Welcome to Chili Pepper Madness
Welcome to Chili Pepper Madness, the food blog run by me, Mike Hultquist, and my wife, Patty. We are both spicy food lovers and I am a dedicated chilihead with gourmet tastes.
The purpose of Chili Pepper Madness is to inspire creative cooking and fun, often with chili peppers. While we obviously focus on chili peppers, we also love spicy food of all sorts and can be found in the kitchen exploring our love of flavors, or even traveling to learn more about the cuisine of other areas when we can. For us, everything starts with spicy food and chili peppers and it all spirals from there.
Chili Pepper Madness is a special tribute to all things chili peppers, including chili pepper recipes, hot sauces, chili pepper gardening and harvesting, chili pepper types, preserving chili peppers, exploring chili pepper health benefits, as well as cooking with chili peppers.
We love chili peppers and good food of all kinds! And we want your feedback. Contact us if there is anything specific you’d like to see on our site related to chili peppers, good food, recipes and more.
Subscribe to the Newsletter and receive new chili pepper recipes, news and more, and you’ll also receive the free download – Top 10 Chili Pepper Recipes. Come on in! Here is a bit about us personally.
Mike Hultquist
Mike HultquistMy name is Mike, and I am the author of “The Spicy Food Lovers’ Cookbook“, “The Spicy Dehydrator Cookbook“, and others. By my books alone, you can tell that I am a spicy food aficionado.
It all started for me when I began to explore online my passion for cooking and chili peppers. I started a website for fun called Jalapeno Madness where I placed my recipes and talked all about jalapenos and spicy food. The desire for spicy food quickly grew beyond jalapenos and I began to embrace chili peppers of all types, from the mildest bell to the hottest of the superhots.
My focus is cooking with all levels of heat and sharing those recipes and tips with you. That love of cooking grew and now I cook foods of all types, though mostly with a spicy point of view. I consider myself a gourmet chilihead. I have been learning, cooking spicy food and running this web site now for over 20 years.
Patty and I lived in the Chicago, IL area the majority of our lives and recently moved the the Charlotte, NC area. Here we are able to actively explore our long lasting love for Southern food and BBQ more and more.
Outside of the chili pepper world, I am a screenwriter and author.
Screenwriter
Yes, I am a produced screenwriter. Here is the IMDB link if you’d care to take a look: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2478416/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1. My produced credits include the movies VICTIM, ARENA (starring Samuel L. Jackson and Kellan Lutz) and 12 FEET DEEP. I’ve been hired to write studio scripts and have optioned others as well.
I have a number of other scripts out there in the world, so please wish me luck in landing development deals for them!
Fiction Author and Novelist
I love to write fiction, mostly darker stuff, horror, thrillers. I’ve published fiction novels and numerous short stories, and have even edited an anthology. Lots more info about my fiction works at my personal web site at http://www.michaelhultquist.com. I’m also an active member of the Horror Writers Association and get to vote for the Stoker awards. I hope you’ll read my stuff one day!
Personal Interests
When I’m not cooking with chili peppers or experimenting with chili peppers, or writing (screenplays, short stories, novels, recipes, cookbooks, chili pepper info), I’m happily enjoying craft beer or watching movies or reading a good book. Yes, I love beer! We also love to travel and hike and have many friends on whom I practice my cooking.
About Patty Hultquist
Hi, everyone! My name is Patty and I am more on the technical side of Chili Pepper Madness, though I am also on the eating and tasting side, which is super fun. And, I do most of the photography. I am a very analytical person and that helps us keep our website humming along.
Mike and I met in college and got married right after we graduated. We’ve been working as a team and building up our Madness websites together for a long time. It is fun and the longer we do it, the more we love it. Working on our own food blog has turned me into a foodie, and Mike’s cooking has converted me to a chilihead. Growing up, I never liked spicy food, but over time it really grew on me and now I can’t get enough. I get disappointed when I get something bland. Blech!
I am the blog’s main photographer and videographer. It is not only important for your food to look good on the plate, but in our photos and videos! We hope you want to dive into your screen and take a bite.
Working on our Madness websites has been very rewarding for me. I’m a total converted chilihead now and crave the spice that Mike cooks all the time. There is rarely a dish served in our house without a chili pepper in it, or some sort of spicy flavor blast, and I love it. And why not celebrate and share wonderful food experiences? Living with boring bland food all the time just wouldn’t be living if you ask me.
