We had a bumper crop of hot peppers this last year. Just harvested the last ones off the plants, so I have started using the preserved ones. We preserved them several ways: pickled (I posted the recipe here), dried (in food dehydrator), grilled-peeled and frozen, and frozen directly from fresh (for small ones). The one thing I had never done before was to smoke them. I have been enjoying them in all their forms, but smoked peppers definitely bring some dishes up a notch on the gourmet scale. They are great in mixed green pies, just regular sauteed greens, and a lot of bean stews/soups/chilies, heavenly in black bean soup. I am going to try them in pizza next.

Being newbies to the smoked pepper technique we experimented a couple of ways. The smoker is electrical, with the pan under the grid where you place the food to be smoked - that is where you put the mesquite wood. There is a temperature scale on the cover. We kept it at the lowest, and smoked for 6 to 10 hours (depending on pepper size and amount of peppers). I used banana leaves to line the grill so the small ones would not fall trough, banana leaves are porous. I will have no banana leaves from the garden next year, but fig leaves or grape leaves also work well.

When we took the peppers from the smoker they were still pliable and moist, so I thought they would not stay good at room temperature. I froze half of them, and dehydrated the other half until they were all dried and shriveled up. I have used them both ways, but going trough the frozen ones first. I am saving the dehydrated ones for backpacking and camping trips. They also work very well to make a spicier alternative to smoked paprika, just grind them in the spice grinder and use powdered.

We smoked green jalapenos, ripe (red) jalapenos, green and ripe serranos, poblanos, hot wax, and habaneros. They all turned out wonderful.

We will have only about half the amount of hot peppers next year (and more sweet peppers), but we will make sure a good portion of the crop makes it to the smoker. Highly recommended.