Putting summer's heat into a jar

[JAB]

This year I grew some bhut jolokia (ghost peppers):

some yellow Scotch bonnets:

red habaneros:

and some tiny pequin peppers:

Sunday I decided I wanted to make some chili while the peppers are still fresh. Along with my (home made) hot chili powder (which includes serrano powder and habanero powder that came from dehydrated peppers I grew last year - the powder is still as flavorful and potent as ever), my (home made) extra hot, ghost chili powder and my home made chipotle flakes, I put these fresh peppers in:

That is one Scotch bonnet, one habanero, two ghost chilis and five pequins. I made a big batch of chili (about two and a half to three gallons) but this was still enough to give it a good heat.

Now, I am the kind of person who likes to taste the peppers straight before putting them in something. I have eaten slices of straight ghost pepper, before, so I wasn't 'scared'. The Scotch bonnet was nice and hot. In fact, I remember thinking, "Man, the ghost pepper can't be much hotter than this." I was wrong - that ghost pepper is just something else (and apparently the dry soil at my house helped to concentrate the heat beyond the ghost peppers I've eaten in the past.) It is hard to believe that the ghost pepper no longer holds the title of hottest pepper in the world. Most bhut jolokia are around one million scoville. Most scorpion peppers are said to be about the same, one million scoville, but a strain of scorpion pepper was recently discovered with a rating of two million scoville (for perspective, jalapenos are usually 5,000 to 8,000 while habaneros are usually around 300,000 to 350,000 and the hottest habanero strain - the red savina - is around 500,000 so ghost peppers are twice as hot as the hottest habanero and this, particular strain of scorpion peppers are twice that or four times hotter than the hottest habanero.) Still, these little ghost peppers were no slouches.

The problem was that I wasn't really in the mood to eat chili with the weather as warm as it was on Sunday. That was okay, though, because I had planned ahead. In fact, that was the reason I made so much. Once the chili was done, I canned some of it. Twelve pint jars and four twelve ounce jars (ran out of pints), to be exact. A pint is the perfect size to take for lunch at work. In fact, the rain today made me want chili so a pint of it was lunch, today. I am very happy with the results.

Even after all the canning, I had about a gallon left. I put that in a big, plastic bowl with a lid and stuck it in the chest freezer. I have two friends who like their chili just as spicy as I do and the three of us will get together and enjoy it at some point - they have suggested during the Tennessee/Florida game (I couldn't care less about football but any excuse to hang with my buds, drink beer and eat too much is fine with me.)

Edited September 4, 2012 by JAB

[strickj]

Very nice!

Do you also bottle your own Pepto?

[BigK]

I love spicy food. In fact, the waiter at the Thai restaurant calls me crazy for ordering my panang beef so hot.

So when my friend, who grows bhut jolokia peppers, brought one to work, my hubris got me in trouble.

I was foolish enough to put a piece of the flesh (not the seeds or the pith, which are much hotter, mind you) on my tongue and closed my mouth to let the saliva begin to work it's way around. In all, I'd guess around 4-5 seconds. This tiny little piece of pepper was about half the size of an apple seed. IT LIT ME UP LIKE A PINBALL MACHINE!

It took me the better part of 2 hours before the numbness and burning went away, but my manhood has never recovered.

[JAB]

I love spicy food. In fact, the waiter at the Thai restaurant calls me crazy for ordering my panang beef so hot.

So when my friend, who grows bhut jolokia peppers, brought one to work, my hubris got me in trouble.

I was foolish enough to put a piece of the flesh (not the seeds or the pith, which are much hotter, mind you) on my tongue and closed my mouth to let the saliva begin to work it's way around. In all, I'd guess around 4-5 seconds. This tiny little piece of pepper was about half the size of an apple seed. IT LIT ME UP LIKE A PINBALL MACHINE!

It took me the better part of 2 hours before the numbness and burning went away, but my manhood has never recovered.

