Spanish Paprika


 
J

Jerry Pollard

TVWBB Super Fan
I was in SAMS, bought a jar of paprika.
got home found out it rang up as Spanish
paprika.
was going to make my favorite rub for butt cook.
Will the Spanish make a big difference???
Thanks
 
Not if it's simply plain rather than smoked paprika.

I dislike paprika in rubs, far preferring to use other, more flavorful ground chilies. I do use pimentón ahumado (also referred to as just pimentón), Spanish smoked paprika, in rubs - but not for long cooks where I'm using smokewood. Instead I use it for shorter, quicker grill sessions where the time is too short for the meat to take on much smoke flavor.

If it's plain it will simply sub for 'regular' paprika (which means, imo, it will lose what little flavor it has over a long cook, and will take on bitter notes).
 
Thanks Kevin
Its just spanish. Do you purchase chilles at stores and grind them with a coffee grinder.
what are some of the best subs for paprika?
 
Not to confuse the matter further, but the other day I had a rub that called for "sweet paprika" but neither of the 2 Paprikas in my cupboard, or any at Vons, were called "sweet". When i checked the ingredient label on back it did say "sweet chiles", so I assume that's the same.

I've been using some chile powder, ancho chile, chipotle chile, cayenne, etc.

thanks
 
It's the same.

Parikas come in different grades, 7 iirc, but only 3 are usually available, 'sweet', 'sharp', and 'half-sharp', the latter two being non-standard at markets (but available from paprika dealers and spice retailers).

Though I don't use chipole in rubs for long cooks with smokewood involved, I do use it for short, quick cooks, as noted above for pimentón. Cayenne I use if I am seeking heat only, which happens on occasion; mostly I use a hot chile that also has flavor, something cayenne lacks.

For Q rubs I'm quite fond of ancho, Aleppo, guajillo, cascabel, New Mexico (in mild, medium, hot or extra hot), aji amarillo, and a few others. I usually include two or three in a blend. I buy both whole and powdered from sources that move a lot of chilies of very good quality, so the flavors are great. I do toast then grind chilies (I have a specialty spice grinder but a coffee mill works) when needed - and of course for chilies unavailable powdered - but have found I like the quality of most of the powders the suppliers I use sell.

I buy the vast majority of chilies from Sweet Freedom (click the link at the top of the page for powdered), NM chilies from Da Gift Basket (click the link at left for powdered), and Aleppo (my favorite - it goes in rubs, on many pizzas, in sauces, over eggs, the list goes on) from Penzey's It is not available whole anywhere I've found.
 
"Sweet" in this case seems to mean not spicy hot, to distinguish the traditional Spanish paprika from some of the more pungent varieties, which often are Hungarian.
 
Hungary is well known for its sweet paprika. It's the standard bearer. Sweet paprika is made from peppers, fully ripened, that are known to be sweet rather than sharp.
 
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