Tips and Techniques for Smoking/ Drying Paprika

[mr_gentleman]

I bought some paprika seeds this year and will be growing them to smoke and dry for powder. Does anybody have tips for doing this since it will be my first try?

I have a vertical smoker that works fine for meat, but I think it may be a little bit too warm for the peppers. I usually can keep it at about 225-250, but that is as low as I can keep it. I have seen a technique used for cold smoking cheese were the chips are placed in a tin can and a soldering iron is placed in the chips to provide the smoke. I wonder if this would be good to use for smoking the peppers, and then move them to a deyhydrator to dry them.

Also, what type of woods do you use to smoke your peppers. I might try doing several batches with different woods to do a side by side comparison and decide which I like best.

Thanks for any input and any advice for anything I missed is appreciated also.

[Petronius_II]

This may not be the answer you want to hear, but...

I see no good reason to smoke paprika peppers. If it were me, I'd just dry them. Any good food dehydrator will do it, even an oven on low heat with the door wedged slightly open. Of course, I presume that at certain times of year when the weather is right, you could also sun-dry them.

It's only certain varieties of Spanish paprika that are traditionally smoked. The other countries in which paprika is traditionally used-- Hungary, etc.-- don't bother to smoke their peppers, and I personally doubt that smoking the Spanish peppers is really worth the effort. If I had a smoker, I'd save it for other uses.

I note that the Spanish smoked paprika is traditionally made using oak chips for the smoke, so if you insist on smoking them, I'd think it would be a good idea to use oak chips. Of course, you could always experiment with other chips such as mesquite and see what you like best.

One of my favorite spices that I doubt you can often find outside of New Mexico is powdered dehydrated green chile. Can be made to any degree of hot or mild you want. Imparts a fresh, crisp pepper flavor that traditional red chile powder just doesn't have.

I don't believe I've ever smoked paprika before...

[Boutique Tomatoes]

Check over on thehotpepper.com for some ideas. Lots of guys do smoked peppers over there as a variation.

Cold smoking with the soldering iron smoke generator would avoid heating them up too much, might not be a bad idea but I've never tried it.

[Moshou]

I have a Hungarian friend. They make paprika in family, but he doesn't like to tell me about the paprika process. All I know is that they harvest all bush and dry like that in the attic.

[recruiterg]

I have a Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker. My advice would be to either use the cold smoking technique or start a very low number of coals (maybe 8-10)...enough to keep the smoke wood ignited and keep the peppers exposed to the smoke for an hour or so, but keep your smoking temps low (maybe shoot for 150 or so). Once you have about an hour of smoke on the peppers, I'd remove them and hang them to dry, or complete the drying in a dehydrator. Go to the following web site and search around: www.tvwbb.com (The Virtual Weber Bulletin Board). There is a ton of info there. If you join and ask the question, someone will have info.

[stormymater]

we smoke jalapenos here - use my smoker but only near the end of a run for pork, turkey or something proteinaceous & worth getting 'er going (Horizon barrel w/fire box on the side). I use oak chips - local - barrel temp from 130 to 180 & stack essentially shut down. Let them go until the heat dissipates - usually several hours. Come back & finish them off in a dehydrator overnight & sometimes the next day.

They are delicious.

Reckon any pepper could be done the same way - just catch the smoke at the end of a good smoking session. End game will be how much time they need in the dehydrator afterwards. Good luck & let us know how it goes!

[livinonfaith]

I made my own paprika for the first time this year using Cyklon peppers slow roasted in the oven. It was quite tasty!

Can't help you with the smoking process. Sounds like oak is the traditional wood used, but I would be sorely tempted to try mesquite at some point. Love that flavor!

[lurley]

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-...dboard-Smoker/
this is what I do if the link works, if not, google cardboard box smoker. After you smoke, when you dry the peppers, take them to the crispy dry stage for grinding, not the pliable dry stage like tomatoes, or they will not grind well.

[puttgirl]

Cool link, Lurley-thanks!

[peppero]

i take jalapenos, slit and open into halves and put them into pans or on to cookie sheets and then put them into the oven at about 150 until they they turn very dark and crunchy. they have a nice taste and give a nice color to soups, ramen noodles, etc. they can also be made into flakes or powder. jon

[pazerbob]

Originally Posted by mr_gentleman

I bought some paprika seeds this year and will be growing them to smoke and dry for powder. Does anybody have tips for doing this since it will be my first try?

I have a vertical smoker that works fine for meat, but I think it may be a little bit too warm for the peppers. I usually can keep it at about 225-250, but that is as low as I can keep it. I have seen a technique used for cold smoking cheese were the chips are placed in a tin can and a soldering iron is placed in the chips to provide the smoke. I wonder if this would be good to use for smoking the peppers, and then move them to a deyhydrator to dry them.

Also, what type of woods do you use to smoke your peppers. I might try doing several batches with different woods to do a side by side comparison and decide which I like best.

Thanks for any input and any advice for anything I missed is appreciated also.

You might trying to put a pan of ice between your heat source, and your peppers, or just run a 3 inch flexible aluminum duct (available at lowes or HD) from your smokestack to another smoker, and the distance it travels to the new smoker (vented) with the peppers in it, will control the temp. I use only oak to smoke with. That way you are using your smoker as a low heat source. Or just pickup a cheap BBQ grill to burn wood, and run the dust to your existing smoker with no fire in it.

Bob