HOMEMADE CHIPOTLES!

Curtis Jackson · April 15, 2005, 03:30:36 AM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Habanero Smoker
 I'm going to have to try the smoked habaneros. How much smoke do you apply. I always wanted to make my own Jerk powder, and using smoked habaneros (or scotch bonnets) would give it a unique taste.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Howdy again. Well, first a CORRECTION. I was in the local plant nursery this afternoon, early jalapeno seeds in hand, and I asked about the acid soil affecting the heat of peppers as I had noted here, since I was considering getting a fertilizer for acid-loving plants. They asked their horticulturalist with all the degrees to her name, and she immediately replied that the bit about acid soil and pine needles in the mulch is a myth, and that the thing that makes peppers from a particular plant hotter than others of the same breed is greater exposure to hot sun. Period. So I have to retract that part about the acid soil.

As for the habs, the ones I smoked I did in a water smoker before I got my Bradley, and I smoked them to death (and yet they were still good in stews and chilis). My guess would be that the instructions for doing chipotles would work just as well for habaneros, except you'd want to check them and probably take them out sooner due to their very thin skins. When I did mine, I just let them cool, put them in a plastic ziplock bag with a couple of paper towels in case there was any residual moisture, and whenever I needed one I'd take it out and crumble/shred it up. But you could powder them, of course.

Frankly, something more everyday useful than smoked habs is just dehydrated and powdered ones, not smoked at all. It only takes about 24 hours in a food dehydrator if you cut them in half.

While we're on the subject of habs, here's a tried-and-true recipe the wife and I eat when we diet, but the next time we make this I'm going to smoke-cook instead of grilling:

http://www.recipesource.com/main-dishes/poultry/chicken/double-mustard1.html

(I only use 1 teaspoon of tarragon). Here is the Home Style Inner Beauty Sauce recipe mentioned:

http://myweb.cableone.net/howle/page/ibhotsau.htm

(I generally use 1 HUGE mango and about 15 habs, and use seeds, placenta and everything except the stems)

Enjoy!

Can't wait to plant those early jalapenos; I should be smoking chipotles by about the end of July with those buggers.

Curtis Jackson
[email protected]

Oldman · April 15, 2005, 09:09:28 AM

Curtis Jackson,
I'm not a horticulturalist; however, in the gardening world of the net my knowledge is often sought. Until recently I was the moderator and guru of a couple Organic posting boards. I had to make a decison either to continue with the Recipe project here and give of the gardening stuff or to stop here. I decided it would not be fair to the members here for me to stop now that growing season is here.

To some degree I agree with this horticulturalist however there is much more to it than what is stated. If you want the hotest, best, greatest, tasting jalapeno then grow them organically in an Earthbox Type Of Container. Either purchase one or make your own.

This is my time tested base soiless mixture and base fertilizer.

My base soilless mixture:
3 parts Ground pine bark (I run it through a chipper)
2 parts sphagnum moss
1 part Perlite /Vermiculite
1/2 part builders sand.
1 pint dolomite lime per bushel of soil mix
I do not use any wetting agents. This means you will have to really work at getting this mixture wet. Once it is wet don't let it dry out. Next I add, a good inch of mature compost to the top of my filled containers.

My base Fertilizer:
2 parts blood meal
1 part fish meal
2 parts bonemeal
4 parts rock phosphate
6 parts greensand.
1/2 part kelp meal

Now how much of this base fertilizer you are going to use is based on the size of your container. I mix in a lot. For example in a container that is 42" X 30" X 22" I add 6 quarts. I mix this fertilizer though out the whole container. Top to bottom--side to side. Remember unlike synthetic fertilizers most organic fertilizers are nonburning. This mixture will not burn your plants. One time I turn around wrong (LOL) and added a second 6 quarts. The plants did just fine in that double mixture.

In the water reservoir of the Earthbox/ Growth container always add one ounce of Fish and Seaweed extract per gallon of water during the fruiting. Before fruiting time add two ounce of each per week with one ounce of unsulphured Molasses to the water reservoir. When the plants are 1/2 grown side dress your plant with the above fertilizer mixture. Lightly water it into the top of the soil. If you can find any Earthworms (not red fishing worms) add them to the soil. If you add worms make sure to add a good cup of builder sand to the soil. They have to have it in order to digest food. Feed them some corn meal that is been soak in a mixture of Molasses, water and a packet of dry yeast for three days.

