preserving habaneros
Thomas (dot) wrote:
You probably are aware that habs have a bad habit of rotting if not used
rather quickly. Oven drying will work if you dry them at a very low temp
for a long time, however the downside is the smell and eye irritant issues
in the house. I've had very good luck in the past when I smoked them dry.
I cut off the tops and removed the seeds and membranes with some long
kitchen tweezers. I highly recommend using gloves to do this. If you
don't, you will invariably touch around your eyes (or more sensitive body
parts *wink*) I promise you don't want to do that. I used a small backyard
smoker and I used charcoal for heat and mesquite wood for the smoke, but
hickory, pecan or apple wood would work.
Smoke them on a VERY low temp for a long time and check them often. You
will be able to tell when they are dry. I still use some that I have in a
spice jar which I smoked over 5 years ago.
good luck!
I'm still not sure what approach I'll take. I don't have a dehydrator
or a smoker and don't want to fumigate the house buy using the oven. I
may throw some in the freezer for now and experiment on some others
with a charcoal grill.
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