1. Make Chile Ristras!
Chile Ristras can be made from lots of different kinds of peppers, not just the common New Mexico and Hatch chile varieties. This is a great way to store your peppers for the winter. You want to string up the peppers so that they get maximum airflow and hang them in a dry sunny place to dry out. Then you can use them in your kitchen for recipes and making red chile sauces. Growing peppers that have think flesh and are suited to drying is ideal for this method.
Learn how to make a Ristra »
2. Dry peppers in the sun
If you are in a hot dry climate, you can easily dry your peppers in the sun. This is often how many people in New Mexico dry their chiles.
3. Use a Dehydrator
Dehydrators work well to quickly dry out peppers, especially in climates that are more humid. Dehydrators with fans can dry more quickly. We also like to slice our peppers to help them dry more quickly.
4. Dehydrate your peppers with your grill or car that sits in the sun!
That's right, a grill in a hot sunny place will get often get hot enough inside to dry your peppers. A car sitting in the sun will also get very hot inside and can help dry your peppers! Plus, it doubles as a great air freshener, as who doesn't love the aroma of peppers?! Slice the peppers to help them dry more quickly with this method.
5. Dry your peppers in an oven on low-heat
Set your oven temperature as low as it can go , around 120-170° F. Put peppers on a cookie sheet or even on a wire rack on top of a cookie sheet, and make sure peppers have space between them for best air circulation. Check the peppers periodically to make sure they aren't burning and to see if they are brittle and dry. This method can take many hours to dry the peppers, anywhere from 10 hours to 24 hours or longer depending on the peppers. Cut them up into slices to help them dry out more quickly.
6. Smoke your peppers
If you smoke dry your peppers, you'll get lots of flavor! This is how chipotle peppers are made, by smoke-drying red ripe jalapenos.
Best Peppers for Drying
The best peppers for drying include: Guajillo, Cayenne, Red Hatch Chile, Chimayo, Goat Horn, Thai Hot, Aleppo, Chile de Arbol, Cow Horn, Chiltepin, Pequin, and so many more. You can pretty much dry any pepper, though thin-walled peppers as the ones mentioned above dry more quickly.
Remember slicing peppers can help them dry more quickly, and be sure to use gloves and eye protection when dealing with extra hot peppers!
