Grilled Sweet Pepper Variety

[Ridgerunner]

I'm looking for a recommendation on what sweet pepper variety to plant. What I am looking for is something with thick walls that will grill well and I can them remove the skins. I'm tired of the thin-walled ones where the wall comes away with the skin. I used Super Shepherd this past year and they worked pretty well but I am interested in what other sweet peppers might be worth considering.

It has to be a sweet pepper. My wife's stomach cannot handle anything even slightly hot. I don't really care what color the ripe pepper turns. Shape and size are not really important to me either. I'm mainly looking for something that has the thick walls that grills well.

My normal method of grilling is to coat the pepper with oil then grill it on high, turning it to keep the pepper wall from burning but blistering the skin, using a gas grill. When they are done, I keep them closed up in a brown paper bag to kind of keep them steamed while I peel the others. Any recommendations to my peeling technique will also be appreciated.

 

[mothergoose]

Red Marconni peppers are my absolute favorite. The best sweet pepper I have ever had...I am not a belle pepper fan, they taste bitter to me. But these marconni reds are fantastic. They are longer than they are wide. Nice peppers for grilling too.
There is also a giant hybrid marconni that is larger than the red marconni and is especially used for roasting. I ordered seed for it to try this year. It is also an earlier pepper 63 days. The red marconni is 90 days. A good place to see pictures of both and to read a little about them is at tomatogrowers.com

Good luck and enjoy,
Christie

 

[journey11]

I was going to say red marconi too, but they are not very thick walled. However, I think you would be pleased with their sweet flavor.

 

[digitS']

I am agreeing! And, Giant Marconi is absolutely a favorite.

I had grown regular Marconi up until last year. The 2 types were in my garden for a good 7 years. I think it was a mistake not to have it in 2010.

Somewhere it says that Giant Marconi is not really a Marconi pepper, but they are very similar. Marconi is more productive and not quite as tender. The tenderness is an issue tho' and I'm not talking about the fruit. The Marconi plants can come thru in a bad pepper year (like 2010) better than Giant Marconi. Red Marconi never had a chance to become red in my garden. Giant Marconi will develop a blush by the end of the season - what fruits are still left on the plants. They will fully ripen hanging in the kitchen.

My understanding is that the peppers with Caribbean names are also Italian Sweets. Aruba did very well for me. And, I also like banana peppers but they may be too small for your purposes.

I grow bell peppers every year and certainly enjoy them. It is just that Italian sweets grow better in my garden and and have better flavor! Now, that's just personal opinion.

DW uses the broiler to char the pepper for peeling.

Steve

 

[Greenthumb18]

My understanding is that the peppers with Caribbean names are also Italian Sweets. Aruba did very well for me.

Steve

Steve,

I noticed that variety of pepper, Aruba in Jung Seeds. I'm thinking about growing this one next season. Is it a Cubanelle pepper, by any chance?

 

[digitS']

Yep, Aruba is a Cubanelle.

But, I'd say that it is more tender with heavier walls, Greenthumb. I don't think many are as productive as a standard Cubanelle . . . well, I guess the most productive pepper I've ever grown was Corno Di Toro but I'm not going to cast my vote for that one.



Steve

 

[Ridgerunner]

By the Scoville Scale, Cubanellas can be pretty mild but with my wife I'm not going to try them. Anaheim's are too hot for her so I'll not risk Cubanellas, mild as they are. Some of the sacrifices we make for those we love!

http://www.chilliworld.com/FactFile/Scoville_Scale.asp

Any thick-walled recommendations? One problem I have is when the walls are so thin that I have trouble peeling the skin off or keeping from burning the pepper flesh. One reason I do them on the grill is that I find them easier to work to keep the flesh from burning than when I use the broiler. It also keeps from heating up and smelling up the kitchen in the summer.

I'll grow either hybrid or open-pollinated if I can find one that is suitable but I prefer open-pollinated so I can save the seeds. I will again grow some Super Shepherds this year but am looking for other possibilities.

 

[digitS']

Well, that led me on quite a little adventure, Ridgerunner!

I like Tabasco sauce and having ChilliWorld tell us that "Original TABASCO brand Pepper Sauce" had the same heat as a jalapeo, gave me pause . . .

About the 1st thing I found in my searching was that NuMex Joe E. Parker may have as much heat as Tabasco (4,500 scoville units) according to New Mexico State University! Now, I'm really confused! I grew Joe E. Parker in 2010 and, altho' I could detect a little heat, it certainly wasn't like sprinkling Tabasco sauce on my tongue! Joe E. isn't anywhere near as hot as a Jalapeo M! I'm still not very clear about the Scoville test but my resistance to that ChilliWorld list is weakening a bit as I learn about variables and subjectivity and such.

One of the 1st and most informative sites I came across was Food Product Design. These people are our "enemies!" They are the gang that make food as addicting as crack!! Anyway , type "scoville units" into their search and you will come up with some very interesting articles about making hot sauces, etc. No real definitive information but, oh my gosh! If these are the people in charge of preparing food in our country we are all doomed to obesity! (I am now intrigued by the idea of a "Thai-rribean" flavor with assorted peppers from both regions along with garlic, ginger and citrus! )

Well, getting back to your question about low pungency peppers for grilling . . . darned if I know! I won't be one of those buying "Crazy Jerry's Brain Damage" or "You can't Handle this Hot Sauce" or even habanero seed but I guess I can't detect heat below about 1,000 Scoville.

Here is a production guide from Oregon State University which has some information on varieties, heat & thickness of the walls. There are far more varieties than I have any experience with and it may be helpful.

Steve

 

[thistlebloom]

Hmmm, now you got me thinking (scary..). Do you guys know if it's true that the climate where you are growing peppers affects their heat? And also the culture, i.e. more or less water, lean soil versus rich, etc.? Seems like I heard/read that somewhere, buy it's in the foggy part of my brain.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I found that with the Anaheims, some were quite mild and some had a bit of a bite. That Scoville chart had a range for Anaheims so that is not a great surprise, but these were Anaheims taken off the same plant at the same time and there was a very noticable difference. Same general ripeness too. It seems like growing temperature, wet or dry, ripeness, maybe available nutrients would contribute to hotness, but for this I offer no explanation.

I have not chased your links yet but I will. Thanks.