Fresh Cayenne

[BadRabbit]

I am going to have a TON of cayenne peppers and I usually make them into southern pepper sauce. This year I was going to try and find some different things to do with them.

I'm looking for ideas that will last a long time either on the shelf or in the fridge. I'll use some to cook with but I will have way too many to use up that way (though I'd be interested in ideas for these uses as well).

What is the best technique to dry them?

Any interesting pickle recipes that would work with cayenne?

Has anybody ever cold smoked them?

Edited June 14, 2011 by BadRabbit (log)

[Trev]

I've had good luck in the past just stringing them on a heavy thread, like a small wreath, and hanging them in the kitchen to dry. They have pretty thin skins so they always dried well, but would discolour slightly. Last year I used a dehydrator and they dried well but retained all their colour. We use them dried by grinding them in a coffee grinder and using them as an addition to almost anything. I tried smoking some once when I was making chipotles and then ground them up into a powder. It had great flavour and has been useful in all sorts of things. I have never pickled them or used them with pickles.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Pickling! Ooh, ooh, I do this.

Fresh cayennes soaked overnight in a brine consisting of 1 cup of salt in 1 gallon of water, then packed into jars with coriander, mustardseed, and rosemary and covered in cider vinegar with a dash of balsamic, and hot-processed for 20 minutes in a boiling water bath. These are the most amazing hot pickles ever - I've also done this with small shallots in the mix, which adds a nice roundness to the final flavour. They're ready in about a month after packing.

[BadRabbit]

Pickling! Ooh, ooh, I do this.

Fresh cayennes soaked overnight in a brine consisting of 1 cup of salt in 1 gallon of water, then packed into jars with coriander, mustardseed, and rosemary and covered in cider vinegar with a dash of balsamic, and hot-processed for 20 minutes in a boiling water bath. These are the most amazing hot pickles ever - I've also done this with small shallots in the mix, which adds a nice roundness to the final flavour. They're ready in about a month after packing.

Do you use the pickled cayenne as a condiment or do you eat them by themselves?

[Panaderia Canadiense]

I eat them by themselves, but I've also had people rave about them when included in stuffings and sauces as a condiment (they're generally just finely chopped), and when they come out perfectly I also use them as a garnish. I have a friend who purees them and uses them as salsa.

[sparrowgrass]

I string them on dental floss--don't use the mint kind!

(Floss is really strong, I use it for sewing on buttons or making repairs where I need the strength.)

I just hang them up in a dry spot--outdoors or in the attic. Or, park your car in the shade on a hot day, crack the windows, and either string the peppers or lay them out on a cookie sheet or old window screen.

Warning--wear gloves while stringing--you wouldn't think it, but that string picks up a lot of heat while it is running thru the peppers, and it will transfer to your fingers.