It depends upon the variety of pepper. Larger peppers with thicker skin and flesh will turn out leathery (if not over dried to a crisp state). You'll find Ancho (dried Poblano) peppers sold in the leathery state you described. Thinner skinned chiles tend to dry out quickly to a crisp state.

FWIW

Thanks ottawa for the response. I distinctly remember pablano coming out crisp. Maybe New Mexican too. Is it maybe my dehydrator? I have a cheapo unit i bought at walmart.

Yep, I'm a cheapo guy myself. I have two dehydrators, one without temp control (so 140F minimum) and one I can dial down to 95F.

Try dehydrating them fore less time. Although I haven't tried it myself, if you "over dried" them you could try letting them sit out to re-hydrate a bit.

ncage, I have dried several varieties of peppers but have always dried them to point of "crispy". I think with most varieties, you will have to time how long you are dehydrating them. Maybe dry them in the dehydrator until they are just how you like them or just a little "wetter" than you want them and then left them finish drying on their own to the point you want them.

Bruce

Thanks Bruce? Any specific way you should finish drying them so they won't mold?

Mine have always come out crispy at first as well. I've always assumed thats a good thing, in terms of storage, you want to get rid of all the moisture in them to prevent anything from growing. After a couple weeks, they soften a little bit though because of moisture they pick up from the air.

If you consider the crushed red pepper flakes you buy at a store, I think they crush them from that crispy state. My theory is that the reason you find them leathery at the market is because they aren't packaged in vacuum sealed bags, so some moisture gets in... or they were air dried, which doesn't get them so crispy

I'd suggest if you want them leathery, to either do as you normally do, and leave them out and loosely covered for a bit afterwards.. or like Bruce recommended, to stop the drying short of the crispiness

hope that helps -E

I have had some come out leathery and some crispy. It's really about how long you dry them, and at what temperature. Everything the guys said above is great info, and something that comes from experience. But, don't overlook the obvious, either.

I have found that if I dry them at a higher temp for a shorter time, they get more crispy, and are more discolored (darker). If I use a lower temp for a (sometimes much) longer time, they tend to not get so crispy - you really have to push them to get crunchy - and the color stays closer to normal. Once I saw the difference I decided that I was drying them too hot before. So, if you do have temp control, try lowering the temp a bit.

ncage,

The time required depends on the size and type of pepper. How long / how much to dry to avoid mold will require some trial and error I think.

Officially, according to U of Georgia, a minimum of 20% moisture content should suffice.

See link below (taken from the National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP) for more info.

Here is a link that might be useful: U Georgia

Yes, I agree with Tsheets. It all depends on how hot you dry them, how long and what kind of peppers you are drying. The amount of peppers in your dehydrator also has a significant affect on how long you will have to dry them. Also consider that if you have warm humid summers, it is going to take a lot longer to dry them if you do it outside or in the garage as apposed to in a cooler and less humid home. But drying hot to super hot peppers is best done outside the living area regardless.

You will likely just have to experiment to find out what works best for you, your dehydrator and the conditions you are working with. But you should be able to semi dry almost any pepper to the consistency you desire.

Just for the sake of trying it, you might want to throw a couple whole peppers in there without cutting them open. They will dry much slower but will likely retain some moisture much longer than if they are cut open. That might give you the consistency you are looking for.
Bruce

I just lost two Ghost peppers trying to dry them in my car over about 5 days. Phew, they are moldy and stink in side. I am about to harvest 20 fully mature 7in cayenne peppers and will probably freeze them. Is it possible to microwave dehydrate these peppers? I dont have a dehydrator and dont want to use the oven. I live in Texas and its humid here. I really wanted to make dry flakes, but without the dehydrator, I just don't know how it is possible. Any solutions?

Cayenne peppers are thin skinned and can be dried by hanging them in and area with good air flow BUT high humidity is going to be a problem, they will probably mold before they dry.

Is your living space air conditioned? If so, you can tie the stems together and hang them inside in a location where they'll get air movement... over a vent?

Sounds like you tried to roast them rather than dry them!! haha!! Sorry - not trying to be mean.

Agree with Ottawa - if you're in a high humidity area, it will be a lot harder to dry them.

Inside if you have AC is a good suggestion. Dehydrators can be pretty cheap, or you can use a box fan and a cheap air filter (hit google with box fan dehydrator) to speed up the process.

Texas??? Maybe just put them on a tray and set them in the sun. Bring them in at night though. That is when the humidity is highest and drying effect lowest. Make sure you open the peppers up. Just cut them in half, deseed them and lay them inside up on a tray. Place them where they will get a breeze and full sun all day. At 90 degrees, I would think you will have dry peppers in no time.

Ghost peppers in a car in texas heat for 5 days. Forget about selling that sucker. I am sure Carfax already has it listed as "contaminated".

But hey, if you plan on doing any more than just a few peppers, invest in a cheap dehydrator. Once you get one, you will probably find all kinds of uses for it.

Bruce

Thanks folks. I like the inside air conditioning solution. and by the way, I should have opened up those Ghost peppers and deseeded them which I didn't, and left them in my car at night and they had zero flow. I don't want to lose my 20 cayennes, they are big and 7 inches long. I had a chance to buy a dehydrator at the goodwill for 5 dollars. I wish I bought it. does walmart sell them and what is the cost?

Walmart has several models from $34.00 on up. Just search Food dehydrator on their web page.
Bruce

Darylltx,

If you're planning on making dried flakes (not looking for purdy whole dried peppers), putting a slice in each pod will help the drying process along.

When using my dehydrators, I slice my pods in half to speed drying. If hanging, a slice down one side will suffice.

My mother ended up buying one of those sheet metal garages to put her new riding mower in (I still have the scars on my hands from putting that thing together), it makes the perfect dehydrator. Southern heat(95+ virtually every day in the summer, 100+ during the height of it), big metal box out in the sun with a dark colored roof, I wouldn't be surprised if you could bake a freaking cake in there sometimes.