Smoking peppers and meat same time

[Sbeck23]

Hi, this is my first post but have been using the site for years, thanks for the great tips and info. I am looking to smoke some Jalapenos and Habaneros while I am smoking some beef for Chili. I was wondering if smoking the peppers at the same time will have an effect on the meat? Will the beef absorb any of the heat?
Thanks
Scott

[Attjack]

Hopefully...

[RonB]

Welcome to The Pit Scott. I've never tried that, so I can't help.

[kmhfive]

Would you be smoking them whole or cut? The heat is in the oil, mostly found inside the pepper, so if you cut them and place them on the meat, some oil would stick to the meat.

And welcome to the Pit!

[Attjack]

When I roast habaneros for my Habanero sauce every year I can feel the capsaicin in my lungs as they roast.

[kmhfive]

I agree that some oil will evaporate, but only after getting hot. And if you’re cooking the meat at the same time, my assumption is that the meat is getting hotter and then harder to make the airborne particles stick (like smoke) so direct contact would give the most probable good transfer.

[Pirate Scott]

Hard Sayin’ Not Knowin’... give it a try. Let us know. I do know from experience it is quite easy to burn small papers like Ghost, Habenaro, etc.. to a crisp. The still have their heat thought.

[smokinfatties]

I would think they'll take much less time so if i's a concern just smoke the jalapenos and habaneros at the very end.

[Sbeck23]

Thanks for all your input. the problem is although I love hot Chili my wife and family does not. I usually roast the peppers on the side and add them sparingly until an acceptable heat level is found and then I add extras to my own. I am worried that if I basically infuse the meat with whatever is given off from the pepper no one else will be able to eat it. Although this sounds fantastic! I am first slicing the peppers and removing the membrane and seeds.

[EdF]

Maybe settle for roasted peppers? Put them on direct til they blacken, don latex gloves, toss them in a paper bag til they're not too hot, then strip off the skins. That way you can cook them separately.

[Attjack]

Would be shocked if the meat was very hot. But I also have a hard time detecting heat since I have a high tolerance for it.

[Dadof3Illinois]

My family are the same as yours, any heat at all and they run away. What i’ve Found that works great is to split the peppers in half and blanch in boiling water for 20-30 seconds. Removes the oils but keeps the flavors of the peppers. My kids eat the poppers without issues.

[DWCowles]

Welcome Sbeck23

[Huskee]

I third the welcome, good to hear from you! Please be sure to stop back by after you do the cook to report your findings in case anyone in the future has a similar question.

[Willy]

My two cents: most smoked chiles are "cold" smoked (I'm guessing 120-ish°F or less), like, say, chipotles. I don't think hot smoking will get you a good, dried, smoked chile. I'd be surprised if the meat absorbed any heat as well, but I'm happy to be wrong about either of my assertions if your results say differently.

[Sbeck23]

So last night I ended up smoking the peppers for an hour just to get a hint of smoke on them and it didn't seem to have any effect on the meat in the smoker. I then roasted them for a little more just to make them tender and sweeter to add to chili. I never was smoking them to dry them for chili powder (probably should have stated that first), just to add the smoke flavor to the pepper itself. Chili is half ground chuck roast and half smoked ribeye along with roasted tomatoes, beer, onions etc. Turned out pretty amazing in my opinion. thanks again for all the input!

[kmhfive]

Awesome! Would have liked to see them peppers done smoking/roasting!

[Oakgrovebacon]

Welcome to the pit from Southern Illinois