When I was writing about making curry powder from long term preps, I also included a bit about grinding my own red pepper flakes.

I mentioned that once a year I gather as many different dried peppers as I can find. This year, I was able to locate dried Pasilla, Ancho, Guajillo, New Mexico, Arbole, and again I added in Scotch Bonnets that I dried myself. I find the more variety, the better the end product. I am very happy with this mix.

The process is rather simple, though time consuming, and should be done when you can open the windows. I also suggest wearing gloves, though I didn’t this year, and I paid for it several times over the next day or so, even though I washed my hands repeatedly with lye soap and water.

The process:

• Remove the stems and as much of the seeds as possible.
• Cut them into smaller pieces to speed up the chopping procedure
• Chop them in a food processor in small batches.
• Pass them through various grades of sifters, from coarse to fine, yielding a a variety of end products, from a fine powder to coarse flakes.
• Mix it each sifted batch well to distribute the various peppers evenly.
• Break it into smaller packages and vacuum seal in order to preserve freshness and flavor.
• When you are finished, strip your clothes off, throw them in the washing machine, and then jump into the shower yourself. Don’t touch your face, eyes, or any other sensitive parts before you wash with soap and water.

The video walk through:

Each year, I try to make enough to last as long as possible, without compromising quality. I’ve found that a gallon is about the limit to this, and about all I can stand to do at one sitting. The air becomes permeated with fine hot pepper dust, not unlike getting pepper sprayed, or taking a shot of Sinus Buster. These are the reasons I limit my batch size, and try to keep the windows open.

I hand out samples to family and friends and everyone that has tasted it agrees that it has a very complex flavor, a better level of heat, and is far better than anything they’ve ever purchased in the store. Like everything, it is better when it is home made.

If you like a little spice in your life, I say you should give it a try!

Peace,
db

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