Personal Interests
I love gardening so we plant a good sized garden in our backyard each year with plenty of chili peppers, along with tomatoes, fresh herbs and more. There is something wonderful about being able to walk into your backyard and choose the ingredients for that night’s meal. I greatly adore traveling and especially travel planning. I typically start planning our next trip during the current one because it’s always great to have a trip to look forward to. While traveling I enjoy seeking out exciting and renowned restaurants, pretty much any point of local foodie interest. Farm to Table experiences rank at the top of my list. Sitting around a community table with other food lovers is an experience like no other as we collectively enjoy and talk about the meal together.
I also love to plan parties. We throw several a year, including a large New Year’s Eve bash where we do a progressive dinner cooking up fancy dishes throughout the night. We throw a Fiesta Party as well, usually once a year, and that is always popular. I enjoy feeding all of our friends with spicy food! Mike always sets up a super-hot zone for the more daring.
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thank you for the terrific recipes!
do have have recommendation for homemade flour or corn tortillas? gluten and/or salt free would be even better–but if you have such a recipe please share and I will modify..
tom
Thanks, Tom. Check out my post on How to Make Corn Tortillas: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/cooking-with-chili-peppers/how-to-make-homemade-corn-tortillas/.
So happy to have stumbled on your website. Where has it been all my life? I will be here often, and can’t wait to try some of your recipes. Great writing, great pictures!
Thanks, Stacey! I hope you find loads of recipes you enjoy.
Hola vecino I live in mooresville and your receipt really help me to explore new flavor of the spicy food and a lot new way to combine also I like your website really easy to make the recipes I just wanna say gracias
Thanks, Victor, and gracias!
Absolutely one of the best food/cooking sites around! Thanks for all you do.
Thanks so much! Greatly appreciated!!
Hello yall !
I have a Habeniro plant that I purchased
4 years ago and bring it in during the winter season here in North Carolina.
Looking for some advice to keep it another 4 or longer.
Hey, Merlin! I just moved to NC! Love it here. Doing what you’re doing is obviously working! Really, overwintering can be hard on some plants. You’ll want to bring it inside, keep it nice and warm, near natural like. It will likely go dormant, but you can then plant it again in the Spring and see if it produces. You might look into indoor grow lights, which people use to grow plants indoors. A whole different world! I hope this helps. Best!
Mike,
You nailed this one! AWESOME!
David
Thanks, David!
Great hot jelly. I don’t know what happened but it REALLY. Hard to spread.Any suggestions? Lynn
Lynn, not sure. It is too thick? You might reprocess with a bit more liquid?
Good morning, I love your recipes. I can’t find Ghost Chillies here in England, can you suggest an alternative. Many thanks, be safe
Regards Heather
Welcome, Heather. You can look for dried pods or powders to mix into foods, or look for other superhot peppers, like 7 pots, though those can be even harder to find. Habaneros are usually more commonly found, though not as hot, but still quite hot. You might be better off finding an online resource and shipping them to you. Dried is a good option, though.
Mike,
Have you ever tried dehydrating the pulp and seeds left over from straining a Louisiana style hot sauce and grinding into a powder? Is it worth it or is most of the flavor left behind in the sauce?
Thanks,
John
John, yes, I have a post on this very thing: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/seasonings-from-hot-sauce-pulp/
Hi…
I am going to start fermenting hot peppers for making sauces and I see that the best temperatures are between 55 – 75 degrees. I live in Western Colorado in the high desert and my place varies in temp from 65-90 degrees.
Are there any inexpensive ‘fermentation’ chambers or something where I can start fermenting them and keep them in these temperature ranges?
Thanks,
Lee
Lee, look into fermentation crocks, which may help. You can also keep your ferments in a cupboard somewhere out of the light where it will be slightly cooler. You can still ferment.
Hi Mike – love your content and visit the site all the time! Wondering if you have a tamale recipe that you could share – I searched but didn’t see one.
Take care,
MM
Hi, Michael. Sorry, I do not! I hope to get one online in the future!
great site!! i’ve recently been reading the scientific literature about some of the health benefits of capsaicins and have started adding more spice to my diet.
i noticed you like chicken wings. they’re one of my staples, too. since the grilling process is time intensive, i’ve been using an air fryer with superb results. one thing many air fryer recipes specify for extra crispiness is 1 TBL/lb of BAKING POWDER. i just add a half tsp of salt, dried or ground pepper and the baking powder to dry wings before cooking and they’re amazing. i just shake ’em in an inflated plastic bag to coat evenly, 15′ at 250F, flip and 450F for 15′ more, shaken once. it’s worth a try.
you also mentioned brining your wings – what’s your method?
thanks. keep up the good work!
