Devil Dust (or Ground Ghost Peppers)

I love cayenne pepper and use it in almost everything. I also love the extreme heat of scorpion peppers and ghost peppers. We grew quite a few last year, and have tons of plants this year too.

Drying peppers and then grinding your peppers is a great way to keep them long term. You don't want to waste any of those lovely peppers picked from that abundant harvest this year.

It's a pretty easy process - all you need is some dried peppers, a grinder and a container.


I have this little coffee grinder that I purchased just for grinding dried peppers.  {I'd advise getting one dedicated to just this - unless you want a bit of extra "heat" in your coffee!}

You also want to make sure that your peppers are quite dry.  To dry them, wash your peppers thoroughly after picking to remove any dirt, then pat dry.

Place on a plate or a wire rack in a dry, well ventilated room. You can also string the peppers up on string or thread and hang to dry. Within several weeks, you will have dried peppers!

Before you grind them, carefully remove the green stems.  Note:  dried hot peppers are still hot!  Take care when handling them!

Place your peppers in your grinder.

Grind until you have the desired texture.  I was looking for a ground cayenne pepper-like texture, and I think it turned out perfectly!

Now we've got a jar of super-lethal pepper for our daily use.  I may have to put warning signs up!

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