were left whole. As for the temps, I am just following my dehydrator's instructions and my pods come out looking pristine and I have received numerous rave reviews of my powders tasting just as fresh as a real pod, without any burnt or nasty taste to them that you sometimes get if dried at too high of temps.
I should elaborate as to why I cut mine in half, but first I dehydrate my pods to make powders with. So, it's in the dehydrator and then into the grinder. I cut them in half because I find with most of my super hots, every year I've grown them, that by cutting them in half, I find bad seeds and bad spots inside the pods that I don't want in my powders. These spots are inside otherwise perfect looking pods and I would never have found these if they were left whole. As for the temps, I am just following my dehydrator's instructions and my pods come out looking pristine and I have received numerous rave reviews of my powders tasting just as fresh as a real pod, without any burnt or nasty taste to them that you sometimes get if dried at too high of temps.
Well, they are well dried. I should have posted earlier today, but I have been busy. It took about 18 hours in the Nesco dehydrator for them to get dry and crispy. I tested one and it simply went to powder/broke apart when I squeezed it. PF, I like your idea on cutting them in half, I think I will start doing so as well, plus it seems to darken the seeds, which I dont like.
I cut slits or sometimes even cut through one side of the pods lengthways(but not all the way in half) and this allows up to twice as much peppers in the dehydrator, and you can easily see any nasty pods. For the most part I like to dry peppers whole and grind them up when required to keep as much flavor/freshness as possible
I use a nesco dehydrator, and I just became aware of these cool spacer trays which I must purchase soon
http://www.nesco.com/category_449f7f01f1ea/subcategory_861213896041/product_fd5acf60f112/session_67d3aa3f0efe/
I use a nesco dehydrator, and I just became aware of these cool spacer trays which I must purchase soon
http://www.nesco.com/category_449f7f01f1ea/subcategory_861213896041/product_fd5acf60f112/session_67d3aa3f0efe/
Nice, I didn't know they made those. Now I won't need to slice the larger pods in half to get them to fit.