Thanks so much. Yep, air fryer wings are great! I usually do a simple salty brine, but sometimes season it up a bit, usually overnight. Thanks!!!
I am so happy I found this group. The only thing I can ever be sure of in my garden for the pass few years has been my peppers. So this year Hot sauce! Thank you for this site. What a blessing.
Cheers!!
Hi Mike and Patty!
This is Anne hailing from Alberta, Canada. We live in plant hardiness zone 4a: -30 to -25 Fahrenheit.
I am able to eat spicy, it is my husband who went from hating black pepper to “cannot get enough spicy heat on food” My Dad loves to garden and play with hybrids and cross pollination. Not sure if I can add a picture. But I wasn’t home last fall and so I had my husband dry all our peppers that my dad grew. This is his list and more forgotten: Hot peppers in 2018 Hot Sauce
Loco,
Basket of Fire,
Filipino,
Cheyenne(my own seeds from the original hybrid a few years ago – this is the most dependable Hot pepper – lots of fruit and ripen very early.),
Portugal,
Scotch Bonnet,
Caribbean Red Habanero (that is purported to be the hottest in the world,)
Yellow Habaneros,
Cayenne,
Anaheim
And more I can’t remember.
Anyhow, after this loongg comment.
I am wondering the best way to pull the most spiciness out of a dried hot pepper.
I have tons of Carolina Reaper Peppers that we grew from seeds last year, managed to save 2 plants for this year and grew more from seeds.
What are your thoughts? I must have 20+ pepper varieties. I want to keep the Carolina Reapers separate, I do have a base sauce that I created and can add pure heat to it to get the spiciness in a good flavoured sauce (tomato based with brown sugar, sweet peppers, carrots, garlic and onion and more). It’s actually a mild hot sauce, 1 tsp most can handle, but keep adding and then the heat picks up. I would like the heat instantly there and the amount used is more like a drop instead of a tsp. So in my original recipe in 2017, I used 2.5 cups of The list above in ground Up peppers. Then in 2018, I had 5 cups of ground up peppers and doubled my recipe, except that it was so bitter and spicy that I had to not double my recipe, but had to multiply it by 15! The capsicum was too bitter to enjoy any flavour. We like spicy heat, but it has to taste good. Stuff like Pure Cap is crap. Anyhow if I can send you a photo, you would see last year’s harvest dried in a dehydrator. But I will have a whole new fresh crop coming soon. Please advise as to how to prepare my dried peppers for the most heat and of course I will separate out my Carolina reapers as a hot sauce in its own league. ☺️
Hi, Anne. The best way to reduce the heat is to core out the pepper innards, though this doesn’t really work with superhots. You can also dilute the heat by using fewer peppers or adding in other ingredients. For MOST heat, really use only the hottest peppers possible! I hope this helps!
Hi Mike,
I’m looking for a recipe for hot sauce that is made with fresh peppers. I found recipes for dried and powders, but not fresh. Can you please help me?
P.S. We LOVE your website!!!!
Thank you,
Gary
Gary, I have a TON of hot sauce recipes. You can check them all out here: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/chili-pepper-recipes/hot-sauces/
I am delighted to find your site! I want to grow chili peppers because the variety of them is so limited in Tokyo stores. I tried growing Jalapeno peppers (my favs) from the seeds in the ones I was able to purchase and failed — no plants whatsoever. And now, thanks to you, I know why. I can’t wait to buy seeds and plant, plant, plant!
When you’re ready to travel to Japan, please let me know. I would love to return the favor with a guided tour, or advice. Maybe you can even be an advocate for more variety of chili peppers in Japan!
Try this with Jalapeno peppers. Add a half or more Jalapeno pepper to a blender, add about a cup of full-fat yogurt, a few ice cubes, and a dash of salt. Blend until the peppers are fully minced and incorporated and the mix becomes drinkable. Enjoy it with Indian food especially — (I learned this from a Chicago-based Indian food restaurant owner) or anything else. This is actually one of my favorite breakfast drinks.
You may also like this classic guacamole recipe from Roberto Santibanez — it’s the best I’ve ever tasted. In it, he tells you how to test for the “heat” of Jalapeno pepper in such a way that you don’t have to remove the seeds or pith. It’s a perfect chili pepper hack!
Thanks again for everything!
Thanks, Barbara! Welcome, my fellow chili pepper lover!
