Posted: 4/21/2008 9:05:24 AM EDT
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What chili peppers are used to make chili powder? Can any pepper by used or is there a preferred pepper for this? Anyone know the process for making your own chili powder? |
Many different peppers are used to make "chili powder." Arbol, ancho, cayenne and chipotle come readily to mind but there are many others. The stuff you buy in the supermarket labeled "chili powder" is a proprietary blend of different peppers. I can't say that I think very highly of supermarket chili powders. Penzey's has some good ones though........try their ancho chili powder. Making your own chili powder is pretty easy. Dry your chilis thoroughly then deseed them. Then grind up the remains and you'll have chili powder. I grind them first in a small food processor, then put them in an old coffee grinder that no longer is used for coffee. 
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I use a needle to put thread threw the stems.......makes a chili pepper necklace sort of arrangement. I then just hang them in a warm, dry, dark corner until they're dry. The dehydrator works well too. Alternatively, you could probably put 'em on a baking sheet in a warm oven and dry them that way. I've never done it that way so I can't give specifics there. |
| You can also get some drying racks and a fan. Lay what you want to dry on the racks and leave a fan blowing on it for a few days. You can dry a lot of stuff that way. It works great where I live because it's so dry. If your area is a lot more humid then it might not work out quite so well. |
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The fan trick also makes what ever your drying a airfresher. Alton brown has a "chili, chilli" episode. Kind of his "dumbest" one when he acts a cow boy, but he makes chili powder. Here is his recipe but everyone is differnt, thus likes stuff differently. I like most of his recipes. His Rub on the "baby back rib" episode is DAM good too. HERE |
I haven't seen the chili episode but he uses the fan trick to make beef jerky too. He uses furnace filters to lay the meat on and points the fan out an open window to keep from having "jerky air freshener." I'm gonna have to try that this summer. |
+1 on Penzys |