Smoking jalapenos - best reasonably priced smoker, or do in a bbq?

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timmmay

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#207390 22-Dec-2016 09:58

Last year I had three jalepeno bushes and I had more than I could eat, so I preserved quite a few, made sauces, and gave a lot away. This year I have eight bushes and expect significantly more. My plan is to smoke them to make chipolte jalepenos, probably putting some into an adobo sauce.

Can jalepenos be smoked in a charcoal bbq? I would add something like this smoker kit, but with the charcoal and such I think it would taint the flavor. I've read you're not meant to use a high temperature so a bbq may be out. I could go the whole hog and spend $99 on a smoker, but it seems excessive. Mitre ten have a really small smoker that runs on a dish of meths, but that may be too small.

Anyone tried smoking things in an oven?

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#1693690 22-Dec-2016 10:03

It looks like smoking jalepenos is a 24 hour process and you can't get them too hot. You're probably going to want something a bit more sophisticated than a BBQ or the cheap smoker you've linked to.

Smoking is great but it looks more like a cold smoke process for jalepenos rather than a quick BBQ style hot smoke.

Geektastic

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#1693696 22-Dec-2016 10:17

At first I wondered if this was a new form of the 'Legalise Marijuana' thread...

Wheelbarrow01

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#1693750 22-Dec-2016 11:53

Geektastic:

At first I wondered if this was a new form of the 'Legalise Marijuana' thread...

lol yes me too - although I'd imagine jalapeno smoke is pretty harsh on the lungs....

cynnicallemon

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#1693800 22-Dec-2016 13:20

Wheelbarrow01:

lol yes me too - although I'd imagine jalapeno smoke is pretty harsh on the lungs....

Not only on the lungs...

danfaulknor

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#1693805 22-Dec-2016 13:30

There's a video around of a guy smoking a ghost pepper or something. He goes blind temporarily...

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jonathan18

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#1693854 22-Dec-2016 14:10

Great idea, Tim - post back once you've found a workable solution!

I looooove chipotles, and indeed smoked things generally - perhaps a subconscious attempt to get a replacement bacon fix! Our weekly burrito meal wouldn't be the same without chipotle.

I recall my sister suggesting I could buy a relative a smoker for Xmas - this one was more like a gun device, that pumped the smoke into a receptacle (plastic bag?) where the food resided. Think it was made by a mainstream appliance retailer (Breville or similar?) and sold for about $80 on special - not sure if that would do the trick? (And does anyone know the name and brand of these things?)

marlinz

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#1693855 22-Dec-2016 14:16

smoking gun

Something like that as seen on masterchef etc

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jonathan18

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#1693857 22-Dec-2016 14:23

marlinz:

smoking gun

Something like that as seen on masterchef etc

That's exactly the one! For the life of me I couldn't find it - but having remembered today it's in a gun form, I'm sure that'll have found it.

It's even cheaper at Farmers, and at $70 I'm tempted http://www.farmers.co.nz/6174740 (or hopefully someone's bought it for me for Xmas!).

The question I have though is does this device actually preserve the food, or just impart a smoky flavour? The latter's fine if that's all you're after, but for a purpose like Tim's you'd need the former. Perhaps a combination of drying them out in the oven at a really low temperature then using something like this gun would work?

timmmay

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#1693889 22-Dec-2016 15:29

I think I'll stick with a more traditional method. We got a cheap charcoal bbq today, but lighting that it'd get way too hot. The trick will be finding a smoking unit that can go into the bbq that has its own fuel source. Afterwards I think I'd try dehydrating them in the oven.

2tapry

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#1693956 22-Dec-2016 17:17

Might be more than you want to spend, but I can vouch for a UFO Cold Smoker. It might sound odd to use a fish pump, but the amount of smoke that this puts off is amazing for the small amount of wood chip required. [link not working for some reason: google search for it and you will find it]

I smoke cheese and bacon in a cardboard box with this pumping smoke in - unbelievable smoked flavour. First attempts were too strong and that was with a single charge which I think lasts 4-8 hours depending on the air flow (you can top it up if you wanted longer, but I doubt you'd ever need it).

You can hook these up to a BBQ with a lid if you want to hot smoke.

Search and you'll find some videos on it. NZ made too if that means anything to you.

timmmay

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#1693967 22-Dec-2016 18:11

I could probably swing $130 for a smoker if there's nothing as effective cheaper. That looks pretty effective, thanks :)

Sam91

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#1693968 22-Dec-2016 18:26

2tapry:

Might be more than you want to spend, but I can vouch for a UFO Cold Smoker. It might sound odd to use a fish pump, but the amount of smoke that this puts off is amazing for the small amount of wood chip required. [link not working for some reason: google search for it and you will find it]

I smoke cheese and bacon in a cardboard box with this pumping smoke in - unbelievable smoked flavour. First attempts were too strong and that was with a single charge which I think lasts 4-8 hours depending on the air flow (you can top it up if you wanted longer, but I doubt you'd ever need it).

You can hook these up to a BBQ with a lid if you want to hot smoke.

Search and you'll find some videos on it. NZ made too if that means anything to you.

I have one of these and it's great. Imo cold smoking > hot smoking, especially when it comes to salmon.

networkn

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#1694021 22-Dec-2016 20:53

Well, I can't give any specific advice, but I'd happily and gratefully try the finished product :)

timmmay

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#1694052 22-Dec-2016 21:41

Remind me a in a few months... see how the season goes :)

Loismustdye

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#1694073 22-Dec-2016 23:05

I've done slow cold smokes using the Weber and charcoal.
I stole the idea off another site but it's pretty simple and does the trick.

Need a large box, silver dryer hose from Bunnings or similar, racks, tape to hold the hose on the BBQ,
Chop a hole in one of the sides of the box (towards the bottom) to fit the hose in, and in the top of the box at the opposite side of the lower hose hole cut a flap not a hole, this draws the smoke acrosswhatever is in the box.

Attach a dryer hose to the top vent on the BBQ, and attach the other end to the lower "side" of a box that you will smoke in, the one i used is approx 60cm x 30x30.
Place the box at a height greater then the BBQ (to ensure the smoke carries up) and approx a metre away from the BBQ (it is cardboard and doesn't like the heat from the BBQ)

The charcoal can be laid out in a "snake" in the BBQ (google to check this online for what it looks like). Basically a circle around the outside of the Weber with the charcoal being placed 2 on the bottom, 1 on the top like a small pyramid in a large circle around the outside of the BBQ. Put the wood chips on top of those, heaps of chips for good smoke.

Once the stuff to be smoked is in the box (ideally on racks at different levels in the box to fit more in), set the BBQ going.
Doing this I got temps of around 43 degrees or so inside the smoking box in the middle of summer, so I would expect this to be lower if the outside temperature is cooler.
It draws the smoke from the top vent of the kettle, through the hose and into the box at much lower temperatures than using a the kettle BBQ itself, I've had up to a 12 hour smoke using this method which works a treat.
Just make sure that when you close up the box and start smoking that the only way smoke gets out of the box is through the top vent to draw the smoke across the entire contents of the box. I tends to use painters tape to cover the side of the box that I use as the "door" to open and close the box to do this.

Nice cheap and an easy way to do it, have a test run first to make sure your setup works and you are away laughing.
Cheers

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