Carolina Reaper Chili
This isn't a dare-you-to-eat-it novelty chili. It's a properly layered recipe where Reaper heat is a background presence, not the entire point. One dried Reaper in a pot this size produces serious but survivable heat — about 50,000 SHU in the final bowl.
Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
3 hours
Servings
8
Max SHU
2.2M
Heat Level
2,200,000 SHU — Superhot range
Ingredients
- 1 dried Carolina Reaper pepper (or ½ for less intensity)
- 2 lbs ground beef (80/20)
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cans (14 oz) crushed tomatoes
- 1 can (14 oz) kidney beans, drained
- 2 tablespoons chili powder (ancho-based)
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Sour cream for serving
Instructions
- 1
Rehydrate the dried Reaper in hot water for 15 minutes. Remove stem and seeds. Mince finely. Wear gloves.
- 2
Brown beef in a heavy pot over high heat. Drain excess fat, leaving 2 tablespoons.
- 3
Add onion, cook 5 minutes until translucent. Add garlic, cook 1 minute.
- 4
Add chili powder, cumin, and paprika. Toast spices 30 seconds.
- 5
Add minced Reaper, tomatoes, beans, and 1 cup water. Stir well.
- 6
Bring to a simmer, then reduce to low. Cook uncovered 2.5–3 hours, stirring every 20 minutes.
- 7
Season with salt and pepper. Serve with a generous dollop of sour cream (the casein helps).
Dilution is key: one Reaper (~2.2M SHU) in 8 servings of chili produces roughly 50,000 SHU per bowl — about habanero level. The long simmer doesn't reduce SHU — capsaicinoids are thermally stable up to 200°C. What changes is distribution: heat becomes even throughout the pot instead of concentrated in pepper fragments.