Best Oven temp for re-roasting peppers?


 
S

Steve Petrone

TVWBB Platinum Member
Some dried peppers are not quite dry. What temp is best. Should they be taken to the stage where some are dry enough to crack...some not quite so dry? It seems it would be easy to burn 'em up.

I tried 350* and roasted some for 3 minutes...some others for about 5 min.
 
I don't like to take them to the crack stage because the majority I won't grind, I'll reconstitute. For this I prefer the leathery/pliable stage.

You can go the very slow oven route (<200), which enables you to more easily hit the right point because of the slower process, if you prefer.

If your oven is electric leave it open an inch for better venting. Not necessary if gas.
 
I'll add, remember they'll get more crispy as they cool. I split them in 1/2, seed and bake on a jelly roll pan for about 12-15 min @ 200º remove the pan and let them cool. Once cooled I check if they are to my liking. If not you can put them back in for a few.
 
350ºF seems more like cooking. Just straight up dry peppers I'd rather go lower like Kevin and Bryan are saying ... 200ºF or less.

What I'm trying to get at is I think there's a temp point where you go beyond speeding up drying and the high temp alters the thing you are trying to dry so unless that's what you are after better to go low.
 
350 is probably better for toasting already dried peppers, as an alternative to pan toasting.
 
A friend sent me a Ristra for a Christmas and they are pliable but drying out fairly fast. Sounds like if i want do rehydrate and make a sauce, i should do it before they get too dry. Do red and enchilada sauces freeze well? Should i cut some off and bag them?
Not trying to hijack

Thanks
Paul
 
Thanks guys. After reading your thoughtful responses, I believe I would get more predictable results at a lower temp.

These were being prepared for grinding...a batch of Dr. Pepper Rub.
 
Paul-- You can use crispy peppers for rehydrating but I prefer the still-pliable ones; shorter time in water and the water doesn't need to be boiling, sometimes a requirement for crisp, thick-walled peppers.

Red enchilada sauces do freeze well. Alternatively, you can rehydrate the peppers, purée, and freeze the purée in different amounts so it is on hand for salsa and for non-salsa uses alike.
 
What if you want to dry ripe peppers just picked from the garden? Should you put the oven around 200* also and keep checking?
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dave L.:
What if you want to dry ripe peppers just picked from the garden? Should you put the oven around 200* also and keep checking? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Dave, 170º would be better if your oven goes that low. Keep the oven door open ever so slightly (I use a hot pad folded over) to allow the moisture to escape. This is more important when using an electric oven. They take some time to dry, and you'll need to flip and rotate the peppers every so often so they dry out even. HTH
 
Thanks Bryan. I was just curious. I plan on planting some chili peppers this spring and drying them for rubs. Do you think it would work if I put them on some foil and put them in the middle of my asfault driveway during the summer? I gets pretty darn hot out there.
 
Good idea.

Dave, it's not so much the heat as it is dry conditions and good airflow. You'd be better off stringing ristras and hanging them in shade or dappled sun, but humidity can still be a problem.
 
It is kind of a dumb idea to dry them on the driveway. It's a heck of a lot easier to buy them already dried or buy a dehydrator.
 
Using them right away? If not let them dry some more sewn on a thread and hung Italian style. For the ones you want to use right away a flavorful method is again the Italian style of taking dried peppers and tossing them VERY BRIEFYLY for no more than about 20 seconds in very hot oil. Pull with a spider onto a towel and salt lightly.

They will harden and break up well and have excellent flavor.

These are my "potato chips" of choice
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Have some long hots hanging to dry up on the 3rd floor.....

Tossing the ones that are "mostly dry" that you mention in your post into some hot oil should work well. The flavor this oil roasting adds is special. Especially the red ones!
 
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