Dried Chile Grind Advice

[DaleW]

Hi folks. I bought some dried chile peppers from here, so now I want to make sure I know what to do to use in rubs. I'm sure I can root around in my cabinets and find a coffee grinder somewhere to grind them. But what's throwing me a little: the bags are full of seeds. I'll throw away the stems, but what about the seeds? Any need to worry about them when grinding the peppers? And I'm planning to only grind what I need for a given batch. What's the best way to store the remainder to preserve freshness? Thanks in advance!

 

[K Kruger]

You can include the seeds or not. Your choice. Loose seeds I don't usually bother with. Any that remain in or on the chilies I leave alone.

Dried chilies are often still supple. To dry them further and to bring out flavors toast them first (this can be done with completely dried chilies too): Heat a dry skillet over med-high heat till hot. Stem the chilies, split in half lengthwise if large or on the moist side, toss a few in a pan and toast, pressing the chilies flat with a spatula briefly, then immediately flipping and pressing briefly again. Repeat if necessary. When aromatic remove immediately to the counter to cool.

Chilies can burn quickly so be on it. Don't do too many at once till you get the hang of it. Though chilies will grind best if quite dry they need not be bone c=dry when coming out of the pan; they will dry further on the counter.

I vac bag remaining chilies.

 

[DaleW]

Cool--Thanks, Kevin!

 

[Bill S.]

A few years ago I grew habanaros. I dried them in my dehydrator and ground them up into a fine powder using a mortar and pestle. Worked fine for me, just took a little time. A half teaspoon of that in a pot of chili and wow, the heat..........lol.