If you want recognizable pieces of pepper (not likely if they are super hots) then re-hydrate.

If it's just for flavor/heat then grind away.

Both. Rehydrate some to get the chili going, then use dry to fine tune the flavor as you go. Maybe even sprinkle a few flakes on top just before presenting (provided their not superhots).

They are super-hots. Trinidad Douglah, Trinidad Moruga Scorpion, and Ghost chiles. So I'll probably grind them. Thanks for the thoughts.

ONLY superhots in CHILI???

When I make chili, I use an array of roasted, peeled, and chopped FRESH like Anaheims, Poblanos, Red Bells, and Japs(or Serranos). Then, when it comes to the dried, I toast, then rehydrate an array of Anchos, Guajillos, Pasillas, Chiles de Arboles. To rehydrate, I boil some water... then I remove stems, remove seeds from Gualjillos and Anchos, toast all of them in a cast iron skillet, put all in a large bowl, pour boiling water over them and let them rehydrate for a half hour or so. Then I blitz into a slurry in the blender with the rehydrating water. For the superhots, I just add some already ground Bhut and Naga powders.

Good luck with the cook-off!

Kevin

For my last "test-batch" I roasted Anaheims, Pablanos, and Serranos and put those in there. I also have home-made chili powder where I use dried Guaillo and Pasilla chiles. For the competition, I want to add my dried super-hots to that. I want it to be scorching hot, but have good flavour.

I used to do local cook offs.

With the time allowed to cook etc.
I'd go with powder.
Re Hydrated Chilis might not blend as fast as powder will.
If you want the smokey taste,roast the chiles first then grind them.

The cook offs we did had you were cooking "PEOPLES CHOICE" and what you entered in the competition.

Peoples choice was cooked to please the masses of sometimes beer infused tasters who got free samples from all of us.

They bought tickets from the sponcors and we got a ticket from whoever thaught ours was the best peoples choice chili...

At the end,whoever had the most tickets won the peoples choice award.
LOTS of the cookers gave their friends $ to buy tickets so they would win...He who spent the most $ could have made Dog food Chili and won. LOL

The cookoff Chili was competition rules.
No beans,cooked in X amount of time.

We actually made it 1 year to the finals in Mexico.

We didn't even come close to placing in the finals.
We went there to party,not cook chili,more or less.
We did cook chili but knew we couldn't be the gazillion pros there,didn't expect to,didn't care.
Getting there already surpassed any expectations in the first place.

Actually we were suprised a lot of the times we won on the way up.
We were in it for the fun weekends.
Chile cook offs are a great time.
Great times,live music,lots of people having a great time etc.

I miss the local chile cookoffs ,grilling and smoker cookoffs.
Great times.

Hope you do well.
I know you'll have a great time.