Yeah, when I say I eat slices of the ghost peppers, I mean paper thin slices. I do chew them up and swallow them, though. Like habaneros, once you get used to the heat they really do have a nice flavor. To me, habaneros have a sort of 'smoky' citrus flavor. One of my favorite flavor combinations is mango and habanero - put some fresh or dried/powdered habanero in a pot with some mango nectar and simmer to reduce by about half (until it thickens) and you have one of the best hot wing sauces around. Ghost peppers don't have that 'smoky' element but, to me, taste rather lemony.

I started wondering about making candied peppers, like some folks do with orange peel or other fruits. I actually found a recipe and I might try candying some bhut jolokias. If I do, I'll let y'all know how it goes.

Edited September 5, 2012 by JAB

[MiddTennTaco]

Nice to see other spicy food enthusiasts! Ive got that ghost pepper sauce and i use a tooth pick to apply it to my food. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Sent from my HTC Inspire using Tapatalk 2

[BigK]

I like the sauce selection at Firehouse Subs. They have a proprietary numbering system to indicate heat. To me the best flavors come from #7 and below. If you get any hotter, the heat destroys my taste buds and I'm left not tasting anything.

Otherwise, I love spice food too.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Ooh, nice!

[GKar]

Good stuff! Have grow habs and red Scotch Bonnets on and off for years. I've actually had the best results putting them in pots, sitting the pots on large stones in the back yard (keeps the roots warmer earlier in the year, it seems). Another storage option is to put them in a zip-loc freezer bag, squeeze all the air out and pop em in the freezer - since most of the time you do not care about the consistecy of the flesh (rarely are they eaten raw, sliced or whole), this works well. I've kept them a year or more this way, just taking out how ever many I need at a time and putting the rest back in the freezer.

That mango/habanero combination is my favorite as well, followed closely by pineapple/habanero. Gonna have to give the mango nectar recipe a try - sounds good. I've aso seen a recipe for an ice cream topping using honey/ginger/habanero...amazingly good!

[JAB]

I've aso seen a recipe for an ice cream topping using honey/ginger/habanero...amazingly good!

The article I found for making candied chili peppers calls for basically cooking them in a simple syrup then pouring the syrup off and drying the candied peppers out a bit in the oven. They said that the syrup can be saved and is really good over sorbet. In fact, they talked about using the candied peppers in ice cream. I think they were using milder peppers than habanero or bhut jolokia, though.

http://icecreamirela...chilli-peppers/

And actually the idea of candied chilies has got me wondering how peanut and ghost pepper brittle would turn out. Maybe break it into little pieces and half-dip the pieces in chocolate ('cause hot chilies and chocolate go really well together.)

Edited September 5, 2012 by JAB

[JAB]

If you get any hotter, the heat destroys my taste buds and I'm left not tasting anything.

Otherwise, I love spice food too.

That is part of the reason I really like Thai food (I always order 'Thai hot' which is above the usual 1 to 5 heat scale that most restaurants use) and Indian food (likewise, I order 'Indian hot'.) Those cuisines can make foods scorchingly, screamingly spicy while still leaving all the other flavors intact and very present. In other words, they are some of the hottest foods around but you aren't just tasting heat - you are tasting the food enhanced by the heat. Some Korean dishes do very well in that area, too (kimchi chigae...mmmmmm.)

Edited September 5, 2012 by JAB

[Dennis1209]

I'll tell ya what it is...

Your taste buds have burned up long ago from fire eating. I'll bet Angle Soft feels like 200 grit sand paper and you sing soprano on the toilet seat!

[GKar]

That is part of the reason I really like Thai food (I always order 'Thai hot' which is above the usual 1 to 5 heat scale that most restaurants use) and Indian food (likewise, I order 'Indian hot'.) Those cuisines can make foods scorchingly, screamingly spicy while still leaving all the other flavors intact and very present. In other words, they are some of the hottest foods around but you aren't just tasting heat - you are tasting the food enhanced by the heat. Some Korean dishes do very well in that area, too (kimchi chigae...mmmmmm.)

