Several years ago, 5 to be exact, I was at a hunting camp with several others and I had made a big pot of beans. In the beans I had used some of my homemade chili powder and had added some jalapeños as well. It had a nice kick to it, but nothing that would make you weep.
Well, we all know at least one heat freak, and ours spoke up. "These beans need mo heat"! I polled the others and they seemed to think all was well and he was just mad at his gastrointestinal system or something.
A few days after the hunt was over, I was at the local Hispanic market getting some chilis to make chili powder with when I spotted some beautiful orange critters called habanero peppers... We've all seen them, a few have tried them, but very few use them on a regular basis!
I knew how hot they were because a friend and I made some ABTs one evening and he decided to make 2 with habanero. He said something about his toenails cracking the next morning while trying to get a grip on the tile floor in the bathroom! Ponder that one a bit... Ok, I digressed.
I got my normal chilis and I also bought some habanero, jalapeño, and Serrano peppers as well. I took them home, sliced them up, dehydrated them, and then ground them up in the blender. Oh, while I'm thinking about it, don't do this in your kitchen... It took a week for my bride to forgive me, and the dog still runs when he sees the dehydrator.
After grinding all of the peppers up, I added a little salt and some cayenne. Then it all went into a shaker bottle.
Step forward a few weeks and we are back at camp for a hog hunt, I made some beans again, just like I had made them before. This time I handed, we'll call him Fred, the shaker bottle of the "Mo Heat". He asked what it was and I told him it was some spice for his beans and to try it. He shook a little in his hands, tasted it, looked me straight in the eye, and said, "I hope I can keep this!"
We all kind of shook our heads and went about eating supper. All through the meal Fred kept adding the Mo Heat to most everything, didn't bat an eye about it! I figured I had failed...
So, the next morning, I added some to my scrambled eggs, not a whole lot, but more than I needed! Pro tip, when you eat something spicy, hot coffee makes it worse! Water doesn't help much either! I literally had tears coming out of my eyes and my mouth felt like I had drank a bottle of sulfuric acid.
It was determined that Fred must be an alien or something because this stuff was too hot for normal folks and he was eating it like most would salt, that is until we figured out that a little dab will do you good. Yep, a small shake into a bowl of beans isn't too bad, nice tingle, and a slight afterburn.
So now, each year, I have to make a bottle for the pig hunt, and today I started it. I've added a few things to it over the years, and have omitted the salt.
Below you'll see habanero, jalapeño, Serrano, and bell peppers. Also some yellow onion and shaved garlic. All will be dehydrated, ground, and then measured out to package up in a shaker or 2.
Now, you can slice all of the peppers, onions, and garlic in the kitchen, but PLEASE don't start dehydrating them in the kitchen! You will evacuate the house and paint may peel from the walls!
Also, when you grind this stuff, I highly recommend respiratory protection and safety glasses while you grind OUTDOORS!
Well, we all know at least one heat freak, and ours spoke up. "These beans need mo heat"! I polled the others and they seemed to think all was well and he was just mad at his gastrointestinal system or something.
A few days after the hunt was over, I was at the local Hispanic market getting some chilis to make chili powder with when I spotted some beautiful orange critters called habanero peppers... We've all seen them, a few have tried them, but very few use them on a regular basis!
I knew how hot they were because a friend and I made some ABTs one evening and he decided to make 2 with habanero. He said something about his toenails cracking the next morning while trying to get a grip on the tile floor in the bathroom! Ponder that one a bit... Ok, I digressed.
I got my normal chilis and I also bought some habanero, jalapeño, and Serrano peppers as well. I took them home, sliced them up, dehydrated them, and then ground them up in the blender. Oh, while I'm thinking about it, don't do this in your kitchen... It took a week for my bride to forgive me, and the dog still runs when he sees the dehydrator.
After grinding all of the peppers up, I added a little salt and some cayenne. Then it all went into a shaker bottle.
Step forward a few weeks and we are back at camp for a hog hunt, I made some beans again, just like I had made them before. This time I handed, we'll call him Fred, the shaker bottle of the "Mo Heat". He asked what it was and I told him it was some spice for his beans and to try it. He shook a little in his hands, tasted it, looked me straight in the eye, and said, "I hope I can keep this!"
We all kind of shook our heads and went about eating supper. All through the meal Fred kept adding the Mo Heat to most everything, didn't bat an eye about it! I figured I had failed...
So, the next morning, I added some to my scrambled eggs, not a whole lot, but more than I needed! Pro tip, when you eat something spicy, hot coffee makes it worse! Water doesn't help much either! I literally had tears coming out of my eyes and my mouth felt like I had drank a bottle of sulfuric acid.
It was determined that Fred must be an alien or something because this stuff was too hot for normal folks and he was eating it like most would salt, that is until we figured out that a little dab will do you good. Yep, a small shake into a bowl of beans isn't too bad, nice tingle, and a slight afterburn.
So now, each year, I have to make a bottle for the pig hunt, and today I started it. I've added a few things to it over the years, and have omitted the salt.
Below you'll see habanero, jalapeño, Serrano, and bell peppers. Also some yellow onion and shaved garlic. All will be dehydrated, ground, and then measured out to package up in a shaker or 2.
Now, you can slice all of the peppers, onions, and garlic in the kitchen, but PLEASE don't start dehydrating them in the kitchen! You will evacuate the house and paint may peel from the walls!
Also, when you grind this stuff, I highly recommend respiratory protection and safety glasses while you grind OUTDOORS!
