RocketMan's Glog - Starting Second Season

Finally getting around to germinating my seeds to start growing some peppers. I took 14 varities out of the 42 in my seed library (Special thanks to everyone that helped out with seeds) and some of the old pill bottles I had saved (usually that's where I keep the screws I collect when I strip out an old computer system) then added 8 seeds to the bottles and filled with water. Going to let the seeds soak for 24 hours, then place on coffee filters and back into the bottles till its time to plant them. Here's a shot on the bottles:

The 14 I picked are:

1. Peruvian White Hab......................Pic1
2. Jamaican Hot Chocolate...............Pic1
3. Douglah......................................Pic1
4. Fatalii.........................................Pic1
5. Trinidad Scorpion Butch T............Pic1
6. Datil...........................................Pic1
7. Red Savina Hab..........................Pic1
8. Jamaican Red Scotch Bonnet......Pic1
9. Chocolate Hab............................Pic1
10. Black Hab................................Pic1
11. Trinidad Scorpion Yellow...........Pic1
12. 7/Pot Red................................Pic1
13. Bhut Jolokia.............................Pic1
14. No heat Jalapeno.....................FyrDad4
*Thank you Gentlemen

I really wanted to get a nice cross section of heat levels and to grow some peppers that I hear alot of talk about but can't find locally. most of them will be going into sauces however if I happen to get a really good crop of peppers I might have to look into drying some and making some powders. This is the first year that I'm growing peppers from seeds. I've planted Jalapeno and Habs that I picked up from Lowes or Home Depot before but never really done the research and gotten the dirt under my fingers.
I thought about whether to use Peat Pellets or Rock Wool but right now i'm thinking about just going with some good soil or a seed starting mix and I already have a bunch of Red Solo Cups. I'm planning on 6 or 8 holes in the bottom of the cup so I can bottom water them and I might place some up and down the sides so that some air can get in.

I'm really looking forward to this and if it goes good I might even be able to convince the boss to let me take a section of the back yard and put in a garden. Might even put in a flower or 2, well so long as they're edible that is.

Thanks for stopping by and check back I'll be here.

Thanks for stopping by,
RM

 

[RocketMan]

So I was given this great electric smoker and have been going crazy wanting to try some peppers in it. Sooooooooooooooooo,

I started ny Publix on my way home and

Then

Which led to

at just about 100 degrees F. I'm figuring on about 2.5 hours smoking and then into a fermentation jar for something like 45 days.

Cheers Y'all

 

[JoynersHotPeppers]

Nice, my dad offered me a 5 tier electric smoker that he never uses. I might need to take him up on it for smoking peppers. Let us know how it turns out after the 45 days!

 

[Mezo]

What wood are you using RM? hickory?

Mezo.

 

[RocketMan]

I used Apple mezo and it smells great

After 2.5 hours at 100 degrees F

and all set up for a 45 day fermentation.

In the morning I'll post up waht i did with romy6's little present. Actually it's a combination of romys and Socvie's snack packs and it f'in awesome. Just a touch sweet but you'll have to check back in the morning. I'm too bushed to post any more.

Cheers,

 

[Mezo]

My mouth is watering looking at that jar, so how do you ferment it? is that sugar at the bottom RM?

You got me thinking about smoking peppers now, im going to see how you can make a wood smoker (we have stacks of timber).

Mezo.

 

[stickman]

What wood are you using RM? hickory?

Mezo.

I wouldn't use Hickory to smoke peppers Mez. It has a sour aftertaste that wouldn't be pleasant with the chiles. It's much better suited to something that's naturally sweet like pork. Fruitwood or Mesquite would be a better choice for the chiles... my own preference would be Alder, Apple or Pear wood.

Don't ever use softwood like Pine, Spruce or Fir... it leaves behind a taste like turpentine and I've never been fond of Retsina...

Has anybody tried using wood chips from recycled Oak whiskey barrels to smoke chiles? I think Jack Daniels sells them.

Hey Bill
Is that rice powder in the bottom of the jar?

 

[RocketMan]

+1 On your break down of smoking woods there Stickman

Mezo if I was in your situation I'd look into building a Smoke House where you can do both Cold and Hot Smoking. Then you could cold smoke things like peppers and other veggies like Tomatoes and Egg Plant or Cheeses, or could Hot Smoke things like Hams, Turkeys or Sausages.

The cloud at the bottom is from the source I used for the Lactobacillus starter. Take a look at the Fermenting Peppers 101 thread I linked below and it will walk you through how to get started Fermenting. for this batch i used some of the hooch off of my Sourdough Starter which is making me want to bake some bread this weekend.


http://thehotpepper.com/topic/23146-fermenting-peppers-101/#entry476940

Cheers,
Bill

Nice, my dad offered me a 5 tier electric smoker that he never uses. I might need to take him up on it for smoking peppers. Let us know how it turns out after the 45 days!

Hold it, your dad offered it to you and you Didn't jump all over it,

Man, once you get that smoker you'll be turning out some really great smoked powders. Keep the keep the heat low and slow. after your done with the smoking with the low heat you could probably just leave them in there and let them finish drying or move them over to a dehydrator to start smoe other peppers smoking, but I get a sample of your first smoked powder for giving you the idea.



