What is a Super Hot chili pepper you ask?
The super hot chili peppers are those that go beyond Habanero heat. They push the boundaries of the natural Scoville Scale and make the heat you might encounter with a jalapeno pepper more akin to a mild tickle. These super hots bring spice to a new level. To put things in perspective, we should discuss the Scoville Scale. The Scoville Unit of measurement was named for Wilbur Scoville in 1912. At the time, he worked for a pharmaceutical company named Parke-Davis where he developed a test called the “Scoville Organoleptic Test” which is used to measure chili pepper heat. In a nutshell, the higher the Scoville Unit of measurement assigned to a chili pepper, the hotter it is. The jalapeno pepper typically measures in between 2,500 SHU (Scoville Heat Units) and 8,000 SHU. A Serrano, which is a bit hotter than a jalapeno, measures 5,000 to 23,000 SHU. The Habanero typically measures between 100,000 to 350,000 SHU. That is quite hot. But with super hot chili peppers, you get measurements like so:
Caribbean Red Habanero: up to 475,000 SHU Red Savina: up to 580,000 SHU King Naga: up to 800,000 SHU Bhut Jolokia (or Ghost Pepper) – 1,000,000+ SHU New Mexico Scorpion: 1,191,595 SHU Naga Viper: 1,382,118 SHU Trinidad Scorpion Butch T: 1,463,700 SHU Trinidad Moruga Scorpion: 2,009,231 SHU Carolina Reaper: up to 2,200,000 SHU Pepper Spray: Up to 5,300,000 SHU
The fact that these super hots are so hot shouldn’t frighten you away from cooking with them. Aside from their heat, these peppers bring an incredible flavor that you won’t get elsewhere. Many are fruity and a bit citrus-like, yet unique in their own right. Admittedly, you should begin with some milder peppers before embarking on your culinary experimentation with these chilies, but if you have a bit of a tolerance and you’re interested in cooking with them, we have a few tips that may help you.
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It isn’t only about the heat, though. When most people think of chili peppers, they think of crazy, spicy heat, but truth be told, there is a huge range of chili pepper types running from zero heat, like the sweet bell pepper, all the way up to peppers that are almost as hot as pepper spray, like the Carolina Reaper. The more you cook with hot peppers, the more you’ll come to not only appreciate the heat, but you eventually come to crave it. That’s what happened to me. I kept desiring hotter and hotter peppers, but still, it is best to find a spiciness factor that you’re comfortable with. If you’re new to cooking with peppers, here are a few tips to help you make the most of them.
Wear Gloves When Cutting Chili Peppers
This doesn’t apply as much to superhot peppers, though, as the capsaicin with them reached throughout the skin.
Make Hot Sauce
There are so many different hot sauces on the market today, and I hope you buy as many as you can, but if you have a lot of chili peppers on hand, why not make your own? Homemade hot sauces are so good to have on hand to spice up your meals and add in some extra flavor. Plus, if you make your own hot sauce, you can easily make them with your own flavor preferences. Check out my Hot Sauce Recipes section of the site for a lot of different recipes. Or check out my page on How to Make Hot Sauce: The Ultimate Guide. Got any questions? Need more advice? Drop me a line. I’m glad to help and can update this page as needed. Be sure to check out my Chili Pepper Recipes section for hundreds and hundreds of recipes in various categories to help you find inspiration. Enjoy!
