What to do with HOT peppers?

I have peppers maturing but dont really need them for another month for salsa. What to do them in the meantime instead of watching the first wave rot? I just pickled a batch of wax peppers so I am caught up with those and will continue to jar them but I have a few beautiful serrano and jalapeno. I tasted the Jal and its just too hot for me to eat. What are some ideas to utilize 1-3 of these very hot peppers? I also have Anaheim but those arent hot. I like to roast them then mix with about any meat dish.

Had a neighbor dehydrate them and grind them into powder to use in dishes later. Just be careful with the grinder later!

Make a hot sauce, add it to a dish, jalapeno poppers are always good, lots of options.

If you clean out all of the membrane that holds the seeds it cuts down some of the heat of the peppers.

In a similar boat, not enough quantity to justify a little hot sauce just yet, so I infused some olive oil and vinegar with them (scorpion peppers). Thought of Brasa on Grand Ave where they have those oil things on the table to throw on your food. I have no idea if Ill like it, but at least I used them ha

Go out and buy a few other veggies and make salsa now.

Are they Red Hot? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mr_uHJPUlO8 Sorry could not resist.

Jelly!!!

I will take them. I fill them with cream cheese, wrap with bacon, and put in my smoker.

Peppers freeze very well. I still have habaneros, jalapenos and ghost peppers in my kitchen freezer from last year. Just rinse them off and put them in a freezer bag when they dry off. They’ll be softer than fresh when thawed out but that doesn’t matter for salsa or cooking.

As for a good use for hot peppers, if you make pickles, slice them longways and put the 3-4 halves into quart jars along with the cukes. If you only have 1-3 peppers now, make a pot of chili. As Pat K said, trimming off anything that’s white on the inside of the pepper tames them a bit.

I grew a variety of jalapeno last year called Jalafuego that was a lot spicier than your average jalapeno. Fuego is Spanish for fire. I just used them a little more sparingly, like thinner slices or finer mince over eggs or on a taco. I don’t do straight up habaneros or ghosts. I just add them to salsa or pickles. I couldn’t find Jalafuego seeds this year, so I went with serrano. They can be five times hotter than a jalapeno so you’re in trouble when those are ready.

Link wont work for some reason. Search candied jalepenos by the Chunky Chef. We used various types of peppers last year and they were amazing.

Jalapeno jelly.

picklerick wrote:

Peppers freeze very well. I still have habaneros, jalapenos and ghost peppers in my kitchen freezer from last year. Just rinse them off and put them in a freezer bag when they dry off. They’ll be softer than fresh when thawed out but that doesn’t matter for salsa or cooking.

well we might not agree MW is way better on BLT’S we can agree on this!!!!!!

when my other salsa ingredients arent ready i cut them up for what i need and freeze them. once made up in the salsa you cant tell the difference if they were froze or fresh.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

I freeze mine and use them all year long for tacos, pizza, quesadillas and lots of other things

Anyone ever can them?

Also on the freezing note, you just wash them and throw them in a freezer bag whole? Sounds simple but I’m also on an abundance of Jalapenos.

KP wrote:

Anyone ever can them?

Also on the freezing note, you just wash them and throw them in a freezer bag whole? Sounds simple but I’m also on an abundance of Jalapenos.

i’vee canned hungarian hot wax peppers before. there good on pizzas and sandwiches but near impossible to find plants around here!!!!

supercat wrote:

Had a neighbor dehydrate them and grind them into powder to use in dishes later. Just be careful with the grinder later!

You don’t need a dehydrater to do this. Just set them on the counter until dried up. Don’t grind them until you are ready to use. Will last years.

Pickle them will take out some of the heat.

-J.

We make hot pepper shakers. Dehydrate mince and pour in a shaker. We have 1 still from last year we call the devils shaker. 2 shakes in a pot of Chilli is plenty. Also great to boil venison dogs and just put a shake in the boiling water. The pepper shakers go good on all sorts of stuff. And make great gifts as well

I grow a variety of peppers and also rinse and freeze for use later.Cayennes are added to chili,cowhorns and habeneros are put in a food chopper and added to peppersticks.I like to add a couple habeneros to my scrambled eggs,once in awhile.Looking at making hot sauce with scorpions and reapers,roasting with onions and garlic and add mango or pineapple juice,lots of recipes on the net!!

I made a shaker out of dried habs a few years ago and it was so hot it nearly ruined everything I used it on. I must be a pepper wimp.

On a positive note my banana peppers turned out well. Still a little soon after only two days in jars but tried them yesterday and already taste good. Hot, but good….

Fried Hatch Green with
Lime Crema Dipping Sauce

Fried Hatch Green Chile Ingredients
• 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 box of extra crispy seasoned coating mix (by the bread crumb section)
• Vegetable or peanut oil for frying
• 5 whole Roasted Hatch Green Chile peeled, stems and seeds removed, sliced in half. You can also use Fresh Hatch Green Chile and roast it yourself.
Lime Crema Dipping Sauce Ingredients
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• zest and juice from one lime
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 clove of garlic
• pinch of salt
Instructions
1. Combine all ingredients for cilantro lime crema dipping sauce in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Place in the refrigerator and chill while frying up the green chile.
2. Pour frying oil into a medium-size frying pan to about 3/4 inch deep. Set over medium heat.
3. Place flour in one shallow container, mix egg and milk in another shallow container, and pour the entire box of crispy breading mix into a third shallow container.
4. Take each Roasted Hatch Green Chile Strip and dip first in flour, shaking off excess. Then dip in the egg-milk mixture, then press into the crispy coating, covering both sides entirely. Lay flat on a clean plate and repeat.
5. When the oil reaches 350 degrees F (or a wooden handle placed in the oil fizzes right away), gently slide a few chile strips into the oil. Fry for about 30 seconds per side, or until golden. Remove and place on a paper-towel lined plate. Repeat until all strips are fried. Serve warm with dipping sauce.