When your plants flowers then spray them with one ounce of seaweed and fish extract per gallon weekly for a month. Then cut back to once per month. Cover both sides of all leaves. I purchase if I have not had time to make my own Maxicrop for the fish and seaweed extracts. They are made from the highest quality and not trash fish or warm water seaweed.

The fish and seaweed mixture will address the needs of not just the the 3 macro nutrients--NPK--that most people only feed a plant, but all of the other macro nutrients:

The Other Micro-nutrients people never seem to address are the following:

Boron B
Manganese Mn
Copper Cu
Zinc Zn
Iron Fe
Molybdenum Mo
Chlorine Cl

Plus this mixture address the 50 plus trace elements needed to grow a very succesfull plant.

Final note: Peppers are part of the night shade family. Do not grow tomatos in the same mixture where you have grown peppers in for a good three years. If you smoke and roll your own then do not smoke around your pepper or tomato plants. If you smoke and roll your own wash your hand in a mixture of 12 3/4 ounces of common bleach mix with one gallon of water. Allow the bleach water to stay on your hands a good 3 minutes.
Good Luck!

Have you Voted? If Not Click HERE!
Olds

http://rminor.com

Habanero Smoker · April 15, 2005, 11:32:22 AM

Curtis,
I have a food dehydrator, so I will only use the BS to apply smoke. I just picked up a pound of habs the other day and will be putting them in the smoker either today or tomorrow. I wanted to do more, but the store did not have that many peppers. Out of that pound I'm hoping to get 4 - 6 ounces of powder.

If I can locate some plum tomatoes, I'm going to throw those in the BS also.

SoupGuy · April 20, 2005, 12:45:58 AM

Usually, the best place to purchase jalapeno peppers are Mexican Mercado's (market). And you should find them very inexpesive too.

Truely, the best are the red japs, if you can find them. Sorting through the supply in the cooler, look for peppers with ANY red on them. These will turn completely red over time if you are patient enough... 10 -14 days. Green peppers mixed in with the red ones will NEVER turn red... sorry.

Another thing you might want to try is talking with the owner. Ask if they can get you some red japs next time they go to their supplier. You might be surprised! We have a local Mercado that will do this for us and usually results in 5 to 10 LBS red peppers @ .89 LB. Price is no object at this point!

Wood has been mentioned here... I use Mesquite on (grainy) green japs and a mix of Mesquite and Hickory on the reds when I can get them. Mesquite adds a "woody/smokey" flavor while hickory is more "sweet/fragrant". Never tried pecan as until now, I've never smoked with anything I didn't cut and season myself...

BTW- Chipotles dried and ground to a powder (coffee grinder) is absolutely FABULOUS on beef jerky!!! Good and Zippy, but not so hot to turn people off.

Habanero Smoker · September 22, 2005, 01:07:22 PM

I have a nephew who works in a produce department (Price Chopper - a local department chain). He alerted me that they received red jalapenos, so I went up to get some. They were too small to make ABTs, so I decided to make Chipotles. I picked up 3 pounds and told my nephew what I was going to do with them. He reminded me that vegetables such as peppers are coated with wax, and suggested that I wash the peppers in a vegetable wash - this would remove the wax and possible improve the smoke flavor. Vegetable wash is fairly expensive, but I thought I would give it a try.

Does anyone have an opinion on whether or not removing the wax would make a difference when you want to apply smoke, using a temperature of 135-150 degrees F.?

John (JJC); I was in Hannafords and they have red jalapenos for $2.99/lb.; but they are only 2-3 inches long.

HCT · September 22, 2005, 02:33:00 PM

How long do you smoke them for? 12 hrs. seams mighty long.

Mickey

LABS RULE!!!

God bless our wildlife!

Habanero Smoker · September 23, 2005, 12:54:54 AM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Mickey
 How long do you smoke them for? 12 hrs. seams mighty long.

Mickey

LABS RULE!!!

God bless our wildlife!
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
In using the BS, I only apply 2 hours of smoke. When I smoke the Habs. I used pecan. When I smoked the jalapenos, I used half hickory and half apple. I haven't had a chance to try any, I'm still dehydrating them. I'm using the BS as the dehydrator, keeping the temperature between 140-150 F., using the Raptor/Guru to regulate the temperature. I was rotating the racks (top to bottom and front to back) every two hours at the earlier stages. As they got a little dryer, I increased the rate of rotation to every hour. Now I am rotating every 30 minutes and removing those peppers that are dry. I should be finished in a couple of hours.

