Jalapenos for drying - Page 2

Worth1 · March 22, 2017

There is no pepper too thick to dry.
It all depends on the environment.
Look at the so called paprika type peppers.
One thing a person can do is to cut a slit in each one this helps out a lot.
There are some places you simply cannot dry a pepper without help and that is in constantly humid areas it just isn't going to happen without help in one way or another.
When I was on the gulf coast I had to put them in the oven on warm all day with the door cracked open.

In Idaho in the dry high altitudes I see no reason a person couldn't hang them up in a ristra and dry them.

Gardeneer · March 24, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by Worth1

There is no pepper too thick to dry.
It all depends on the environment.
Look at the so called paprika type peppers.
One thing a person can do is to cut a slit in each one this helps out a lot.
There are some places you simply cannot dry a pepper without help and that is in constantly humid areas it just isn't going to happen without help in one way or another.
When I was on the gulf coast I had to put them in the oven on warm all day with the door cracked open.

In Idaho in the dry high altitudes I see no reason a person couldn't hang them up in a ristra and dry them.

Technically that is correct but in practice might not be the case.
The longer it takes to get dry, the higher the chances of rotting and growing mold.It has happened with Habanero, with me, many times.
But if you have a good dehydrator it can make the job easier. I like to get one (at reasonable cost !) that I can set my own temperature. Last year I bought one from WM. It was more like a cooker than dehydrator. I returned it.

AlittleSalt · March 25, 2017

What I think you all are talking about is drying them on a ristra or something similar? For me, it's too humid here to do that and expect a high percentage to actually dry and not mold first. I have a setup for drying peppers on a ristra, and it is fun, but being that it is too humid here - I used that setup for hanging Elephant Garlic instead last year. I had 100% germination doing it that way.

The way I dry peppers is to use an oven. I've never met a pepper I couldn't dry that way - even bell peppers. The easiest/fastest peppers I've ever dried are Shish!to and Banana. You would surprised how good those taste in the form of chili powder. It also makes your house smell very good slowly drying in an oven.

Another way to dry peppers is using your smoker. Mine is a 30-35 gallon drum smoker that I use seasoned oak along with a few green oak sticks. Use an offset fire around 250F and keep it going steady. Again you can dry and smoke any type of pepper that way.

I saw mention of drying peppers whole. I haven't tried that. I cut ours in half lengthwise.

Either method is not quick, but it's worth the time and effort.

dmforcier · March 25, 2017

Alton Brown, in a Good Eats episode, shows a home-made dehydrator from a box fan, furnace filter, and bungee cord.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3JetOoEngs

March 25, 2017	#19
dmforcier Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 3,825	Alton Brown, in a Good Eats episode, shows a home-made dehydrator from a box fan, furnace filter, and bungee cord. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3JetOoEngs __________________ Stupidity got us into this mess. Why can't it get us out? - Will Rogers

March 22, 2017	#16
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	There is no pepper too thick to dry. It all depends on the environment. Look at the so called paprika type peppers. One thing a person can do is to cut a slit in each one this helps out a lot. There are some places you simply cannot dry a pepper without help and that is in constantly humid areas it just isn't going to happen without help in one way or another. When I was on the gulf coast I had to put them in the oven on warm all day with the door cracked open. In Idaho in the dry high altitudes I see no reason a person couldn't hang them up in a ristra and dry them.

March 25, 2017	#18
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	What I think you all are talking about is drying them on a ristra or something similar? For me, it's too humid here to do that and expect a high percentage to actually dry and not mold first. I have a setup for drying peppers on a ristra, and it is fun, but being that it is too humid here - I used that setup for hanging Elephant Garlic instead last year. I had 100% germination doing it that way. The way I dry peppers is to use an oven. I've never met a pepper I couldn't dry that way - even bell peppers. The easiest/fastest peppers I've ever dried are Shish!to and Banana. You would surprised how good those taste in the form of chili powder. It also makes your house smell very good slowly drying in an oven. Another way to dry peppers is using your smoker. Mine is a 30-35 gallon drum smoker that I use seasoned oak along with a few green oak sticks. Use an offset fire around 250F and keep it going steady. Again you can dry and smoke any type of pepper that way. I saw mention of drying peppers whole. I haven't tried that. I cut ours in half lengthwise. Either method is not quick, but it's worth the time and effort.