New guy here! While I don't have any experience smoking meat, I have smoked peppers for the last 5 years. Jalapenos, chili, serrano and habaneros. If you like hot spices with smoke flavor, you'll love these!
-cut peppers in 1/2 lengthwise, seed side up. More surface area for smoke.
-You'll need to wrap foil on your smoker racks so the peppers don't fall through. Use a fork and punch holes through for smoke
-I use apple wood, but would love to know what others are using.
-I dry them in a
dehydrator. Takes a long time in the
dehydrator, sometimes 24 or more hours. Best way to tell if they are done is to grab one and break in 1/2. Pepper should snap crisply.
-I bought a dedicated small cuisinart food processor. Grinding peppers will put light scratches in the plastic receptacle. Word of caution, I learned the hard way. Wear rubber gloves and a respirator, and grind outdoors. First time I did my peppers inside w/o a mask, I couldn't breathe, had snot rolling out nose and eyes were a mess.
-I grind enough to fill 8-10 jelly mason jars. Awesome on pizza, meat, in chili, you name it!