When you’ve got a bumper crop of ghost peppers, you’re basically swimming in potential heat. Drying them is like bottling up a fiery surprise for your future culinary adventures!
Dried ghost peppers – also known as Bhut Jolokia – are a spicy staple in Indian cuisine. And sure, you could buy them, but making your own ghost pepper flakes is a perfect way to use your ghost peppers, and a surefire way to make your taste buds scream! You can air dry them, use a food dehydrator, dry them on the counter, or sun dry them. And remember, safety first when handling these hot commodities.
Keep scrolling for all the spicy details on pepper drying techniques!
What is the best way to dry ghost peppers?
Drying ghost peppers is a superb way to preserve your pepper harvest – it’s so great, it’s scary!
Fresh ghost peppers are notorious for their fiery heat, but drying them takes that spiciness to a whole other level. Ghost peppers have a scorching heat that’s not for the faint-hearted, and when dried, they deliver a smoky flavor that’s out of this world.
So, if you’ve grown a batch of ghost peppers and want to store them, drying is your best bet. Let’s explore how to do this, shall we?
The best ways to dry ghost peppers include:
- Air drying
- Food dehydrator
- Dry them on the counter
- Sun drying
Don’t be a scaredy-cat, let’s dive into each method!
Air drying ghost peppers
Air drying ghost peppers is a classic, straightforward, and effective technique.
This method is as simple as making a couple of slits in your peppers near the stems and stringing them together. Hang them up in a well-ventilated room, and in about four weeks, your peppers will be dry and ready to rock any dish!
Air drying peppers is energy-efficient. While it may take a bit more time than a dehydrator, it’s easier on the pocket. Plus, it gives you enough time to build up your courage to use them!
Just cut a slit as close to the stem as you can, then thread a string through the stems.
Hang them up in a room with good airflow to avoid humidity which can invite unwanted guests, like mold.
Air-drying peppers usually takes about four weeks, just in time for your next hot sauce experiment!
Food dehydrator
Using a food dehydrator is the quickest way to dry ghost peppers. It’s like the fast lane on the road to Flavortown!
Food dehydrators are great for drying a wide array of veggies, ghost peppers included. Clean them, cut them up, and dehydrate them. In a few hours, you’ll have your very own home-dried ghost peppers!
Drying peppers in a food dehydrator is a snap once you get the hang of it.
Rinse and dry your peppers, then chop off the stems.
Cut your peppers according to your preference, but remember smaller slices take less time to dry.
If you want to temper the heat, consider removing the seeds.
Dehydrate at a temperature of 130°F until your peppers feel brittle and tough.
Dry ghost peppers on the counter
Believe it or not, you can dry your ghost peppers right on the counter! But this method requires low humidity and good ventilation. You don’t need to cut your peppers since hot peppers can naturally dry whole!
This method works best if you’re in a dry environment with good ventilation.
Just spread your peppers out so they aren’t touching and let nature do its thing!
Sun drying ghost peppers
Sun-drying ghost peppers is a fun and effective way to dry your peppers, as long as you’ve got the right weather.
This method requires consistent temperatures of at least 90°F and humidity below 60%. Pasteurizing your peppers after sun-drying is important since they’ve been out and about soaking up the sun.
The conditions need to be just right: at least 90°F for several days, with humidity under 60%.
Wash your peppers to get rid of any dirt, then place them on screen trays. Cover with cheesecloth to keep away pesky insects and birds.
After they’re dry, pasteurize your peppers by either:
Stashing them in the freezer for two days or
Baking them in the oven at 160°F for half an hour
Can dried ghost peppers mold?
Now, you might be wondering: can dried ghost peppers mold?
Dried ghost peppers can indeed mold if they are exposed to moisture, much like any other dried food. They can reabsorb moisture when you open their containers or if they’re stored improperly. Proper storage is crucial!
Dried ghost peppers can mold if they reabsorb moisture. So, proper storage is key to keep your peppers from becoming a science project!
How do you dry ghost peppers so they don’t mold?
So how do you keep the molds at bay?
To dry ghost peppers so they don’t mold, allow them to cool down completely. Then store them in cans, vacuum-sealed bags, freezer containers, or plastic freezer bags. The best way to prevent mold is by storing your peppers in serving-sized containers so you’re not constantly opening and closing the container!
Let the peppers cool down completely to avoid any moisture from heat that could attract mold.
Store your dried peppers in cans, vacuum-sealed bags, freezer containers, or plastic freezer bags.
One cool trick is to store your peppers in multiple serving-size containers. This way, every time you need some, you open a new container and keep the rest airtight and moisture-free. It’s like meal prep, but for peppers!
How do you know when ghost peppers are dry enough?
Determining when your ghost peppers are dry enough can be a bit tricky, especially if it’s your first haunting… I mean, drying.
Fully dried ghost peppers should be brittle and tough.
If you’re planning on making ghost pepper flakes or powder, ensure the peppers are completely dry before grinding.
How long do dried ghost peppers last?
Drying is the long-haul trucker of preserving ghost peppers.
Stored properly, dried ghost peppers can last between 1-2 years. Just make sure they’re stored in a cool, dry space. Remember, a cool pepper is a happy pepper!
