Break up pods in a food processor then grind in a coffe grinder/spice grinder.
Makes very fine powder.
I de seed big pods and don't bother to with small pods.

What smokemaster said.

I grind 2 - 5 lbs of dried peppers each year; jalapeno (chipotles) thru habaneros. I start off with a blender and depending on fineness of powder required, finish in small batches in a coffee/spice grinder. Unless you're a medium to large processor your economical options are limited.

Four suggestions (don't ask how I know)

1- wear gloves;
2- wear tight pants or tighten your belt;
3- wear a mask or respirator;
4- take a shower after if doing more than a small batch.

The fine powder from dried peppers can cause uncomfortable experiences.

I'm wondering what are the most-used methods for making a powdered chile product from whole dried chiles. I have used a blender but it involves several repeats of the blend-sift-blend again...
As Smoke relates, the areosols of the grind can be irritating. So just use some reasonble precaution. For grinding peps, I use a coffee mill. The essential thing is that the peps be very dry... brittle. I suggest that you not grind them until you reasonably intend to use them within a few weeks. They lose some pungency and flavor upon grinding with time. A few grams of dried peps only take 20-30 seconds to be rendered to powder in a blender or coffee mill. So no sense to me to pulverize them prematurely.

Reg

I've only ground a few. I went outside on the patio and ground them in a coffee bean grinder. Worked great. Be careful when opening the grinder/blender. Don't want to be hit with a blast of the aerosol powder. I checked wind direction and made sure I was upwind. Run the grinder through the dishwasher a couple of times if you are also using it for coffee!

Also, if dehydrating peppers, you may want to set the dehydrater in the garage or on a covered patio. I will not dry hot peppers inside again :)

I also use my coffee grinder, and it is the one I use for coffee and flax seed, and spices, etc. After grinding peppers or spices I grind a couple of tbs of rice and repeat until the rice stays white. I toss the rice and wipe the grinder out with a damp paper towel. I haven't had any pepper taste in my coffee yet(not that I would mind). I also lay a damp rag or dish towel over the grinder when doing peppers...it keeps dust and fumes down. But then, I'm grinding for one person, so not very much...enough to put into small shaker jars.
I tried using my blender one year and never again! I had pepper powder flying every where...it was painful and sneazy! And it was much harder to clean. I had to take it apart to clean the seal...hard for this old arthritic gal.

I bought a coffee grinder and clearly marked it for PEPPER USE ONLY! Don't want to make that mistake again.

Jay

I use a big 25lbs. Mortar and Pestle made of a semi-smooth stone. Coincidentally it was a gift brought back from "Chile"

I, too, have used a food processor and coffee grinder, separately and in conjunction with each other. Not satisfied with the results, because I wanted a fine powder.

I borrowed my daughter's Magic Bullet the other day to grind seven ziploc bags of thai super-hots, and it worked surprisingly well! An added bonus is that it is a sealed system: no pepper dust like you get with a coffee grinder.

So, Magic Bullet, FTW!

ottawapepper - lol, I ground up a handful of habs last fall in the blender, luckily the worst I got was some coughing that just came out of nowhere ;) Nothing got under the belt :O

jrslick - that's what I want to do...don't want to use the family coffee grinder and watch everyone choke on their coffee the next morning.

you can avoid all this mess by making hot sauce.