chinense It seems as though I've grown some Trinidad Scorpions. Now What??

M

MarkinLondon

Because I've always enjoyed peppers and hot-sauce, SWMBO bought me a pepper plant, and without really looking at it have been watering and caring for it for some time now. Only recently did I read the little tag, which says "Trinidad Scorpion." Uh-oh.
 
There now appears to be a dozen bright green fruits, each between an inch and an inch-half long, on a plant that about a foot and a half tall. My sense is that there is still a bit more growing to be done, and that the peppers will turn red.
 
But now what? These are supposed to be the zaniest peppers available, and if the YouTube videos of people eating them are any indication, are good only for a bit a tasting fun. What can be done with these things?? I suppose that a hot sauce is appropriate, but really, I'd rather find a way to dry and crush them into a flaked powder to sprinkle into sauces, though I can't imagine why I'd add so much craziness to a dish.
 
A bit of advice please, for this newbie pepper-grower. What on Earth should I do with these? Should I consider fermenting them with plain old bell peppers and make a sauce? Or mash them up in a blender with some other spice and put it in the fridge. I'm reasonably-well vexed with this decision.
 
thanks,
Mark
 
Trinidad Scorpion.jpg
 
Cut them in half and remove the seeds. Char them on a charcoal grill for a few minutes, or put them in a smoker for 1-2 hours.

Finish drying in the oven or dehydrator and crush for powder.

Ferment it a good idea too.
 
austin87 said:
Cut them in half and remove the seeds. Char them on a charcoal grill for a few minutes, or put them in a smoker for 1-2 hours.

Finish drying in the oven or dehydrator and crush for powder.

Ferment it a good idea too.
Click to expand...
 
Is drying them that easy? I'm assuming that char/smoke is only for flavour, right? That would really be the perfect solution. Sure, I can make a sauce, but hot pepper flakes are more likely to be used as I'd prefer them to be.
 
Thank you!
 
What do others do with peppers this hot?
 
m
 
MarkinLondon said:
 
Is drying them that easy? I'm assuming that char/smoke is only for flavour, right? That would really be the perfect solution. Sure, I can make a sauce, but hot pepper flakes are more likely to be used as I'd prefer them to be.
 
Thank you!
 
What do others do with peppers this hot?
 
m
Click to expand...
Yes char or smoke is just for flavor. To dry in oven set oven to low (about 170 in most ovens) and put the halved peppers on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper and put them in the oven. Leave the oven cracked to avoid too much heat build up. You want them bone dry, it might take 12 hours. Then crush them in a mortar and pestle or old coffee grinder. I would NOT recommend using a coffee grinder you plan to use for coffee again :)

Other uses: finely chop a small amount (1/8 pod? Not sure your tolerance for heat) and add it to anything: soups, sautéed veggies, fried rice, marinades for meat... possibilities are only limited by your imagination.

You should eat a very small piece (as small as you can manage to stab with the tip of a toothpick) to get an idea of how hot it is and how much to use when cooking. Be careful with the oils and you may want to consider wearing gloves. Dont cut a pepper with your bare hands then rub your eye or take a piss because it will burn and you will have a bad day.
 
I just noticed you are in London that 170 is Fahrenheit. Should be about 75 Celsius or whatever the lowest temperature your oven will set to.
 
One more idea mash garlic and finely chopped pepper with salt in a mortar and pestle to make a paste. Add some herbs like basil, rosemary, tarragon, or thyme and mash some more. Whisk in some olive oil and lemon juice until well combined but make sure it is still thick like a paste. Rub on any kind of meat and let sit for a couple hours up to overnight.
 
Word of advice when heating/cooking/drying superhots.. watch for the fumes! Do this outside or open all your windows. Also definitely use gloves and be thorough with the washing up as residual oils can still burn.

Dont be put off though, you will be surprised how quick your tolerance to heat will build. Also there are hundreds of super hot chillies available with many different flavours and qualities so I would recommend growing a variety if you are interested in spicy food.
 
Man up and eat one.  :P
 
Or, you could slice them in half and dry them on the lowest setting in your oven before using a pestle and mortar to reduce to flakes or powder.
 
Or, slice in half and remove the placenta (pith) and seeds and rinse to remove any residual capsaicin oil on the inside of the pod, before slicing and using in whatever your cooking to give the dish all of the flavour but less of the heat of these lovely chillies. 
 
Or, finally, you could send one to me to review on my youtube channel with my son. Search for Chilli Chums.
 
Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
 
austin87 said:
One more idea mash garlic and finely chopped pepper with salt in a mortar and pestle to make a paste. Add some herbs like basil, rosemary, tarragon, or thyme and mash some more. Whisk in some olive oil and lemon juice until well combined but make sure it is still thick like a paste. Rub on any kind of meat and let sit for a couple hours up to overnight.
Click to expand...
 
I like this, and it's worth a try.
 
You all have seen the photo... I pick them when they're red, correct?
 
Leave them until they are a vibrant red. Although, some continue past red to a brown. Looking at the photo they appear to be reds.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
 
"Man up and eat one"

Oy. Nothing says Manliness more than stomach cramps and a burning asshole, that's for sure. Oh,and possible vomiting. All man lol
 
My second harvest of every year always goes straight into my giant food dehydrator to eventually become powder.  If you don't want to go the oven route and lack a food dehydrator, you can split them in half and leave them sitting around in an area with good air movement for several weeks.  They'll dry naturally.  Frozen and fresh superhots have a ton of awesome uses, but powder can legitimately be thrown onto and into everything.  So good!
 
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