I have done it twice this year since we have such a large hot pepper crop. The best way is to let them ripen on the vine, but green will also work. I also did some smoking with the hot wax peppers and with some ripe serrano peppers (yum). The process was just as describe by Jim above (Jimster). We smoked them first in a smoker (using mesquite wood) for a couple of hours. After that, I cut them in chunks and placed them in the dehydrator for half a day or however long it takes to dry them. I have already used some smoked hot pepper chunks (AKA chipotles) for black bean soup. Also, you can simply grind up a small amount in a spice grinder and you get powdered smoked hot peppers. Just use as is, or add vinegar, tomatoes, spices, anything you want. I like to just grind them up and use as they are. They really are wonderful stuff, I will make them again.

I don't smoke my jals, but I do roast them. I don't know if it is the same, but I like to take some apple wood and soak them in water then add them to the open fire. Give the peppers a great roasted flavor. I would think using apple or cherry in the smoker would be some what the same. Jus my 2 cents. t-bob...to answer your question on another issue, the cage of my roaster is made of steel mesh guard made for covering your gutters on your house. It comes in I believe a 3'x6' section and was around 8 dollars. BTW...the new video is up. Here is a link that might be useful: The Pepper Guy's Blog

Kyle -- I found that the coleus would wilt after just a few days in the gritty mix. It seems that the coleus roots like a moist mix, and I don't think the gritty mix could do that. To be truly happy in the gritty mix, I think the coleus would want water every 2 days, and I just can't water that often with my schedule and all the other plants I have. Once I placed it in the peat mix, it needed to be watered less often and does not wilt anymore. However, I have found that I am now battling with fungus gnats in the peat based soil -- which leads me to my original question -- is there a sterile mix that would be more water retentive than the gritty mix that may work? 100% turface? 75/25 turface/vermiculite? 75/25 turface/bark?

Coleus , gomphrena,pentas and sweet Potato give us Texans our color fix during that dead part of summer where most plants just close up shop in the 100ºF heat. This is all contingent on an un ending supply of water. I grew lots of coleus when living in Hawaii. Just stick it in the ground and it will grow. It was wet on the windward side. I grew tired of them. They were everywhere and considered common. I am just now getting a few. The watering is an issue with me . I am on a fixed ration of water. They sit right by my many seedlings being raised in 4" pots. God knows how I got that nasturtium to survive the summer. It was looking really sad but now it has rehabilitated itself with the slight cooling down.