Hi Mike! While prepping for a Cat 1 hurricane here in SENC I got a call from a friend to come pick as many serrano peppers from her plants as I wanted. Dodging the first rain bands I ran over and now have a bag of at least a pound. I consider myself a good fresh salsa maker but I’m wanting to dip a toe into hot sauce and here’s where I found you guys! I can’t wait to make the Serrano hot sauce with tequila as well as all the other great ideas. Have you ever tried making hot sauce with ground fire roasted Hatch chile? I have a bunch from a trip to NM last year. Made some amazing red chili last night!
Thanks, Susan
Glad you found me, Susan! Cheers! Yes, I do love my Hatch peppers. Take care, and good luck with the weather!
You sure you aren’t Mexican? If not, we can adopt you. LOL. Looks absolutely fabulous. Can’t wait to try it. Running out the store right now, mask and all.
Haha, thanks, Linda! A high compliment indeed!
I just subscribed and anxious to make my g’son some hot sauces for Christmas. I am a newbie to peppers so have stuck with the jalapeno type. I saw a recipe for Peri Peri Sauce so may try to find those little peppers, could I substitute anyothers if I cannot find them. I live in a small town with one grocery store and several miles to a large town so If I make the trip I want to get the right ones . He puts red pepper flakes on everything.
Hi, Julie. Welcome. Yes, you can easily substitute in other peppers for most of my recipes, especially hot sauces. Let me know what you wind up making! Good luck, and enjoy!
I’d love to make a clear blueberry pepper jelly… how would you suggest I adapt the cranberry pepper jelly recipe?
Janet, yes, that would be perfect to use. Just sub in the blueberries. Let me know how it turns out for you. Enjoy!
Have a neighbor growing a sweet bell pepper variety, or so they thought except the peppers are white and look almost exactly like white ghost pepper in shape and color, though maybe a tad less slender, they are wrinkly and white to cream colored, and here is the kicker they are sweet not noticably spicy. Any thoughts to the variety they actually got? Love your blog btw.
Thanks, Alexander. Hard for me to say without a photo. There are white bell pepper varieties, but they are not wrinkly or shaped much like ghosts, unless they are smaller sweet white bells. Maybe send a photo and I can try to help.
I decided to grow some chillies. I have various types 1. La Bomba 2. Thai Dragon, 3. Apache 4. Bhut Jolokia 5.Caroline reaper 6. Trinidad Moruga Scorpion 7. Armagedon F1.
I shall be grateful if you will kindly advise me how big each variety will grow. I only have one plant of each. I am wondering if you also supply seeds or plants for my next season purchase?
I am happy to have come across your website. I hope you will be able to advise me as a chilli expert. My sons have also decided to grow chillies next season if mine grow ok in abundance. We may require training to handle the heat.
Mohammud Jannoo
Thank you, Mohammud. The best place to start is in my Chili Pepper Growing section: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/growing-chili-peppers/. I hope that helps. Check out my Chili Pepper Types section as well: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/chili-pepper-types/. We don’t sell seeds or plants, sorry. Good luck in your journey!
Hi Mike, I just came across your website and was wondering if you had a recipe for hot sauce using the chocolate bhutlah peppers. I have some growing, but am thinking about turning the peppers into a fine powder and making a rub, but would also like to turn some of the powder into some hot sauce. Have you done anything with these peppers or have any thoughts that may help me?
Hey, David. I have cooked with a lot of chocolate peppers, and it’s been a while since I used bhutlahs. Honestly, so many of my recipes in the Hot Sauce Recipes section can be adapted to use those peppers. I would start there, or try my How to Make Hot Sauce page. Let me know if this helps. https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/how-to-make-hot-sauce/
Stumbled upon you site a few days ago searching for Italian Log Hots…. I have been growing peppers for decades and the long hots always elude me… Local nursery’s sell cubanelles and the like… two years ago I ran across Jimmy Nardello seeds that looks like
what the markets sell but no heat… I tried Mesilla seeds I found on amazon last year but the seedlings didn’t do well…. Any help with a variety? Seasons come and go and I cant seem to nail the long hot.. Love the site! I seem myself spending a lot of time here.
Tom
Thomas, I have heard of the Italian Long Hot pepper, but have not grown them. There are so many different names for some different peppers. I ran into something that sounds similar called a “long cayenne”, though it didn’t look like a cayenne to me. If you are unable to find the seeds or plants, I would suggest trying Anaheim peppers, which would be somewhat similar and are easier to find more locally.
Hi Mike,
I so wish I had found your website and books years ago. Love the recipes!!
Are you planning another book?
Kind Regards,
Andrew
Thanks, Andrew. I appreciate it. No current plans to do another book, but I hope to one day!
Hey Mike and Patty, I love the website and content! Will be back to check out more posts!