Birria Quesa Tacos

Ingredients
For the Birria Beef
• 8 dried Hatch Red Chile Pods
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 pounds of beef brisket or beef chuck roast
• 1 pound beef short ribs
• salt
• pepper
• 2 tablespoons of Hatch Green Chile Powder
• 10 garlic cloves, peeled
• 6 whole cloves
• 1/2 a cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cumin powder
• 1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
• 1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
• 4 bay leaves
For the Birria Quesa Tacos
• 20 Red Hatch Chile infused Corn Tortillas
• 16 ounces shredded Mozzarella cheese (or Oaxaca cheese if you can find it)
• 1 white onion, finely chopped
• fresh chopped cilantro and lime wedges for garnish topping
Instructions
For the Birria Beef
1. Set your oven to 350 degrees F. Place Hatch Red Chile Pods onto a baking sheet spread out into a single layer. Toast in the oven for about 5 minutes, or until puffy. Remove and cool for 5 minutes. Tear off and discard the stems, shaking out the seeds and discarding them as well. Place the chile pods into a bowl and add just enough water to cover and soak the chiles. If necessary, place an additional bowl over the top to keep the chile pods submerged. Set aside. Leave the oven on.
2. Set a heavy bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the vegetable oil. Blot all beef cuts with paper towels, then season all sides generously with salt, pepper and Hatch Green Chile Powder. Working in batches, sear the beef on all sides, then remove to a plate. Turn off the heat to the Dutch oven.
3. Place the soaked chile pods, 1 cup of water from the chiles, cloves of garlic, whole cloves, cinnamon, oregano, cumin, and tomato sauce into a blender. Blend until pureed, adding more chile soaking water as necessary, to make a sauce.
4. Pour roughly 1/2 cup chile sauce into the bottom of the Dutch oven (or enough to coat the bottom). Place all cuts of beef into the pot, and pour out the remaining chile sauce all over the beef. Place onion quarters and bay leaves around meat cuts. Add just enough water to cover the beef. Cover with a well fitting lid and place beef into the preheated oven and cook for about 4 and 1/2 hours or until beef is very tender and falling off the bone.
5. Scoop out the Birria beef, leaving the sauce in the pot, and place into a large bowl. Discard the onion, bay leaves and any large fat pieces from the beef, and shred the meat. Cover Birria beef and set aside. What sauce is left in the pot will become the dipping sauce for the tacos. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in any additional water (or beef broth) to thin to a desired consistency. Keep warm by setting Dutch oven over low heat with the cover on.
For the Birria Quesa Tacos
1. Set a cast iron skillet or other non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Dip both sides of a Red Hatch Chile infused Corn Tortilla into the top of the Birria sauce, (where all the really red fat is sitting) and place into the skillet. Sprinkle one-half of the tortilla with cheese, chopped onion, and Birria meat. Fry for about 2 minutes, or until the tortilla begins to darken. Fold the tortilla in half over the meat and fry both sides for an additional 30 seconds to crisp. Remove and repeat to make more tacos. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and serve with a side of Birria sauce and lime wedges.

Oh hell yes. Now I have a goal for all my Anaheim chili’s!

Beer Battered

Hatch Chile Rellenos

Ingredients
– Fresh Hatch Green Chile, roasted and peeled
– 1 cup flour
– 12oz Dark Beer
– 1 tsp salt
– 1 tsp pepper
– Your favorite cheese (Monterey Jack, Asadero, etc…)
– 4 cups vegetable oil
– Hatch Green Chile Powder
– Ground Beef (Optional)

Instructions
1. Choose your filling. Either brown your ground beef, season with Hatch Green Chile Powder, and mix in grated cheese until melted or cut cheese of your choice into strips.
2. Combine flour with salt, pepper, and beer in a mixing bowl.
4. Slit the side of each Roasted Hatch Green Chile pod open and take out seeds carefully. Stuff the chile with your choice of filling.
5. Roll stuffed chile in flour, dusting both sides. Dip chile in beer batter.
6. Fry in 1/2 inch of oil on medium high heat until browned on both sides.

I grow one pepper that has no heat. Anaheim. Close cousin to the hatch chili that gets a lot of press this time of year. Last night I roasted a couple on the grill until the skin was black and bubbly. Peeled and seeded. Then cut up into pieces and mixed with fresh cooked sweet corn cut off the cob in a pan of butter. Ran that until the corn started to brown a little then added fresh white rice and garden tomatoes. What a dish. The real star was supposed to be the peppers but the fresh corn was just as good.

Wear gloves when processing the hot ones. I know this and I do this but yesterday for some reason I cut up and canned two quarts of banana peppers bare handed. I sliced them, gutted them and scooped up all the guts with my hands. I washed them with every soap in the house and they still feel weird today. My banana peppers are exceptionally hot.