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Mixed up my own chili powder.

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    Mixed up my own chili powder.

    I got all those pepper powders from Savory Spice, and I had most of the other stuff in the pantry, so I thought, sure, why not.

    I wasn’t sure where to start, so I decided on a ratio of 4 parts peppers to one part cumin and 1/2 part garlic powder.

    I used 2 T each of ancho, red New Mexican, aji amarillo, and dark New Mexican, 2 T of cumin, 1 T of garlic powder, and then I crumbled Mexican oregano between my fingers into the mix until it looked right; maybe a half a T?

    I stirred that stuff up and adjusted the flavors. The peppers taste very different from each other: the aji is really bright, the dark NM is bold, the ancho and the red NM are sweet, but different, the ancho being more complex. I wound up adding more dark NM, and a little more garlic and cumin. The dark NM is that classic chili flavor.

    Verdict: excellent. I compared it to the American standard, McCormick’s... McCormick’s is really bad. I’m throwing out the mcCormick’s.

    This, on the other hand, tastes like an uncooked bowl of chili. No one uses those aji peppers. I recommend them highly, they are really interesting. Without overpowering the mix, they give it a real flair. They give the finished product that orange-ish cast.

    When you do it yourself, and I know you will, the most important thing I think is the pepper:cumin ratio. 4:1 is a start, you might like more or less. Also, consider paprika for brightness, chipotle for smokiness, cayenne for heat. Garlic powder and Mexican oregano are modifiers, nuances. In fact, if you can’t find Mexican oregano, I think it would be okay to leave it out. With everyone’s taste buds being different, you can make chili powder that YOU like, not what someone else likes.

    Oh, the spice jars I got from some place called The Talented Kitchen. They came with labels, a funnel, and two sets of lids, one set with large shaker holes and one set with small shaker holes. I forget what I paid, but it was under $20 for 14 4oz jars.


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    Last edited by Mosca; July 9, 2019, 10:17 AM.

    #2
    Thanks. Have been wanting to play with chili powder. The aji peppers are a good add, I was looking at some Peruvian recipes and discovered them a while back.

    Comment


      #3
      Have you ever considered toasting dried chiles and grinding them in a spice grinder? That is some powerful stuff.

      Comment


      • Mosca
        Mosca commented
        Editing a comment
        I use dried chiles sometimes. The quality can be hit and miss here in the Northeast. I already had the powders, and I got too much of them all!

      #4
      Good job! I make my own chili powder too. It also get a bit of Mexican oregano. You can get the heat AND some smoke/earth out of smoke dried ghost Chili's. Fresno is a good addition for a bit of pop. My base chili is close ancho. I usually dry and grind my own Chili's, toast some too. Oh and scotch bonnets make a great addition to one for chicken chili.

      Comment


        #5
        Awesome post! I want to make my own, but darnnit it if it's not so easy & cheap to just buy Tone's from Sam's. I don't doubt this is worlds better though. Maybe some day I will beat laziness, but it has a strong hold on me currently.

        Comment


        • texastweeter
          texastweeter commented
          Editing a comment
          if your into chili, it's a game changer.

        • Mosca
          Mosca commented
          Editing a comment
          texastweeter this was inspired by making a pot of stew with the beef left over from July 4th; I needed to use it while it still smelled sweet. I used all the spices separately rather than as a spice blend, and when it was done I liked the flavor so much I decided to blend it up and bottle it!

          I’ve bought the Gebhart’s and the Penzy’s, and they are great. But I always bristle a little bit at putting in all that work, and then using someone else’s idea of how it should taste.
          Last edited by Mosca; July 9, 2019, 06:34 PM.

        • Mosca
          Mosca commented
          Editing a comment
          It took 20 minutes, and it was fun. The flip side is that it is cheaper to buy Tone’s from Sam’s. But if the goal is better taste, it’s a fair trade.

        #6
        I like Savory Spice - great company with fresh spices. I have made my own chili powder but in the end I find I spend a lot more money making my own than just buying the one I like. Of course, you can’t put a price on making your own of anything. Oh, the brand I buy is Savory Spice’s own medium chili powder (no salt), which is pretty darn good.