Cheers,

 

[RocketMan]

Well i said I'd post my other project from last night and here's a teaser and a link to it.

http://thehotpepper.com/topic/33755-rocket-fuel-2/#entry686163

Thanks go out to romy6 and Scoville Deville without whoms generosity this sauce would not have happened. It's has just a bit of sweetness with a great heat that builds from an itch to a nice mouth burn.

enjoy your weekend and thanks for stopping by.
RM

 

[JoynersHotPeppers]

Don't get me wrong, I already have a smoker and grill of course. I just do not think smoking in it will turn out well when it comes to peppers since it is fire based and much harder to keep at those low levels for a long period. However, that 9lb Boston Butt that will hit it tomorrow is a whole different story! Now I need to make sure I have enough room in the vehicle to lug that big ole smoker back.

 

[PIC 1]

Looking good Bill......I'm curious to see how the ferment turns out

Greg

 

[RocketMan]

Looking good Bill......I'm curious to see how the ferment turns out

Greg

Me too Greg. I wasn't sure if smoking the peppers would affect the fermentation but this morning it has cleared up and some bubbles are forming so I guess its working. I'll be keeping my eye on it though.

Pic from this morning

 

[Mezo]

Cheers for the fermenting link ive bookmarked it.

Mezo.

 

[HillBilly Jeff]

Looking good man.

 

[RocketMan]

Cheers for the fermenting link ive bookmarked it.

Mezo.

No Problem Mezo, always glad when I can assist.

Looking good man.

Thank you, the initial taste was a bit sweet and had a nice burn. We'll see how it is after a week when all the flavor have had a chance to get all happy together.

Well we went to our favorite place for Tex Mex For lunch Sunday. Now they have a good salsa but it has no heat at all and what they call a hot salsa which is a mild salsa verde. So when the waitress comes over I asked her if they have a hot salsa and she said yes we have the green sauce. I said. No that it was a mild heat. Well she kind of cocks her head a. It and says well we have a habanero salsa and I said yeah that sounds good. She went to get some and refill some drinks a d I'm thinking ok this is going to be another salsa that has maybe 1 Hab to a gallon of sauce. Uhhh, NOPE:

That sauce was Habanero Heaven. She set it on the table and I could smell the fresh Habs in it and it was good too. I took a chip and duped up a good tablespoon of sauce and started to munch on it didn't bat an eye or break sweat and she looked at me like I was crazy. The best part though was covering my Chili Relleno with it;

It was a good lunch.

 

[SocalChilehead]

Dang Bill you always do amazing work with those sauces.

 

[RocketMan]

Dang Bill you always do amazing work with those sauces.

Thank you, I like to kind of think out side the envelope. I've never had the opportunity to play with some superhots on the scale I like to. When I make a batch of sauce it's in a gallon size jar and I'll use 3 or 4 pounds just peppers in that. I'm hoping that changes this year and my Butch T plant, only have 1, is covered with blooms that are starting to open up now. It's hard to play the waiting game so i wind up going out to look at them when I leave for work and when I get home. Well part of that is because my little girl has pulled 2 peppers from my Jalapeno plant and just chuked them over the fence into the neighbors yard. I thought some bird or a lizard, we have them by the thousands in central Florida, was getting them but she appologised to me for it this weekend. No idea why she was doing it.

Thanks for stopping by Fernando.

 

[PaulG]

Great looking stuff, Bill! The fermenting peppers, look really good,
and the smoker is Awe-and-then-some! You have the kitchen thing
down, my friend! Can't wait to see more goodies.

The Chile Relleno looks fabulous, my favorite mex dish next to carne asasda!

 

[RocketMan]

Took a quick few pictures this morning on the way out to the car with my IPhone. sometimes they come out good sometimes not but here we go

Thai Short Hot, I've pulled 2 peppers from this plant and they were indeed hot

Lots of nice buds and flowers but this plant sure is slow to set a pod

Jalapeno, so after my daughter pulled 2 pods and chucked them over the fence the plant is getting alot of flowers and buds on.

The pot is labeled TS Butch T but I've had several comments saying that it didn't look like a Butch T. Well, it's setting some pods so, well see soon.

We've had so much rain lately, Jamie guess i need to get the kids to sing their song again, it's been hard to get out and do anything with them much less even cut the grass. I'm hoping to get some good pics this weekend and do a litte work with the plants

Have a great week everyone, thanks for stopping.
Bill

So, in the style of Paul and Rick here is lunch today. Chicken Fried Steak smothered in gravy and Rocket Fuel #2

The sauce is 4 days old now and has great flavor and good heat but not as hot as I was hoping for given the peppers used. It's also a touch sweeter than i wanted. Now that I have the complaint out, it has some really great flavor. The Agave is a perfect match to the flavor of the peppers and the Lager. Heat is about Habanero Plus but not near what the peppers used should have taken it to. Overall I'm very pleased with it.

 

[romy6]

Okay Bill I have not had anything to eat all day. You are killing me

Oh and powder should be ready today so be on the look out by the end of the week

 

[RocketMan]

Okay Bill I have not had anything to eat all day. You are killing me

Oh and powder should be ready today so be on the look out by the end of the week

standing by.

will be on it's way later this week. I have to pick up some more small flat rate boxes.