# Getting ready soon to smoke ghost chili peppers for the first time!



## pat ferrante (Aug 14, 2012)

this wont be for a couple more weeks but i was curious if any have u guys have ever smoked ghost chili peppers and what would be a good temp and how long to smoke them??


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## forluvofsmoke (Aug 14, 2012)

Do you plan on drying the peppers for whole-dried or to powder later, or for adding them to salsas or meal entree' dishes after finely mincing them?

***Where nitrile or latex gloves while preparing and handling the peppers in a raw or non-dried state, and thoroughly wash all surfaces which come into contact with the peppers after they have been processed, including everything you touched with your gloved hands.

Start by cutting the top off and making a slit down the side so you can lay them open on the smoker grate with the skin-side down, seeds up...keep the seeds for more heat...(like they need it...eek!!!). Use a clean smoker grate or a grill topper (disposable aluminum pan with perforations), and it would be advisable to wash the smoker grate before smoking food on it (residue from peppers may be present on the grates).

If drying afterwards, start smoke @ low for an hour or so in the 100-120* range for 1-2 hours, then increase to 140-150* for 2-4 hours. If your smoker will not go below 150* is fine, it will just cook the peppers faster and they will begin drying sooner, meaning less smoke in the pepper. Further process as you normally would for drying. If you don't have a dehydrator, place them on a cookie or baking sheet in the oven on the lowest setting until they reach a brittle consistency (may take several hours or more). Bag in xiplocs and store at room temp for ready access for use regularly, or in freezer if you wish, but is not necessary as they will not spoil when dried. To powder, use a coffee grinder or a dedicated spice grinder. DO NOT reuse coffee grinder for coffee beans after grinding spices, and especially chilies, without _very_ thorough cleaning.

If using as uncooked, for salsas or to add to dishes, cold smoke at 80-100* for 6+ hours. Cold smoking will not cook the pepper and will help it maintain some of it's natural texture and crispness. The higher the temp, the more smoke they will take on. If hot smoked, they will cook and have a softer texture, which you may not want if adding to salsas...your call on that. Mince after smoking and package in multiple wraps of plastic wrap, vac-seal bags or ziploc bags in (very) small portions (1 Tbls or so) and freeze immediately. You can put the small packs into a covered plastic container so you don't loose track of them or get them scattered in the freezer.

Hope that helps. Ghost chili peppers...man, I don't have the intestinal fortitude to try those bad boys! Good luck!

Eric


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## smokinhusker (Aug 15, 2012)

forluvofsmoke said:


> Do you plan on drying the peppers for whole-dried or to powder later, or for adding them to salsas or meal entree' dishes after finely mincing them?
> 
> ***Where nitrile or latex gloves while preparing and handling the peppers in a raw or non-dried state, and thoroughly wash all surfaces which come into contact with the peppers after they have been processed, including everything you touched with your gloved hands.
> 
> ...


X2


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## badbob (Aug 15, 2012)

"Morning Pat, I've never smoked Ghost Peppers but I make salsa with them all the time. If you are interested my favorite recipe is as follows :

1 ghost pepper cut in quarters

1 medium onion chopped

4-5 cloves of garlic minced

1 can (15oz <or>) dicd tomatoes

2 tbls chili powder

1 tbls ground cumin

2 tsps salt

2 tbls chopped cilantro

1 tbls fresh lime juice

saute all of the ingredients EXCEPT the cilantro and lime juice and put in a blender and pulse until you get the thickness that you like. Add the cilantro and lime juice and stir. Good luck. Actually I have'nt had anyone say that it is too hot to eat, but it is different from traditional salsa.


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## ascenia (Oct 4, 2014)

I have a Char-Broil Infrared 2 in 1 Big Easy smoker and used the guidelines stated above from SmokinHusker.  I just used racks near the top, set it at 15 for 30 minutes to get the wood pellets going good, reduced it to 1.  I put the split peppers in foil pie plates on racks near the top.  Every hour, I would take them out, turn the smoker to 15 again to get the smoke going, then reduced to 1.  In total, I cooked 2 hours at 1 and 2-3 hours at 2.  I then put them in a Nesco dehydrator set to 90 and let them dry until crispy.  I then put the peppers in a zip lock bag and either crushed them by hand or with a rolling pin, then bottled the flakes in a spice jar.  The smoking greatly reduced the time to dehydrate them.  I think it took 3 days without smoking them, but less than 24 hours with the smoking.  I prefer to dehydrate at a low temp to keep the color.  These flakes really beat the red pepper flakes I buy at the grocery store.


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## jarjarchef (Oct 4, 2014)

:popcorn  :fire:


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## ristau5741 (Oct 6, 2014)

DO NOT! I repeat DO NOT use latex gloves when seeding hot peppers, the molecules of Capsicum are smaller then the holes in the latex and will come right through the latex and burn your hands. (I learned this the hard way). Use rubber gloves.


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## oldschoolbbq (Oct 6, 2014)

Yeah,
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






, I want to taste my chile , not cry in pain from eating it...JMHO...


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