- Joined
- Sep 16, 2012
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- Tucson, AZ
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Last week I had a cousin in town and we went out doing tourist stuff which, down here, requires a trip to Tombstone. Just like any other tourist trap Tombstone affords the visitor an opportunity to spend money on stupid stuff. My choice of stupid involved Habanero infused olive oil and sea salt mixed with Trinidad Scorpion Pepper. I tried the oil in the store and was impressed that it had great heat but also fantastic flavor just like the Habanero is known for. I didn't try the salt.
Yesterday I decided to marinate some chicken in the Habanero oil for fajitas. I poured a couple of tablespoons of the oil in a baggie, added about a pound of chicken with a little garlic powder and black pepper. As I reached for the salt I remembered the Scorpion Pepper salt figured that if I was going to go for heat then it was time to try this gimmick. As I opened the jar of salt I got a little bit on my finger just because there was some salt dust on the seal. I figured I'd better try it before I salted the chicken so I licked my finger. In a few seconds, just from a few crystals and dust, I could tell this was no ordinary pepper. The heat was intense and just kept coming. It wasn't unbearable but I was mighty glad I hadn't ingested more than a tiny fraction of a pinch. Based on that I added one very small and tentative shake of this salt to the chicken and then regular salt just to make sure I got it salted.
I let it marinade for about 2 hours and then cooked up the fajitas. Now, as a guy who likes spicy hot food this worked out pretty doggone well. The chicken was hot enough to make my nose run and my eyes water but it also held its flavor so that I could still taste the peppers and onions. This stuff is no gimmick!
If you happen to run across Trinidad Scorpion Pepper I definitely recommend it but when I say "use it sparingly" I'm not joking. The 5oz jar of Scorpion Pepper salt I've got might well last me a year even if I'm using it regularly and the 1/4oz of dried peppers (about a dozen whole peppers) will probably last longer than that. Maybe this week I'll make a pot of chili with half a dried pepper in 3# of beef and see how that works.
Yesterday I decided to marinate some chicken in the Habanero oil for fajitas. I poured a couple of tablespoons of the oil in a baggie, added about a pound of chicken with a little garlic powder and black pepper. As I reached for the salt I remembered the Scorpion Pepper salt figured that if I was going to go for heat then it was time to try this gimmick. As I opened the jar of salt I got a little bit on my finger just because there was some salt dust on the seal. I figured I'd better try it before I salted the chicken so I licked my finger. In a few seconds, just from a few crystals and dust, I could tell this was no ordinary pepper. The heat was intense and just kept coming. It wasn't unbearable but I was mighty glad I hadn't ingested more than a tiny fraction of a pinch. Based on that I added one very small and tentative shake of this salt to the chicken and then regular salt just to make sure I got it salted.
I let it marinade for about 2 hours and then cooked up the fajitas. Now, as a guy who likes spicy hot food this worked out pretty doggone well. The chicken was hot enough to make my nose run and my eyes water but it also held its flavor so that I could still taste the peppers and onions. This stuff is no gimmick!
If you happen to run across Trinidad Scorpion Pepper I definitely recommend it but when I say "use it sparingly" I'm not joking. The 5oz jar of Scorpion Pepper salt I've got might well last me a year even if I'm using it regularly and the 1/4oz of dried peppers (about a dozen whole peppers) will probably last longer than that. Maybe this week I'll make a pot of chili with half a dried pepper in 3# of beef and see how that works.