# want to dehydrate hot peppers



## rickc1970 (Jul 10, 2017)

Has anyone dehydrated and smoked hot peppers in their MES? I am wanting to smoke some haberneros to use in a sauce for hot wings. I figure i may do them at the same time as I do some beef jerky.


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## smokeymose (Jul 10, 2017)

Never smoked them, but I dried some in a dehydrater once and they're deadly. Actually for a sauce you might just want to grind them fresh.
Be careful because there's a fine line between hot flavor and just plain hot....


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## dr k (Jul 10, 2017)

RickC1970 said:


> Has anyone dehydrated and smoked hot peppers in their MES? I am wanting to smoke some haberneros to use in a sauce for hot wings. I figure i may do them at the same time as I do some beef jerky.


I have only dehydrated thin meat hot peppers. I learned the hard way to dehydrate them anywhere but inside your living space. I was planing on making Chipotle powder. It's just red mature Jalapeños cut in half and real low smoked for 16+ hours to dry and smoke. Thinner meat hot peppers still need to be cut in half to get the inside exposed to smoke/dry because of the waxy skin. I have several Bhut Jolokia ghost pepper plants and I give the peppers away and dehydrate and turn them to powder. I have a lot of peppers. Being a perennial, I brought last years potted ghost pepper plant in the house in the Fall. So it's got a head start. I think I'm going to smoke this second flush of peppers in the Mes till they are dried. I'll have to search chipotle here on SMF. Let me know how long the Habaneros took to completely dry.  
-Kurt


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## tallbm (Jul 11, 2017)

Well I kinda did a handful of some Pequin pepeprs (Chile Pequin). Early this year a freeze hit my plant and the next day the little peppers  started to wilt so  I knew that was it for the plant that year (peppers were size of like the tip of your pinky from the base of your pinky finger nail to the tip of the pinky or half that size).













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__ tallbm
__ Jan 9, 2017






So when I was smoking ground formed bacon I just put them on the q-mat and left them in there for the entire 6+ hour smoke.  The smoker temp was about 160-180F.  I used 100% hickory for that smoke for the entire period.  

Those little peppers dehydrated completely to brittle little shriveled and smoked raisin sized peppers.  All I had to do was mash them with my finger or a spoon and they broke right up into a powder, no need to split them or anything.

I had never done peppers so I figured I would just throw these guys in there to see what happened.  Let me tell you they made an amazing powder I have put on my smoked chicken!  I have about 1/2 to 3/4 of a teaspoon left.  I use it on my chicken :)

I know that isn't exactly what you were looking for as an answer but it's the best I got.  I think if you halve or even quarter up your Habaneros they will dehydrate right up to powder mashing consistency in no time.  Well it may take a little longer than mine did since you will be doing larger sized peppers but I don't think you will have any issues.  There is plenty of pepper smoking info online and you can always try with a handful as a test and then go from there :)

Btw, I prefer the dehydrated Caribbean Red to the regular Orange Habanero.  The Caribbean Red's flavor is just superior in my mind and amazing as a powder to sprinkle on food like tacos.  I've never had either smoked, only dehydrated and ground.

Best of luck!


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