Jalapeno pepper

[_Bear_]

Ok, tell me if you think this will work or not. I planted 4 Jalapeno plants this year and they are coming on strong. I plan on taking several of them, cold smoking them for a few hours, then right into the dehydrator until very dry, then grinding them up to use them as a pepper. Has anyone ever done this before? Any thought on what it will be like for adding to rubs ect?

[Orion]

I've been growing, drying and smoking peppers for 3 decades. I favour the Habaneros for a project such as yours. The drying process tends to lessen the heat as some of the oils evaporate so I start with a really hot variety... habaneros and Ghost peppers.

You can try the jalapeños however you may find them too mild when you're all done. They also have thick fleshy walls and are not the preferred drying pepper.

My method is to wash and stem the peppers and then slice them in half. Then I dry them about 80%. You can do it in an oven at about 140, in your smoker at 140 or on racks in the sun. In the sun gets the best results as far as colour retention and flavour.

Once they are nearly dry I put them in the smoker and smoke for about 3 hours. The orange habs turn a deep orange brown and are now almost ready to grind. Once out of the smoker I leave them in a well ventilated place out of the sun and wind and let them sit for a few days. Now they will be completely dry and ready to grind in a blender. Be careful. The dust is potent. Once ground to a consistency like ground pepper I store in mason jars with tight lids.

The habaneros have an amazing citrusy/smoke flavour and can be used in endless dishes and recipes. Hope your plants do well and you have a good harvest. Remember that once dried the volume is hugely reduced so you might want to experiment with s few of different varieties and then do a whole bunch of the ones you like. Short story...dry first, smoke, grind.

[Gafala]

I use Ghost Peppers and the drying process does lessen the heat. But not much.

[_Bear_]

I've been growing, drying and smoking peppers for 3 decades. I favour the Habaneros for a project such as yours. The drying process tends to lessen the heat as some of the oils evaporate so I start with a really hot variety... habaneros and Ghost peppers.

You can try the jalapeños however you may find them too mild when you're all done. They also have thick fleshy walls and are not the preferred drying pepper.

My method is to wash and stem the peppers and then slice them in half. Then I dry them about 80%. You can do it in an oven at about 140, in your smoker at 140 or on racks in the sun. In the sun gets the best results as far as colour retention and flavour.

Once they are nearly dry I put them in the smoker and smoke for about 3 hours. The orange habs turn a deep orange brown and are now almost ready to grind. Once out of the smoker I leave them in a well ventilated place out of the sun and wind and let them sit for a few days. Now they will be completely dry and ready to grind in a blender. Be careful. The dust is potent. Once ground to a consistency like ground pepper I store in mason jars with tight lids.

The habaneros have an amazing citrusy/smoke flavour and can be used in endless dishes and recipes. Hope your plants do well and you have a good harvest. Remember that once dried the volume is hugely reduced so you might want to experiment with s few of different varieties and then do a whole bunch of the ones you like. Short story...dry first, smoke, grind.

NICE!! Thanks for the knowledge. I will be using my temp controlled dehydrator for drying. The Jalapenos I grew last year were hot as hell. I got probably 250+ off of 2 plants last year  and expect the same this year. I am glad to hear someone else is doing it, I will give it a shot this year and maybe next year I will try habaneros.

[_Bear_]

I use Ghost Peppers and the drying process does lessen the heat. But not much.

I am going to need a bigger garden lol. Thanks

[Orion]

Bear, one more suggestion if you're doing the jalapeño's. They have a really dense core with lots of white membrane and seeds. I suggest you cut them in half and then use a teaspoon as a scraper and remove the pulp and seeds, you could always take some of the seeds and dry and smoke them too. The Habaneros are really thin walled with minimal pulp. Jalapeños will struggle to dry if not cored.

[_Bear_]

Thanks Orion, I was planning on cutting them in 1/2 and pulling the cores out, but it is a good idea to try and use the seeds and what pulp I can get out. I am considering buying some Habaneros to plant, but it might be to late in the year. When do you plant yours? I see uou are up in Edmonton, we do get a little more hot days down here than you, so it might work

[Orion]

I didn't explain myself well...I don't recommend using the cores of jalapeño peppers for drying and smoking. My opinion is that there is far too much of it and it carries a bitter taste along with the heat. You can try however not something I would do. The real good flavour is in the flesh.

I sow all hot pepper seeds indoors in early March using an electric blanket under the trays. Hot peppers can be extremely slow to germinate and a little heat helps them along. By late April I have 6" plants that go into the greenhouse and into the garden by late May. Everything depends on the seasonal weather each year.

Don't know where you are and how long your growing season is however it's gettung a little late to get Habaneros and Ghost peppers into the soil so they can get established. Not impossible but not ideal either. Again, hot peppers prefer warm soil and once potted out in the garden will sit idle for a couple of weeks as the roots get established. Then suddenly they take off and the growth rate escalates.

I have about 70 hot pepper plants this year of 6 different varieties and they are just starting to really take off .

[_Bear_]

I didn't explain myself well...I don't recommend using the cores of jalapeño peppers for drying and smoking. My opinion is that there is far too much of it and it carries a bitter taste along with the heat. You can try however not something I would do. The real good flavour is in the flesh.

I sow all hot pepper seeds indoors in early March using an electric blanket under the trays. Hot peppers can be extremely slow to germinate and a little heat helps them along. By late April I have 6" plants that go into the greenhouse and into the garden by late May. Everything depends on the seasonal weather each year.

Don't know where you are and how long your growing season is however it's gettung a little late to get Habaneros and Ghost peppers into the soil so they can get established. Not impossible but not ideal either. Again, hot peppers prefer warm soil and once potted out in the garden will sit idle for a couple of weeks as the roots get established. Then suddenly they take off and the growth rate escalates.

I have about 70 hot pepper plants this year of 6 different varieties and they are just starting to really take off .

Ok, I get what you are saying about the core's. I am in Medicine Hat, 5.5 hrs south of you. A local green house has Habanero plants that are about a foot high. I was thinking about buying a few or them and planting them in my garden

[Orion]

At a foot high you should have good success and harvest before the fall. Grab a few. Dig a 1/4 cup of tomato/vegetable fertilizer into hole before you place plants in. Finely ground eggshells too if you can round some up. 1/4 cup also. When you remove plants from the pots look closely at the roots. They may be balled up a bit at the bottom. If so, use your fingers to gently loosen them up and get them free from the circular growth pattern. Just enough to free them up a bit. Plant out in cool of morning or evening, not in hottest part of day. Water well.

[Orion]

Hey bear, how's your peppers doing. Did you get Habaneros in the ground?