SoupGuy · September 26, 2005, 05:37:16 PM

I logged in here intending to e-mail Habanero-Smoker directly but found this lost thread of mine- so I'll comment/ask here instead.

I've grown HAB peppers for several years now. Never did I have the bumper-plus crop I got this year! I've picked four or five times already, always taking only the fully orange peppers. Some of them I've smoked, most I simply dehydrate. Always, I use my old coffee gringer (gloves and face-mask HIGHLY recommended) to grind them down to a powder and store in reused glass bottles.

I just picked another 4 LBS. of HABS. My hands right now are tingling and never felt better! Did you know that capcium is a good arthritis pain reliever? It really is!

... starting to forget what I was going to e-mail/ask Habanero-smoker about....

Most hot peppers are difficult to grow from seed- they take a very long time to germinate (some over 12 weeks!) and trying to use seeds from inside the peppers you bought will be less successful than buying seeds from a distributor. I have had more failures raising peppers from my own seeds than those purchased over the internet. Just MY experience. There is a great site on the internet that sells pepper seeds and provides a lot of good information about how to germinate, grow and process/use them. I'll POST the site when I can find it again....

After re-reading through all the posts on this subject, I have to say that a couple of things rreally stick out:

1. Growing your own peppers: FULL SUN makes a huge difference! I believe my way better than average crop this year is due to the location I planted the peppers. They get great amounts of full sun all day long.

2. Soil conditions. I don't know if I agree with the acidic-soil comments I've read. My beds were made one year ago using very rich black pasture soil. What I did for the peppers was to bury a book of matches under each plant. The internet site I mentioned said that hot peppers like sulpher. I tried this and it seems to work! I also gave the plants plenty of 10-10-10 fertilizer though the growing season.

3. Jalapenos. I don't like peppers that are TOO Hot. I like the flavor and the "kick". JAPS are one of the best peppers for those like me who love the pepper taste but Not a painfull burn.

Somebody mentioned that "short-stubby" jalapeno peppers were not as hot as the long thinner ones. I agree completely. I make a lot of "poppers" using JAPS and Cream-Cheese. The "shorties" are favored by those less brave (I'm in this camp). The "veins" or "wood grain" that appears on some JAPS are a reliable indication of high heat! Trust me on this one!

Fully red JAPS are a prize and hard to obtain- even grow yourself. If you can find them, GRAB 'EM and RUN! In my garden, I do get some red ones. Mostly though, they get end-rot before I can pick and use them. Maybe some day I'll learn how do produce them myself....

Sorry- I did not intend to write a novel here....

Smoke thick-wall peppers (Jalapeno, Serrano, Ancho) 12 to 16 hours. Thin skinned ones like Habanero and Tabasco about 4 hours. Then dehydrate the smoked peppers in a suitable dehydrator (Excalibur!) until thoroughly dried and then grind down to a powder (coffee grinder works great). Split thick peppers at least halfway for better (quicker) smoking and dehydrating.

HABANERO-SMOKER::: When I remember what I wanted to ask you, I'll write back! [^]

Best know not for soup, but rather smoked meats...

SoupGuy · September 26, 2005, 05:49:27 PM

Here is the link to the supplier of good pepper seeds and advice... I saw this guy on a TV food show and there is no doubt he knows what he is talking about....

http://www.pepperjoe.com/

From him, I grew the following with great success:

Habanero peppers (using sulphur)
Tabasco peppers (really great!)
Jalapeno peppers (better than Jungs seeds)

And with crappy results:

"Peter" Peppers.
They are supposed to look like your schwantz... you know; "Ernie". They sort-of do... but so what. They're overly mild and very much lacking in flavor. Pass these novelty peppers by...

Best know not for soup, but rather smoked meats...

Habanero Smoker · September 26, 2005, 07:10:22 PM

SN;
Thanks for the information. I have been looking for a source for seeds, because I have not had any luck with purchasing hot pepper seedlings. Here in the Northeast, you have to start the seed indoors approximately 12 weeks prior to planting the seedlings in the garden.