        The Aji Amarillo chile powder is delicious, by the way.

        Comment


        • Mosca
          Mosca commented
          Editing a comment
          Yes it is. I keep dipping my finger into it.

        #7
        Good for you. I love making up my own rubs, chili blends, herb blends, etc. I have to keep them in a box like this. ​

        I get my spices and herbs from Penzy's they say their packaging keeps their product fresh for 3 years and after 12 of keeping it in a cool dark area I can't disagree with them. It is very thick. But I do go by taste and smell.

        Comment


        • texastweeter
          texastweeter commented
          Editing a comment
          broken pic, bud

        • mountainsmoker
          mountainsmoker commented
          Editing a comment
          Sorry it shows okay when I look at it. I tried to redo it but it would not let me. It is a big 13x27 heavy cardboard box. Full of the Plasticine envelopes Penzy's ships there spices and herbs in.
          Last edited by mountainsmoker; July 9, 2019, 06:57 PM.

        #8
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        Does this one work better.

        Comment


          #9
          This is the way to go. I may have to get some aji amarillo for my next batch. Thanks for sharing.

          Comment


            #10
            You've tweaked my interest, will grab the spices you used and give this a go....if I can find them here.
            The Canadian standard would be Club House spices, also know as Saw Dust spices.

            Comment


            • pkadare
              pkadare commented
              Editing a comment
              I've ordered from both these places and have been happy with both.
              The Silk Road Spice Merchant is a retailer of fine spices, herbs and seasonings based in Calgary, Alberta and serving all of Canada. Our Calgary and Edmonton locations as well as our website offer a complete selection of top-quality whole and ground spices, herbs, chiles and chile powders, and hand-mixed spice blends.

              The Spice Trader offers the finest quality herbs, spices, and seasonings in Canada. We sell both online and at our Toronto store. We offer everything from hand crafted spice blends like Garam Masala or Berbere, to individual herbs, spices, peppers, salts ,oils, vinegars, olives and other gourmet pantry items.

            #11
            Mosca Question about the aji amarillo pepper. What was the heat like? Reading about it says that it is 30K to 50K on the Scoville "But the aji amarillo balances that heat with a bit of fruity flavor. Smelling a bit like a raisin, this chili's taste is somewhat subtle with hints of passion fruit and mango". This flavor part intrigues me. I can't take much cayenne heat (30K-50K) anymore and my wife can't take heat at all. Is it similar to the cayenne heat? To me cayenne is just heat with not much additional flavor like NM chili has.

            Comment


            • Mosca
              Mosca commented
              Editing a comment
              Nowhere near cayenne. Hard to judge "wife heat". I’d say it is about jalapeño or Fresno. I was expecting more, based on reading the same as you. The flavor is bright and forward, very nice. Whatever the raw peppers themselves are, I place the powder in the "not hot" category. Spicy, as Mrs Mosca would say. Much closer to mild, definitely not hot.

            • JimLinebarger
              JimLinebarger commented
              Editing a comment
              Mosca Thanks. I also have seen some recipes with it and now I am really interested to try it.

            • ColonialDawg
              ColonialDawg commented
              Editing a comment
              You won’t be disappointed. It’s truly a unique chile. I’m actually growing some in my garden this year.

            #12
            Alton Brown recipe is my go to for my homemade chili powder.

            Comment


            • Mosca
              Mosca commented
              Editing a comment
              I riffed on that one for what I did!

            #13
            A book I recently purchased offers some good basics fer pepper choice, chili seasonin, as well as some tweaks an twists...
            An, yup, I usually mix my own up...

            Comment


            • Mosca
              Mosca commented
              Editing a comment
              Yeah, went to order that and it says I already have it...

            • Mr. Bones
              Mr. Bones commented
              Editing a comment
              I have both the book, an kindle version, I like bein able to take my library with me... Mosca

            #14
            Thanks, just ordered it

            Comment

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