Smoked Cherry Chili Peppers Oil Recipe

Set your smoker or oven to 225–250°F / 105–120°C with a light aromatic wood like oak or sugar maple (or skip the smoke). Place the halved peppers seed side down on a mesh rack along with the halved garlic clove.

Smoke for 1–2 hours, until the peppers slightly shrink or start to wrinkle. Pellet grills usually take longer.

Slice the smoked garlic into as many thin slices as you can.

Dehydrate the peppers in a dehydrator or your oven's dehydrate setting at 125°F / 52°C for 2–4 hours, until about 75% dried. Don't dry them completely.

Fill an 8 oz glass jar halfway with olive oil, add 1 tsp Cluck & Squeal Seasoned Salt, seal tightly and shake well to help the salt dissolve.

Place a couple of garlic slices in the bottom of the jar, then fill it with the peppers, layering in the remaining garlic as you go. Don't overcrowd the jar.

Important: top up with oil so the peppers are covered by about ¼ inch. An elastic around the jar makes it easy to mark the oil level.

Seal the jar and keep it in the fridge at all times. Turn it upside down now and then so the oil and seasoning spread through the jar. Use within one week.

Food safety: homemade garlic and peppers in oil can develop botulism if stored at room temperature or kept too long, and it won't look, smell or taste any different.