At my age, I just might buy those Peter Peppers; it couldn't hurt[:D]

Oldman · September 26, 2005, 10:10:50 PM

Hab,

If you grow organic the first year you will need to use fish and seaweed Extracts for the main fertilizers as it takes time for organic fertilizers to break down.. I suggest Maxicrop brand. The quality is excellent. Cost about 20.00 per gal. Mix one ounce of each together in one gallon of water. You will also foliger feed the plant with this mixture once per month.

Next take plain ole yellow corn meal (small bag) and add a 1 1/2 - 2 gallons of warm water to it in a bucket of water. Add 6 ounces of unsulphured molasses and one packet of dry yeast. Mix well. In about 4-5 days it will stop working off. Save the liquid and mix that into your fish and seaweed fertilizer. Add the corn meal to the base of the pepper plants. Work slightly into the soil. Do this one time per growing season in the beginning.

If you use an earthbox you can get 3 pepper plants in that box. Those 3 plants in an earthbox if fed correctly will give you a ton of peppers.

Here is a picture of a homemade "growth container" with 4 peppers that another gardener made. If you want I can post up the plans on how to make it. Cost is under $20.00 and about 1- 1&1/2 hours.

Also peppers are part of the nightshade family--Potatoes, tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, eggplant, tomatillos, tamarios, tobacco are just a few common plants of this family. So if you chew tobacco or roll your own smokes make sure to never touch your plant without first washing your hands in 100 part per million of household bleach (12.75 ounces of bleach to one gallon of water.) Needless to say never smoke around them.

While you might get away with growing them in the same place two seasons in a row (in-ground-growing) the percentage of having a problem will increase greatly with the passing of each year. Once rotated out do not replant there for 3 years.

Olds

Oldman · September 26, 2005, 10:49:06 PM

Quote SoupNazi: <blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">I don't know if I agree with the acidic-soil comments I've read<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"> <blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">In my garden, I do get some red ones. Mostly though, they get end-rot before I can pick and use them.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

"End-rot" is called Blossom-end rot. Blossom-end rot is caused by a physiologic disorder associated with a low concentration of calcium in the fruit. This can show up in young fruit as well as when fruit rippens.

Causes:

1. Non-balance of watering. Avoid drought stress and wide fluctuations in soil moisture by using mulches and/or irrigation.

2. Us of ammoniacal nitrogen may increase blossom-end rot because ammonium ions can reduce calcium uptake. Do NOT over-fertilize as side dressings (early fruiting.) If you are going to use chemical feritlizers then use nitrate based nitrogen as the nitrogen source.

3. Maintain the soil pH (peppers) around 6.5-- no exceptions.

4. Rapid growth of the first fruits to set. This is why you need to make sure you don't overly push the plants with chemical fertilizers.

Blossom-end rot can effect just about every type of vegtable. A few are:

Watermellons:

Tomatos:

Peppers:

So if you want a chance at your peppers turning red without rot then sour your soil. Take several sample of it down to your county extendion office and have them test it. Cost about $6- $10. Tell them what you wish to grow. It is well worth knowing what your growing medium is made of and what it lacks or needs to be successful.
Olds

Edit:I strongly suggest not using matches for sulfur. They contain other products. For example: Antimony sulfide, potassium chlorate, gum, starch, and sesquisulfide of phophorous and other items. Instead use a tablespoon of Epsom salts. It is hydrated magnesium sulfate--about 10 percent magnesium and 13 percent sulfur. Now you talk about kicking up the root system~~~!

Habanero Smoker · September 26, 2005, 11:01:26 PM

Olds;
I read and copied an early post of your that was about growing peppers. Thanks for the additional information and instructions. I was going to try raised beds, but after reading your post; it would be better for me to plant in containers.

Oldman · September 26, 2005, 11:14:14 PM

Hab,
Please read the edit above. Also do you want me to post the plans on how to make your own growth container? The production difference between a regular container and a growth container is greater than compairing the differece between a bomb shell smoker to that of the bradley. If set up correctly you just will not believe just how many peppers you are going to get.
Olds

Habanero Smoker · September 27, 2005, 03:50:45 PM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Oldman
 Hab,
Please read the edit above. Also do you want me to post the plans on how to make your own growth container? The production difference between a regular container and a growth container is greater than compairing the differece between a bomb shell smoker to that of the bradley. If set up correctly you just will not believe just how many peppers you are going to get.
Olds

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
That would be great if you could post the plans.

Thanks.