My husband loves everything spicy, so it was no surprise when he started growing his own ghost peppers. I, on the other hand, can’t even handle jalapenos, so if you’re one of those people, maybe this isn’t the post for you!

However, for those of you who love a bit of heat in your meals, or maybe more than “a bit”, then this is a fantastic way to preserve your ghost pepper harvest and get the heat and flavor you’re looking for.

Because who actually just eats ghost peppers?

Not me, and not my husband!

So, when I asked him “How are you going to USE those? You can’t just eat them as is”, he actually had no idea.

Hence this super simple ghost pepper sea salt recipe.

How to Make Ghost Pepper Chili Salt

The ghost pepper is the 7th hottest pepper in the world with a Scoville rating of 1,041,427 SHU. Just to give you some comparison, the hottest pepper, the Carolina Reaper is about 2,200,000 SHUs. Jalapenos are a mere 2,500-5,000 scoville units…that’s an insane difference!

Back in 2007, ghost peppers were the first chili pepper to rate over 1 million SHUs and even though it is no longer the hottest pepper in the world, it’s still a force to be reckoned with.

I know plenty of grown men who have tried the tiniest of slivers only to be sweating, red-faced, and hiccupping a scant few minutes later.

They swear that the flavor is delicious, but I just can’t bring myself to inflict such self-agony.

So, here we are with a recipe that allows even the most unenthusiastic hot chili connoisseur to enjoy the flavors, and yes, the heat of ghost peppers.

Ghost Pepper Infused Sea Salt

For this recipe, you will need:

• Fresh ghost peppers (about ½-1 ½ cups of whole peppers depending on how spicy you want your salt – we used ½ a cup of whole ghost peppers)
• Coarse sea salt (we used about 2 cups)
• A designated jar for storage (We used a flip-top jar)
• Rubber gloves
• Goggles – you don’t want chili vapors burning your eyes!
• Carrier oil for cleaning your knife and cutting board afterward

Ghost peppers are extremely spicy (think 107 times hotter than a jalapeno), so you definitely MUST use gloves when handling them and especially when chopping them.

You will want to use about a ½ cup to 1 ½ cups of whole chilies per 1 ½ cups of course sea salt but you can use more salt or chilies as desired.

Loving Preparation – Ghost Pepper Chili Salt Recipe

1. Put on your gloves and goggles, then make sure your chilies are clean and dry.

2. Remove the stems from the peppers. The seeds are fine to keep but you can discard them if you want less heat in your salt.

3. My husband and I decided to use the back side of our cutting board in order to prevent the transfer of spice to other foods, so keep that in mind before chopping. You can pulse the chilies in a food processor as well but we didn’t feel like deep cleaning it for this project. If you didn’t notice, the oils from chilies can be hard to get off of cutting boards and other food equipment so just use whichever method you prefer.

4. Use a sharp knife to chop the ghost peppers into fine pieces.

5. Add some of your salt to the jar, then add the chopped ghost peppers. Layer the rest of the salt on top, cap closed, and shake well to mix.

6. Use carrier oil like olive oil to scrub the cutting board, food processor, knife, and any other surface that touched the ghost peppers. Rise well, then use dish soap to finish the job. You may have to repeat this a few times to completely remove the spice.

7. Shake the chili salt on occasion for the next few days to distribute the flavor and juices from the peppers into the salt.

8. Give the salt a good week to infuse before using.

This salt should last indefinitely.

You can also add other ingredients like cracked peppercorns, dried roasted garlic, herbs, and other seasonings to make your salt even tastier.

To Use

Start with small amounts until you find the heat profile you’re looking for.

Add to soups, stews, grilled meats and veggies, and any other recipe that calls for spice.

Have you ever tried ghost peppers before? What about making ghost pepper chili salt? I’d love to hear about any recipes you have made! Please share in the comments below!

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