Exactly why I like using habanero, Scotch Bonnets and their cousins instead of cayenne, jalapeno and the like. Their heat doesn't obliterate other flavors. And yeah, really good Thai will send you to the creek for a prolonged stay...used to work with a girl that would bring Thai dishes for lunch, and she'd make enough for an army. I loved em, but the rest of the department couldn't hack it. Capsaicins = endorphins...and that's a good thing!

[G27]

You are, quite simply, insane.

[JAB]

I'll tell ya what it is...

Your taste buds have burned up long ago from fire eating. I'll bet Angle Soft feels like 200 grit sand paper and you sing soprano on the toilet seat!

Well, since you brought it up, I hate Angel Soft or any of that other, overly fluffy tp (seriously - tp that is too soft/fluffy annoys me.) Give me good, old Scottissue (the original, not their 'quilted' version) or whatever is cheapest at Walmart.

I know what you are getting at and will only say that, in my case at least, the whole 'burn the next day' thing is a myth.

[JAB]

Capsaicins = endorphins...and that's a good thing!

Yep. A lot of 'non-chile heads' ask why I enjoy such hot foods. I tell them that, beyond truly enjoying the flavor/heat (and I do), there is also an endorphine rush that is said to be nearly identical to a runner's high. I get that same cheap, legal high without all the damned, annoying running. Plus endorphines are said to be good for one's overall physical and mental well being even beyond the amount of time that the actual 'high' lasts. Not to mention that chili peppers are believed to be an excellent blood purifier, much like garlic. Mix chili pepper and garlic in the same dish (as I often do) and your blood ought to be pretty darned purified.

Now, I am certainly not as hard core as some of the ancient Aztecs and so on supposedly were. Legend has it that the native peoples of what is now Mexico, etc. used to rub habanero juice on their temples to alleviate headaches (and there is support in modern medicine as some pain relieving creams contain capsaicin) and even put drops of habanero juice in their eyes to help with cataracts. There are also legends that claim their warriors would eat straight habaneros as they prepared to go into battle so that the combination of pain and endorphines would more or less send them into a 'berserker' type state. I'm not sure how much truth there is to any of that but they make for interesting tales.

Edited September 6, 2012 by JAB

[Major Kong]

Sounds great! I grew habaneros this year for the first time and have really enjoyed them. I tried stuffed, bacon wrapped habaneros on the grill last weekend and absolutely loved them. Like stuffed jalapenos x10.

[JAB]

Sounds great! I grew habaneros this year for the first time and have really enjoyed them. I tried stuffed, bacon wrapped habaneros on the grill last weekend and absolutely loved them. Like stuffed jalapenos x10.

Habaneros + bacon sounds like all kinds of win. What did you stuff them with - cheddar cheese, cream cheese or ???

I have confirmed (by taking a big, ol' bite of one) that the habanero plants I bought this year were mislabeled. Instead of nice, hot habs I got some kind of mild habanero. They honestly taste like mild cherry peppers, to me. Horrifying! I really have no idea what the heck i am going to do with a bunch of mild peppers but I am considering going the cream cheese stuffed route. Maybe I will mix a little ghost pepper with the cream cheese to help the habaneros regain some modicum of respectability.

Edited September 10, 2012 by JAB

[Major Kong]

Habaneros + bacon sounds like all kinds of win. What did you stuff them with - cheddar cheese, cream cheese or ???

I have confirmed (by taking a big, ol' bite of one) that the habanero plants I bought this year were mislabeled. Instead of nice, hot habs I got some kind of mild habanero. They honestly taste like mild cherry peppers, to me. Horrifying! I really have no idea what the heck i am going to do with a bunch of mild peppers but I am considering going the cream cheese stuffed route. Maybe I will mix a little ghost pepper with the cream cheese to help the habaneros regain some modicum of respectability.

I mixed some cream cheese with a barbecue dry rub and stuffed them with that. Cooked the bacon about halfway on the stove then wrapped and secured with a toothpick. On the grill at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Mmm mmm good.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

That heat you like does several good things, like you said.

