Processing Peppers

[Grow 4 Food]

I have a bad habit of growing a lot more peppers than I need. My thought is trying to dry and make some seasoning peppers, i.e. chipotle, ground cayenne, and others. Does anyone know how to smoke the jalapenos to make the chipotle? Does the smoking them dry them or do you have to do something else to dry them? Thanks

 

[mooman]

I'm not sure about making chipotles, but making hot sauce can be a good way of using some up. I am still seaching for a satisfactory pickling recipe. the best way I have found to preserve them is to freeze them. I cut them in half, take out the seeds and store them in freezer bags. They are perfect for any cooked dish. Any time I find myself browing hamburger I chop up some frozen bell pepper and throw it in. I actually just opened my last bag of red bells yesterday.

 

[S0rcy]

I have used this recipe on chile's since it came out in 2004!
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Courtesy of: Jacqueline Higuera McMahan contributer to the San Francisco Chronicle

How to smoke a chipotle

I like to use fruitwood because it produces a sweet, warm smoke. These chiles will not be completely dry, but soft and pliable. They come out of the smoker a deep red color. I sprinkle the finished chipotles with sea salt and place them in heavy-duty plastic freezer bags. They freeze well for up to a year, and make wonderful gifts for fellow cooking aficionados. My food friends are already reminding me that fall is here and it's time to start smoking.

What you will need:

-- Fruitwood: apricot, apple or almond wood, cut into pieces small enough to fit into the bottom of a smoker

-- A bucket of water

-- 30 fresh red jalapeno chiles

-- A small nonelectric smoker (I use a Char-Broil)

-- Hardwood charcoal for starting up the wood

Electric charcoal starter (optional)

Procedure: Soak the fruitwood in the bucket of water for at least 1 hour before using your smoker.

Arrange the jalapenos on the racks at the top of the smoker. Build a base fire of hardwood briquettes. (I use an electric starter unit to ignite them in the bottom of the smoker.) When the briquettes are red-hot, remove the starter (if using), and add pieces of soaked fruitwood. Don't add too much wet wood or you will put out the fire. After about 30 minutes, check to make sure that you don't have a roaring fire. You aren't barbecuing the chiles, you're smoking them. Keep the temperature in the smoker between 150-170. Add more fruitwood every 30 minutes to maintain the heat. Smoke the chiles for about 12 hours.

Note: If you have to leave for any reason, just let the smoker to go out. When you return, start the fire again if the chiles need further smoking.

 

[bigzio]

We freeze alot of stuffed peppers. Simply cut off the top, clean out the inside and stuff with a mixture of hamburger (fry the burger first) and vegetables.

Place in a baking dish with a quart of home made stewed tomatoes and sprinkle with parmo-romo cheese.

They freeze really well and taste great. We always choose the more blocky ones that stand well by themselves.

bigzio

 

[Betsy]

We freeze alot of stuffed peppers. Simply cut off the top, clean out the inside and stuff with a mixture of hamburger (fry the burger first) and vegetables.

Place in a baking dish with a quart of home made stewed tomatoes and sprinkle with parmo-romo cheese.

They freeze really well and taste great. We always choose the more blocky ones that stand well by themselves.

bigzio

Wow, I didn't know that you could freeze stuffed peppers! Thanks for sharing. Dad and I LOVE stuffed peppers-Mom likes them too but hates making them-I think I'll try making them this year so she doesn't have to do it

We freeze or dry the peppers we don't eat or give away. Frozen or dried peppers are great in chilli and pizza. We also like giving dried peppers as gifts.

 

[Grow 4 Food]

I freeze 4 or 5 dozen stuffed bells every couple years, but I stuff mine with dirty rice and cover them with homeade (mrs wages) spagetti sauce and cook them.

I am primarily trying to figure out what to do with large amounts of hot peppers though.

 

[s6bee]

This year I wanted to attempt to jar Roasted Red peppers. We use them in so many things during the year. I'm new to canning, in fact never did it before. Is there a way to do it when you are using oils for the liquid?

 

[nccountrygirl]

I just freeze the whole pepper. Wash them really well then put them into freezer bags. When you need one simply hold in under cold water for a few sec. and then they are soft enough to dice .

 

[turnerstar31]

I also freeze mine but I vaccum seal them. I also like to cute mine up in strips that way I can throw them into sauces or put them on some sort of meat.

 

[Tutter]

S0rcy, thanks for the recipe!

Betsy, we love them, too. I make them, my mother did, and my grandmother did. One day I needed a recipe which didn't require having to watch peppers in a pot of sauce on the stove, and devised the following 2. One might help your mom out. You can fill yours with what you like, but I cook ground meat and onions, and add rice.

Recipe 1: Cut peppers into strips and par boil. Make filling, and add some tomato sauce to it. Put 2/3 of pepper strips in baking dish. Put filling over peppers. Put last 1/3 of peppers on top of meat mix. Top with some tomato sauce, and bake. Same taste, a fraction of the work.

Recipe 2: Cut peppers in 1/2 lengthwise, remove top and clean out cavity. Par boil. Meanwhile, make filling, add some tomato sauce to it. Lay halves of peppers in a baking dish, fill with filling, top with some sauce, bake. Also easy, with the same basic taste.

I still make them the old fashioned way, but I don't let being busy keep me from enjoying them, now that I can fall back on the quicker methods!