Smoked Chili Powder


 

Matt Albright

TVWBB Member
I absolutely love the flavor of smoked chili powder in rubs marinades and have used it with great success when I've made chili at the fire station.

Help please...

Smoked chili powder can sometimes be hard to find. I have TONS of chili powder (both light and dark) on hand and was wondering if anyone had success in smoking their own?

I'm sure it would have to be a cooler smoke with a light wood, but after that, I'm lost.

Is this worth the time/effort of should I just go ahead and buy it commercially?

Thanks a bunch. Now go out and smoke something!

-Matt
 
Since you have a lot of powder now you might as well give it a shot. I've always smoked chilies from the fresh stage but I see no reason why one couldn't smoke ground chiles in the same way one might smoke salt:

Make a few small 'trays' out of folded-over HD foil and fashion the sides to be about an inch high. After your next cook, when the meat is removred but there is still enough coals going for an hour or two of heat, dump some ground chie into each tray to about a level of 1/4 inch. (If you wish, do one tray with kosher salt.) Place the trays on the grate(s), taking care that no portion of any tray is too close to the edge of a grate, add a small chunk of pecan, oak or hickory to the coals, then smoke, stirring each tray every 20-25 minutes, for about 1.5-2 hours. (If you do a tray of salt you'll more easily see the color change.)

It is hard to gauge smokiness during smoking because you've been exposed to smoke during the meat cook and the stirrings of the powders. Smoke for the recommended time (or until the salt, if smoking, takes on color), then remove the trays, stir again, and allow to cool. Store each in an airtight container till the next day then check for smoke level. If not smoky enough you can repeat the process, smoking these same stored powders further after your next cook and, for future smokes, know that you'll need to increase the smoke amount or the time.
 

 

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