My first run at making jalapeno and habanero powder

[Smoking Duck]

First off........all thanks go to Pensrock and Bryan from yardandpool.com.  I would not have done this without them.

Decided I wanted to make my own jalapeno and habanero powder.  Picked up some habaneros, jalapenos, pobalanos and hungarian wax peppers.



Sliced the habs and japs in half....left the seeds in for more heat.  Left the pablanos and hungs as is.  Just wanted to smoke them, put a little heat on them and then dice them up for use in chilis, etc at a later time.



After 3 hours of smoke (I used pecan), off into the oven at 170F.  I don't have a dehydrator, so I used the oven.  I wish I had a dehydrator (more on this later).  Anyways, this was how they looked 3 hours after being in the oven:



Pulled the pablanos and hungs after the 4 hour mark.  This was how they looked:



After I pulled the pabs and hungs, I threw them in the freezer to firm up and keep the juice from being pulled out when vac sealed.  I then diced them and vac sealed them and put them in the freezer.  I vac sealed in pakages the size that I would use when adding to chili, etc.

As the peppers each came to the point where they needed to be pulled, I took them out of the oven and into any container (no top) and left them there for two days.  It took considerably less time for the habs to get done versus the japs  (I pulled the last habanero off at about the 6 hour mark and it took nearly 11 hours for the last jap to get done).  This is how they looked after being done:



After all was said and done, here's the powder:




Lessons learned:

DO NOT DO THIS IN THE OVEN IN THE HOUSE (unless you have a very strong relationship with the better half and kids).  Fortunately, my wife and kids were out of the house most of the time.  After a bit, it reminded me of the Disco Hut (the place we went in Basic Training to get a feel for tear gas).

I would do a lot more peppers next time.  It was a lot of work for what amounted to about 1.5-2 oz of powder.  That being said, the stuff is pretty potent and a little will go a long way.  It was a great learning experience.  Next time, I think I will grind together with some sea salt and make japsalt and hab salt.  Did I say a lot more peppers next time?  I would probably quadruple the amount next time.  However, I've really gotta get a dehydrator.

Always wear gloves or wash your hands THOROUGHLY after working with the peppers........especially right before you use the restroom.  (Biggest and most painful lesson learned)

The last lesson I learned was that it was fun.  Anything I do at home versus buying (with regard to food and food products) is always better.

Again, this is very easy to do but I wouldn't have been able to do it without Pensrock and Bryan (begolf25).

Sd

[stillsmoking]

Great post and great advice Smoking Duck!  I have fell in love with chipolte powder in the last year and your post certainly gives me some food for thought.  Your comment about using gloves reminds me of a story a former coworker told me.  He and his wife loved using roasted peppers.  They processed a large quantity one weekend without gloves, slipping the skins off after roasted and cutting up for freezing.  Later in the evening things became affectionate with disastorous results.  My wife suffered some real pain in her hands one time from handling peppers without gloves.  Any rate I am envious of your end product, gotta make for some good chilie this winter.

[Smoking Duck]

Great post and great advice Smoking Duck!  I have fell in love with chipolte powder in the last year and your post certainly gives me some food for thought.  Your comment about using gloves reminds me of a story a former coworker told me.  He and his wife loved using roasted peppers.  They processed a large quantity one weekend without gloves, slipping the skins off after roasted and cutting up for freezing.  Later in the evening things became affectionate with disastorous results.  My wife suffered some real pain in her hands one time from handling peppers without gloves.  Any rate I am envious of your end product, gotta make for some good chilie this winter.

Nothing like rekindling the old flame  ;D

You know, it's funny but there was a time when I never would have considered doing something like this.  Now, for the life of me, I can't figure out why I don't do stuff like this more often.  It really is easy and I know that I have tried things that were posted on here (and I especially find it easier to try if I see pics).  I guess i just try to do stuff like this and post the pics, etc for those on here that came before me and gave me the confidence to try some things I ordinarily wouldn't have.  Hopefully, the pictorials help someone.

Thanks for the kind words and the chuckle. :D

SD

[Habanero Smoker]

SD

Everything looks good. You got a decent amount of powder for your efforts.

[pensrock]

Always wear gloves or wash your hands THOROUGHLY after working with the peppers........especially right before you use the restroom.  (Biggest and most painful lesson learned)

I seem to remember very well and even putting it into CAPS...... 'BE SURE TO WEAR RUBBER GLOVES"!
I do not when dealing with Wax, Pobalanos, Jalapenos but if I'm dealing with Habs or Nagas that it a different story.

I'm glad it all worked out well for you. The powder will be very strong, use a little at a time till you get an idea of how much heat/flavor you like. Looks like your grinder did a good job.
pens

[Smoking Duck]

Actually, I was a little disappointed in my grinder.  It has a little covering over the opening of the burr grinder that makes it difficult to get the pieces into the burr grinder.  However, a little work with the mortar/pestle took care of that.

Yes, I wore gloves most of the time.  I had a hard time checking the habs for dryness while wearing gloves, so I used the bare hands.  I had an urgency that I felt and washed my hands but apparently, not as thoroughly as I would have liked.  The pain started subsiding last night and now, all is well (just in time for the Steelers game)

SD

[Gizmo]

Yes, I wore gloves most of the time.  ... I had an urgency that I felt and washed my hands but apparently, not as thoroughly as I would have liked.  The pain started subsiding last night and now, all is well (just in time for the Steelers game)

SD

When I do a Habanero Lime Cheese cake, the finger tips in the gloves get brittle and crack.

And yes, washing does multiple times does is not effective.   :'(  :'(  Afer doing jalapenos without gloves, I had washed my hands with soap and water at least a dozen times.  Needed to wipe my eye and that was painful.

[Smoking Duck]

Yea, Giz.  I know of what you speak.  Late that night while lying in bed (this was two hours after having touched the last jalapeno and after at least 4 hand washings) I rubbed my eye and I still felt the burn.  I guess to get a little pleasure, you gotta go through a little pain (in fact, my marriage is built around this principle)  :o  ;) ;D

[Mr Walleye]

SD

The capsaicin oil from the pepper can usually be removed from your hands using soaps that will "cut" oil. I have used waterless hand cleaner (automotive) and it seems to do a decent job.

I've also heard that after you clean your hands, if they are still burning you can wash them for about a minute in milk to get some relief. I haven't tried this though.

Mike

[pensrock]

Your right Mike, Sometimes I wash my hands with shampoo, seems to work.

[Caneyscud]

I've had good luck with Dawn or Palmolive

[Smoking Duck]

I've had good luck with Dawn

I had good luck with Dawn as well...........then the wife found out  :o

[Mr Walleye]

I've had good luck with Dawn

I had good luck with Dawn as well...........then the wife found out  :o

:D  :D  :D  :D  ;D

I was thinkin' it but....   :D

Mike

[FLBentRider]

I've had good luck with Dawn

I had good luck with Dawn as well...........then the wife found out  :o

:D  :D  :D  :D  ;D

I was thinkin' it but....   :D

Mike

Watch out for Mr. Clean............... ::)

[Smoking Duck]

I've had good luck with Dawn

I had good luck with Dawn as well...........then the wife found out  :o

:D  :D  :D  :D  ;D

I was thinkin' it but....   :D

Mike

You was thinking it, but............you had the common sense not to say it.  ;D  Not always my strong suit  ;D

SD