Thanks so much!
incredible edible site this site is pure magic i love it to death.
Regs all you out there
Thanks, Neil!!
Hi, fab site! I discovered you early last spring and via you discovered Aji pineapple chillies. We grew them and unfortunately for us (a not sunny summer) only got 3, but they are beautiful and have made the most delicious hot sauce. We’re growing more next spring and are researching growing lights. Thanks for all the information and recipes
Thanks so much, Deborah. I appreciate it! Sorry to hear about the small harvest, but good luck next year!
Thanks for your Thai Yellow Curry Paste recipe…. but I’m going to argue about one of the ingredients. Thai use ginger a bit but I think the ginger in this recipe should be replaced with galangal. Galangal is one of the most important thing in Thai food that gives it that “Thai taste.”
Thanks, William. Galangal would be great here! Agreed! Galangal is knows as Thai Ginger.
I am trying to make hot pepper jam using mango, peaches, and Carolina reapers, but I’ve no experience in preserving with peppers. I have yet to find a good recipe for any hot jam using reapers. I want to use the full amount of sugar, not low sugar. Jams and jellies are not eaten by the bowl full so I see no point in cutting down on the sugar. I am also using the dry pectin. I find some recipes are using cider vinegar when using peppers. Is there a reason for that? I would appreciate any of your expertise. Thank you for the dehydrating tips. I am going to try that. You have a very helpful site.
Carol, I have a lot of Pepper Jelly and Jam Recipes here that you can review: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/chili-pepper-recipes/jellies/. You can adapt any of them to fit for Carolina Reapers, no problem. Most of mine use full sugar. If using DRY PECTIN, be sure to check the product label for full amounts. It is typical to use two tablespoons of powdered regular pectin for every 3 ounce packet of liquid pectin. Vinegar is used as more of a preservative and will help the jelly last longer. However, sugar is also a preservative, so feel free to use the same amount of water instead. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Thank you so much for your work on this site, Mike. Apart from all the recipes, your hotsauce guide will help me create a chipotle sauce that I’ve been pondering.
Also, as a fellow screenwriter (who should be working right now), your site has been the perfect excuse to procrastinate for the last half hour!
Best, Eric
Thanks, Eric. Happy to provide the diversion! Let me know how your sauce turns out. Enjoy.
Hi Mike and Patty!
I am so glad I came across your website. I will be subscribing to your weekly email newsletter. I cannot wait to get it! I hope you are still doing it 🙂
I am new to “cooking” with different types of peppers (I use the common peppers such as: Anaheim, Habenaro, Jalepeno, Serono,, etc.) and just wanted to drop in and say that I appreciate you listing all the chili peppers by name and their description. That makes it a lot easier for me to know exactly what I am needing for a recipe.
My husband and I live in Texas and we are wanting to start growing a few of our own peppers. Can you give us some advise? How do you suggest we start? Should we start with seeds or starter plants?
Again, I am looking forward to your emails.
Thanks,
Madi
Thanks, Madi. Welcome to the awesome world of chili peppers! I suggest starting with my Growing section of the site: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/growing-chili-peppers/. You can find a lot of information there to start from either seeds or seedlings. Good luck and let me know what you wind up growing! Excited for you!
Hi Mike,
I am so happy to have found your site and am excited to try some of your recipes. I have quite a few peppers on the way, ghost, cowhorn, jalapeño, serrano, and cayenne. However, I may be moving soon overseas, so I’ve been doing research on canning hot sauces and salsas (never thought it was going to be so dangerous.) I did a lot of reading you posted on dehydrating peppers and now have a nice dehydrator. Have you made some hot sauces from from dehydrated peppers? I was thinking of doing that with the majority and then cooking up the sauces and salsas once I get settled in my new location.
Also, thanks for the resources on buying seeds. That will be important for next year.
Take care,
Mark
Thanks, Mark. Yes, I make hot sauce from dried pods all the time. They easily rehydrate in the liquids you’re using, or you can rehydrate them in water, drain them, then proceed with your recipe. Works great! Good luck with your move!
Thanks, Mike.
Hi Michael! Thanks for your website, it’s awesome! I have a question regarding hot sauce. I’m making a dried chile sauce with 3 types of chiles. It’s coming out fantastic and people are loving it! My problem is that I’m getting a lot of separation and I’m hoping to fix that. I’m using a combination of vinegar, water and oil. I also boil my dried chiles briefly to rehydrate them. The liquid is mostly the vinegar but perhaps I should further reduce the amount of water, and more so the oil? I know Xanthum Gum would solve my problem, but I’m hoping not to use it, or at least add a minimal amount. Thanks!
