pepper smokin ?'s

can you smoke basicly any pepper (besides bells) and grind them (or not) for seasoning? And do they hold the same Scoville (sp?) units (spicy heat level) smoked/dried and ground VS. fresh off the vine? they sure seem to... not sure though. THANKS DUDES!

I've done habaneros and jalapenos ... don't see any reason to not do any type. Paprika is red bell peppers and I have a feeling home made might have better flavor than store bought. It's on the 'should try someday' list.

If the peppers are thick flesh you really should slice them in half. Dry but still flexible (not brittle) is the goal.

I believe they retain heat and lose little if any (I understand the hot stuff is an oil so it won't evaporate). What will make a difference is deveining the membranes inside. The seeds in themselves aren't hot but the hot stuff is in the veins and the seeds become hot because they are in contact. Up to you, I just slice in half and smoke em up.

Paprika peppers aren't actually bells but they are similar in some ways. Regardless, you can dry and/or smoke any pepper, as Shawn notes. Bell peppers from the market tend to be very hybridized (many other non-bells are too) and hybridization for shelf life and color often takes precedence over flavor. But if you grow or can find peppers you really like in terms of flavor quality you will get the best results in the end.

I've ordered some "paprika" to plant this spring. They appear to be small, roundish, little peppers, yes.. somewhat resembling small, round bells, although very smooth, and stumpy. "Alma" is the name. Suppose to be a sweet breed, and Im hopefull they are, I can't say much about it cause this is new to me, we'll see and way later this spring i'll post about all this stuff for you. I just dont know how to get sweet, VS. smoked (i think i understand smoked), vs. hungarian, vs. bla bla bla.. lots of em . Anyway the plan is to fork over some doe for some Jolokia seeds! Im gonna make up a spice mix and feed some to my wise guy friends (in the form of chicken wings) who were bragging about how they could handle the "Insanity wings" at Roosters... big deal, lol. I'll get them, and they will be fun to grow. You two ever eat one of those. Is there any flavor or is it just all poison? and thanks for the reply's. Im on this pepper obsession lately and never got over it!
This is one of the funniest things i've ever seen because this guy reminds me of a friend of mine really bad! WARNING, theres language on here so DONT click if its offending. (its not bad) But.. this is why I want to do this, this pushed me over the edge, now I have too!!! this is funny as heck, guaranteed laugh.

Originally posted by K Kruger:
Paprika peppers aren't actually bells ...

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We better get Wikipedia fixed then:

Paprika is a spice made from the grinding of dried sweet red or green[citation needed] bell peppers (Capsicum annuum). In many European countries, the word paprika also refers to bell peppers themselves. The seasoning is used in many cuisines to add color and flavor to dishes. Flavors can also vary widely from country to country ... Paprika (pimentón in Spain, colorau in Portugal, chiltoma in Nicaragua, but these "paprikas" are not made exclusively from bell peppers, other varieties are used, and there are several hot and sweet "paprikas") is principally used to season and colour rices, stews, and soups, such as goulash ...

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See full Wikipedia paprika entry here.

Note: "...but these "paprikas" are not made exclusively from bell peppers,..."

The entry is all over the place. In the US paprika is made from actual bell peppers (peppers that contain a recessive gene that prevents capsaicin formation). But US paprika is of poor quality (so why bother). In Hungary and Spain, producers of the best paprikas, many varieities that contain capsaicin, albeit in small amounts (ergo not bells) are used, thus the sharp, half-sharp, hot varieties. The impliction in Wiki that paprika = bells is errant, though some are made from bells.

I didn't realize paprika was such a generic term, sort of like curry. I had read parika was bell peppers before elsewhere, after your comment I went and looked it up and found it was in wiki too.

Dan, no I haven't tried one, I would though.

Just ordered some Jolo's (seeds). Shawn you want one if I successfully keep them alive? Im absolutely going to never eat one, maybe just a taste, but your more then welcome too. But Erin, my girl, and I discussed making some jelly or jam from them along w/ drying some for seasoning (for some ungodly hot dish I guess). Along w/ my "new" tryouts this year I also got some Carribian Red Hab's. That will be all. I'll plant them a distance away from each other and hope they don't cross so I get an "official" breed, although I doubt that would happen. Im gonna pick up my starter containers this weekend. I just had to do it, I cant help it .

Shawn you want one if I successfully keep them alive?

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that'd be sweat ... I mean sweet

I should try to grow some. I'd consider going hydroponic indoor and forget about outdoor, the season is too short and cold for outdoor here I think. Besides, if I went outdoor I'd have to clean up the weed patch.