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Post by smokey on Dec 23, 2013 17:45:26 GMT 10
I use two ways. A food dehydrator or if I want them smoked like Ancho? pre dried then smoked and now dried and smoked at the same time in a pellet (GMG) smoker.
However you must keep the temp below 165F /73c otherwise you cook them rather than dry. 150F / 66c is ideal
In the past for smoked chilli powder, and i've always been happy with the outcome is to semi dry them in the sunbeam dehydrator till semi soft like an apricot and then cold smoke them using a Pro Q smoke generator. Then back on the sunbeam till crispy dry.
Then I buzzed them in a magic bullet to a powder.
They can also be dried and or smoked in any bbq that can hold 66C for 6 hours.
Keeping a few heat beads going in a kettle or komado should do the trick.
An indor oven will do them or even string them up and hang in the sun.
There is nothing like fresh chilly powder to make your rubs really stand out. Its not so much the heat kick, Its the fruityness that dies away and is often absent in the store bought stuff.
How do others do it?
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Post by Gus65 on Dec 24, 2013 9:14:08 GMT 10
Smokey,
would a short snake of beads two wide and say 6 long do the trick for the 6 hour kettle drying and smoking version?
Got some ancho seeds via eBay and have to wait until harvest time. But am keen to dry some to use in Peri Peri Chicken.
Not sure I'll get away with buying a dehydrator at this time of the year on top of the planned vac sealer.
Did make a sun dryer years ago using an old window set at 45 degrees on a triangular timber frame and clad all around with flyscreen mesh. Might drag it out and give it a crack to do the first stage then smoke and dry in the kettle.
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Post by smokey on Dec 24, 2013 12:58:33 GMT 10
Posibly, as long as the snake dont go out.
That or 4 -5 lit beads and just feed the little pile.
You could always crack the lid too if it gets a little hot.
If you dont want to run the bbq all day you can just smoke them for a few hours and let them finish drying in the sun.
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Post by chrisg on Apr 22, 2014 19:44:43 GMT 10
Drying some at the moment, I don't quite know what they are, some seeds I picked up, very yellow. Used the first crop fresh and pickled some, they were pretty good, not terribly hot. The plant seems prodigious, third crop is appearing and I only got the plant to start cropping last October  I just dried the latest in a very cheap but surprisingly good dehydrator that I picked up either from crazy sales, similar to this one: www.crazysales.com.au/round-adjustable-food-dehydrator-with-removable-trays.htmlor it may have been Deals Direct, both get great stuff from time to time. Mate of mine has a Jalapeno plant and is dropping some over next weekend, I still have some from last drop so think I might dry them and go for a mix. The next lot of the yellow ones I may semi-dry, see how that goes for pizzas and pasta Must get some anchos going though Cheers |
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Post by smokey on Apr 22, 2014 23:18:11 GMT 10
I've stumbled onto an oddity since the OP.
Its called a sweet Habenero . it looks like the knarliest thing you've seen,, bit like a Trinidad scorpion.
Cut it open and the pungent wiff says danger. But pop the whole thing in the gob and there is no heat, Just sweet Hab flavour . I've got to get seeds out to you fellas.
I know they make great powder and the wife loves them in her cooking.
The tree is ripe now and sourced from the US.
PM me an addy and I'll post some seeds.
Members only please.
Its a bit late for the Southern states to start chili but trust me on this one. It's worth the seed keeping for next spring.
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Post by chrisg on Apr 23, 2014 8:38:29 GMT 10
I'll drop you a PM now, sounds interesting. In WA now is not such a bad time to get some seeds going. Cheers |
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Post by smokey on Apr 23, 2014 10:56:33 GMT 10
No probs, I've got the seeds drying in the sun this morning.
Hope they make it through WA customs. I wonder if I can include a dried one so you can get a taste?
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Post by chrisg on Apr 23, 2014 14:03:22 GMT 10
Hmm,
WA can be a bit wary about plants from interstate, never had a problem with seeds though.
Cheers
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Post by smokey on Apr 24, 2014 8:55:28 GMT 10
Here is a pic of them. Strainge things, All your sences tell you HOT, But there very mild and sweet.  |
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Post by Gus65 on Apr 24, 2014 10:33:22 GMT 10
Those do look nasty. You eating them seed and all and still finding them alright or are you taking the seeds out before eating?
I'll PM you an address, they'll fit in well with the ancho I'll grow from spring and the other yet to be found varieties I plan on growing.
Angus
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Post by bill44 on Apr 24, 2014 10:59:03 GMT 10
They certainly look interesting, the only one I grow now are Long Cayenne which have a good flavour and are easy to adjust the heat in a meal. They also make great Dried Chillies.
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Post by smokey on Apr 24, 2014 11:43:57 GMT 10
I've been cutting the placenta out for cooking them fresh. I just went out to the garden and ate a whole one. Very mild , I'd say a 2 or 3 in the scale of ten but a massive Hab flavour. They will go well with my Xec salsa when kids are eating. That bowl of them above, I seeded half of them for you blokes and dried them for powder in a sunbeam as I like some seeds in powders. Dont worry about postage, It's just a stamp, Pay it forward to someone else |
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Post by smokey on Sept 3, 2014 10:47:22 GMT 10
Seeds went out today, Also some Orange Glow water melon seeds from the US. Chris I couldn't send you the melon seeds as they were too obvious in the envelop  The WA quarantine is a worry. Kev yours will come soon. |
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Post by chrisg on Sept 3, 2014 12:07:11 GMT 10
Thanks for that, I've never grown water melon so not missing anything I've a good sized planter about to get turned over ready for the chili, still waiting to see if the two chili plants I had good results on last year have survived winter, a little early to tell just yet. I had some pretty mixed results last year in this formerly very neglected garden, but it was all pretty experimental. Now having a better handle on the place should be able to get serious this year. It will be another year of planters and pots though, even nasturtiums whilst alive have yet to run amuck as I wanted them to in one bed that I just want with ground cover, the nasturtiums, with the side-benefit of capers WA gardening is a chore sometimes, here not only is the soil essentially sand but it's steeply slopped with a lot of run-off that has washed the mulch downhill a bit It's not really a big deal though, I always intended to just establish some cover and do the productive growing in pots dotted around where sun and cover are suitable. The quarantine is I suppose sensible, strange that it is very much what's coming in though, not out which considering some of the WA weeds that have no trouble thriving is something we could take more notice of. Cheers |
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Post by nath on Sept 3, 2014 18:48:11 GMT 10
Wow they look really interesting Smokey!
I've some seeds to plant very soon, am I too late for Perth?
Don't have many seeds left can't remember what they are.
I don't seem to have much luck with chilli plants, they seem to shrivel up and for just before or even after they get there first true set of leaves.
Don't know what I'm doing wrong, don't think it's the heat, maybe too moist and they get rot of some sort.
Nath
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