Hi, Lawrence. Thanks, man. There are a few things you can do. First, process the sauce more if possible to help it mix better and reduce pulp. You can definitely reduce the amount of liquid you’re adding. Oil will naturally separate from a mix like this, so also possibly limit the oil if possible. You can always resort to a thickener as you’ve mentioned as well. Let me know how it turns out for you.
I do blend it pretty good, but I can definitely go longer. Also, I strain it, so perhaps I should blend it very well again after straining it. I will make another batch tomorrow and let you know how it turns out. Thanks Mike!
I’m enjoying your site and am glad to have stumbled across it! So nice to “meet” you guys. What a fun collaboration the two of you have!!
Mollie
Thanks, Mollie. We love it. Fun!
Very cool youre in Northern IL 🙂
Currently, yep!
Hi Mike
Love your site!
I’m looking for locally sourced Super Hots and medium hots. I’m a chili head looking to start up a hot sauce/specialty food business…. spicy pickles, salsas, bbq sauces, wing sauces and dry rubs. Does your company grow hot chilies as well. If not can you give me a few names of a few local farmers that provide bulk wholesale peppers. I also grow my own superhots, but only have about 100 plants in raised beds so far. But I need chilies all year round.
Thanks in advance for any info
All the best
Chef JR
Hey, Chef JR. I don’t sell pods, but check out my Chili Pepper Resources page to find plants, seeds and pods. I hope this helps! Good luck with your business!
Hi Mike. Inexperienced in the kitchen so no it is my problem but don’t know what I have done wrong. Honey beer mustard dip. I followed instructions to the gram but still when processing end up with just a liquid soup in the processor. I just cannot see how to solidify with only just 4tbsp of brown sugar? Using new mustard seeds and good beer? I had this type of dip in Latvia last week and was wonderful so know it will be good! Any help appreciated and I will persevere. T
Tx Richard London
Hi, Richard. Sometimes the mustard can be quite liquidy. Did you process it with a stick blender or food processor? That will definitely help thicken things up. You can also try adding in more mustard seeds to absorb the excess liquid. Let me know if this helps.
Hey Mike…..I m back again!! I just today stumbled upon your site while checking out the peri peri sauce recipe. Well…….seems you and wife Patty have an amazing site , lives , lots interesting stuff going on. I love a gr8 suspense novel.
I checked out your published stuff. Can I find you on Amazon?? I want to read your stuff!! I’ll just go look for myself…..Im am from Maine (though currently I live with my husband and storm chasing daughter near Nashville) near where King takes summer residence. Just wanted you to know i stopped took a few minutes and read bout you and Patti….just lovely!! Im off now….going to look up your stuff and buy it so I can read it and Ill let you know what I think!! Im excited!!
Thanks, Debby. Watch out for some of the older stuff. Haha. I’ve been writing more movies lately. You can find me on IMDB here: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2478416/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1. Also, here is me at Amazon. Take care!
My Baked Potatoes
Ingredients
1 med- Large potato per person
1/2 tsp butter + bit extra
1/2 tsp crushed garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
Method
Preheat oven to 180 C
Using an apple corer core the potato 3/4 way through, length ways, remove the plug. cut off 1cm from end of plug
fill the hole with the above ingredients, push plug back in to the hole, prick the skin a few times with a fork then wrap in foil with butter,
Place in preheated oven until cooked, can also be cooked on an open braai.
Can do similar with onions or Mielies (sweet corn)
Add any hotstuff you want to it also
Sounds like a delicious baked potato, Dave!
Hi Mike,
I currently came across your blog here and have thoroughly enjoyed to the tune of reading every page and entry. I have a question, I live in Alaska and was wondering if you have any reputable sources that will ship peppers like ones from other countries, super hots etc?
thank you for your time and work.
Scott
Hi, Scott. Thanks. I have gathered a list of resources for seeds and plants that you can review. Some of them will ship peppers. Check it out here, and good luck: Chili Pepper Plants Resources and Chili Pepper Seed Resources.
I’ve been subscribed to your blog just long enough to know your recipes are “right up our alley” taste wise & are absolutely delicious! My thanks to you & your lovely wife Patty for all of the love & hard work that you pour into your blog!
Thanks, Margo! We both appreciate it! Thanks for coming!
Hi Mike
I live in Johannesburg South Africa. I have a five year old cayenne chili tree. For some reason the chillies have lost their heat over the past two years and they all taste like bell peppers. Do you know what could have caused the chillies to lose their flavour?