I got a bunch of those little critters you have pics of and my wife dried them. I hope they retained their

heat! She decided to make some old blue Mason jars useful. Found them at the local farmer's market.

Edited September 11, 2012 by 6.8 AR

[BigK]

You gus

Sounds great! I grew habaneros this year for the first time and have really enjoyed them. I tried stuffed, bacon wrapped habaneros on the grill last weekend and absolutely loved them. Like stuffed jalapenos x10.

Mmmmmmmmm, that sounds freakin' awesome!!!

[peejman]

I like the sauce selection at Firehouse Subs. They have a proprietary numbering system to indicate heat. To me the best flavors come from #7 and below. If you get any hotter, the heat destroys my taste buds and I'm left not tasting anything.

Otherwise, I love spice food too.

Same here. I like jalapeno's and a little habanero goes a long way. I don't really like the flavor of curry. Ghost peppers and such are way too hot for me. My taste buds hit "tilt" and I may as well be eating straw (really, really spicy straw).

[reed1285]

Where do you get your seeds from on the ghost pepper?

[JAB]

Where do you get your seeds from on the ghost pepper?

These weren't from seeds - I was actually able to buy plants already started. There is an Amish produce market in Delano, TN where I bought ghost peppers last year. This year they were selling the plants. I am so happy about having been able to grow some ghost peppers that I am not even angry at them about mislabling the #&^% mild habanero plants. Well, not too angry, anyhow.

They still sold fresh ghost peppers this year, too. I was concerned that my yield wouldn't meet my demands so I bought several from them to dry, as well (I made a ghost pepper chile powder last year that several of my friends liked so I need to make a bigger batch this year.)

I come from the other direction (Loudon) so I wouldn't be that great at giving directions from Chattanooga. I imagine you'd want to hit the Cleveland bypass over to 411. I can give landmarks, though. There is a winery called Savannah Oaks winery back off 411 and you turn on the same road that goes to the winery to go to the Amish market. Coming from your direction, it would be just a few miles past Benton Shooter's Supply if you know where that is. From that direction, the road you would want (as well as the winery) would be on the left - the same side of the road as Benton Shooter's Supply. From that direction, you'd probably come to the road where you want to turn before you'd see the winery but I believe they have a sign at the road (and I think there is also a sign there for the produce market.) I believe the winery has a website and that you can get directions from their site to get you at least that far - the Amish market isn't too far past the winery. To get to the Amish market, drive on past the driveway for the winery and follow the signs. When you turn toward the actual market, there is a narrow underpass that you will drive through. For that matter, if you are 'in' to that sort of thing, Savannah Oaks is a pretty decent winery and they offer free tastings of their products.

I'm not sure what the Amish market hours are right now or when they close for the season. I know they have expanded hours in the summer (open more days) but they might have wound their hours down by now. They have an animal sale the last weekend of the month (mostly chickens, goats, etc. from what I saw the one time I happened to be there on the right day.) They won't still be selling ghost pepper plants this late in the season but they might still have some fresh ghost peppers (and habaneros - both the mild and hot varieties), etc. They often have fresh baked goods for sale at the market, too, but the best stuff sells out quickly. They have these pizza roll things that are pretty darned tasty.

They are traditional Amish people so they use horses and buggies for transportation and they also use horse drawn carts for gathering their harvest in the fields. They don't have electricity or a telephone in the market (so you wouldn't be able to call and check to see what they still have or what the hours are.) They don't come across as 'severe' or 'stern' and are actually usually quite friendly bu they do ask that people coming there to shop respect their beliefs and dress appropriately (mostly asking that women refrain from wearing halter tops and other 'revealing' type clothing.)

Edited September 14, 2012 by JAB

[Dennis1209]

Now that I have thought about edible hell and brimstone...

I'll bet the saying, "sheet fire and save matches" was coined by a person canning summer sunshine