Thank you.
Anabela, it could be the growing conditions of the tree in the last year. Chili plants and trees are affected by weather and soil conditions, so if it was a very rainy year, or if the tree has been overnourished, it could potentially affect the pods produced.
The chicken vindaloo recipe looks fantastic!
Your web site is now bookmarked and I expect to come here often.
Thanks, John! I do LOVE that recipe. Extra spicy for me, please!
Hi Mike,
I have a decent size harvest of Ghost peppers. I am going to try your pineapple recipe out, but just multiply the recipe by my harvest size. I have about 50-60 peppers all from one plant. Will this method of multiplying the recipe work or will it be way to hot? Thanks
You can multiply the recipe, Carl. It’s really just making an extra large batch. The heat will be the same as long as you keep the original ratios. Let me know how it turns out for you.
mike where do you call home? I live in north Georgia & love growing & using hot peppers. I love growing habanero ,jalapeno & cayenne peppers. I want to try some of the hotter ones but don,t know where I can get just 1-2 plants of them because not many stores carry the real hot ones , or you can,t be sure you will even get what you think you are getting.
Hey, Marshall. I’m in the the Northern Illinois region, though looking to move more south in the near future. Looking forward to warmer weather and better pepper growing climate!
hi michael – when i was 4 years old, i was taken to a foster farm by my biological parents. i remember running after their car as they drove away. “wait…wait…you forgot me.” i never saw them again. while i was there, even though the other children got bologna sandwiches, i was given pickled pigs feet. this hellish foster lady indeed ran a hellish farm. even though i was only 4, i knew she hated me. she put lots of pepper in my soup, pepper on my one small potato, and loaded it on my cold vegetables.
when i was 5, i was adopted by the most wonderful parents in the world!!! gradually, i was introduced to foods using just the right amount of pepper. it was here i learned to appreciate that wonderful word called HOT. after making your habanero jelly, i can hardly wait to make these sausage stuffed peppers.
thank you, michael, and your loving wife, for sharing your many God given talents with so many people. i am 76 now with many years as a concert pianist behind me…that thing called arthritis has taken over. gratefully, jeanette
Thanks so much, Jeanette, for your wonderful email and for sharing your story. I’m glad you are finding enjoyment in my recipes. Best to you.
Hi Really enjoy your site have made a few hot sauces, but here in England we do have a limited supply of chillies, although some garden centres are branching out for different types. Also some of the U.K. palates struggle with the heat although i do enjoy them really hot, Can you advise me on how to cool some of them down as its difficult to gauge how hot some of our chillies are.
Thanks for any help Paul
Hi, Paul. There are several ways you can temper the heat with peppers. Try coring them out, as most of the heat resides in the pepper innards, though superhots still have very hot flesh. You can dilute them, as in using only some of the hot pepper with other milder peppers, for a sauce, for example. Include a dairy, which counteracts the heat. I have a page you can check out for further ideas – How to Stop the Chili Pepper Burn.
Hi Mike,
I came your across your blog while researching different hot peppers.
I was enjoying the information and photos, however several sentences were cut off mid-sentence, under the Peppers descriptions. This is disappointing, I would really have like to have read all the information you were attempting to share.
Jody, did you click the links to go to the actual pepper page? That is where the full information is listed. Best…
Hi Mike:
Last year I made hot sauce using Inca Red Drops that was awesome. I had one plant that produced a phenomenal number of peppers. This year I planted 2 plants in the pepper patch and they are about the same size now as when I planted them in June. I was hoping that you could recommend a substitute from the pepper that would be similar in both heat and flavor notes. I really liked the fruity components. I will be going to a pick your own chile pepper farm and was hoping to get an equivalent substitute so that I can make my sauce for this season. Thanks so much for any suggestions.
Mark in NJ
Hi, Mark. The Inca Red Drop pepper is a Peruvian ornamental type with pods that are sweet and a bit hot, from 10K-30K Scoville Heat Units. I believe they are similar to Chupetinha peppers, which are Brazilian. They seem to be quite related. I would sample some ornamentals to see if you can find a sweet/hot variety, though many don’t have that great sweet flavor. For something more common that might work, look for ajis (there are MANY varieties), or Hawaiian hots, which I think have similar characteristics. Peppadews could work. Also look for a variety called Sugar Rush. Those are great!
I’m not the only one that purchased a dehydrator just for peppers!
I originally purchased mine for peppers, but now I use them (I own 2) for making all sorts of different things, from jerky, leathers, snacks, seasoning blends, so much more. Check out my Dehydrator Recipes and Info on the site. I’m also the author of The Spicy Dehydrator Cookbook, with lots of recipes, with and without chili peppers. I hope you’ll check it out.
Hi Mike,
Nic here, from sunny South Africa…
I have recently purchased my first batch of Superhot Chili Seeds, and I’m really excited to begin my journey down that path.
I have already learned a lot from your site, and can’t wait to make the Hot Sauces.
I am an avid “Smoker”, and hot and cold smoke various bits and pieces – including my own Chipotles. I currently make 14 of my own BBQ Sauces.
I am desperately looking for a decent recipe for Chipotles in Adobo, as we don’t have much variety here, and I would love to make my own.
I have tried a few of the recipes on Google, but they aren’t great..
Any chance you could recommend a good recipe?
Many thanks,
Nic
Nic, thanks for your email. I appreciate it. I’ve never made chipotles in adobo as of yet, but will work to discern a good recipe. Hopefully soon! Welecome, and thanks again.
Michael to Michael, (my friends call me Moose)
I have been experimenting with Hot Sauce for several months writing down the formula (recipe) for each one. I found your cooking process interesting and now question if I’m doing mine correctly. I have been mixing my wet ingredients in my blender, tasting as I go along to get the flavor I am looking for. Then I add each dry item…salt, fresh ground black pepper, sweeteners and a variety of other seasonings to taste. Once I have that, I add my chili’s. I first started with the Reaper, but now I have moved up to Big Black Mama’s, Brain Strains, Scorpions, to name a few. ( I have some wonderful Death Spirals on the plant right now) Once I have pureed the mix, I simmer the batch for amount 20 minutes. My pH averages around 3.2, although the batch with the Mama’s hit 2.9. I make my own Pique vinegar.
Questions;
1) I remove the stems and the ribs of the chili. I usually remove most of the seeds. Should I leave them for more heat?
2) I often use organic apple juice and/or fresh fruit for some recipes, does this lessen the heat?
3) Once cooked, even with the low pH, should I “cure” the batch in the fridge?
4) Have you found any seasonings that did not work with hot sauce?
5) Do you have or know of a source with information on how to get a sauce to market?
6) What determines how the heat will either be immediate or is a back taste?
7) Am I being a pest? 😉
Thanks for your time.
Moose
Hey, Moose – I think your procedure sounds great. Whatever works! To answer your questions:
1. Definitely remove the stems. Seeds/innards are optional. Some people like to remove the seeds because of bitterness. See this page – Should I Remove Pepper Seeds for a discussion on that. Most of the pepper heat is in the innards, so your hot sauce won’t be as hot if you remove them. However, with superhots, the heat really permeates the pepper flesh, so you’ll still get LOADS of heat.
2. Yes, you can dilute some of the resulting heat with fruit and fruit juice. It’s a nice flavor combination, though.
3. You can enjoy the hot sauce right away, but I find that the flavors develop, mingle and mellow when they sit for a few days.
4. Seasonings are really to your own personal preference. Some people enjoy combinations that I don’t particularly enjoy.
5. I’m working on writing some information on this, but in general, you can either find a co-packer who makes your recipe and packages it for you, or find a commercial kitchen and make it yourself, then bottle it and sell it. Most people go to shows to sell their stuff and grow enough to make deals with distributors.
6. It depends on the peppers chosen. Scorpions, for example, have a very forward initial STING, whereas 7-Pots have more of a blooming heat.
7. Not at all. Thanks for stopping by! Good luck with your hot sauces.
Good morning Mike;
Aussie Graham here, I wanted to let you know that I made your Chipotle Honey Mustard over the weekend.
AMAZING !!!!!
A big hit with my group of friends and now I have to make another double batch.
Thanks mate
That’s GREAT, Graham! Glad everyone liked it!
Do you sell any pepper seeds?
Thank you
Fred, I do not, but check our Buying Chili Pepper Seeds Resource page here.
I saw that you have a substantial garden where you grow a few peppers.
I was wondering how you avoided cross pollination of your different pepper species.
Looking forward to your feedback.
God Bless
Bob, I don’t worry about it because I don’t save as many seeds as I used to, and when I do, it’s fun for me to see if I get a cross of some sort. When I want something pure for a season, I’ll just purchase new seeds or seedlings. One resource recommended growing sweet/mild peppers at distance of 150 with a barrier crop between them to avoid cross pollination, and 600 feet distance with a barrier crop for hot peppers. You can also use netting as well.
I think you guy’s are great, keep up the good work. Thanks D.
Thanks, Dennis! We love it!