If you’re looking for a hot pepper, you won’t find anything more extreme than the Carolina Reaper. This chili was first awarded the prestigious title of “World’s Hottest Pepper” in 2013. To this day, it still holds the Guinness world record for Hottest Pepper.
What is the Carolina Reaper?
The Carolina Reaper has an updated average Scoville Heat Unit (SHU) rating of 1,641,000, with some individual peppers measuring an impressive 2,200,000 SHU. Previously, the pepper was only rated 1,569,300 SHU, but thanks to some 2017 tests at Winthrop University, the pepper is known to be hotter than ever.
Scoville Heat Units are the widely-accepted unit of heat measurement for chili peppers. The scale, invented by Wilbur Scoville, has been around for over a hundred years. Each unit represents one dilution. If you extract pure chili oil from the Carolina Reaper, it would take an average of 1,641,000 dilutions of sugar water until you could no longer detect any heat.
Carolina Reaper Characteristics
How to Use a Carolina Reaper
The Carolina Reaper has a sweet, fruity taste. When you first bite into one of these peppers (if you’re brave enough to do so), you’ll taste these flavors before the spiciness. Some people detect hints of cinnamon and even chocolate. When the fruity flavor passes, you’ll start to feel the intense burn that only the Carolina Reaper can deliver.
How does one use such a super-hot pepper? Hot sauce is a favorite way to consume the Carolina Reaper. If you really like your heat, you can cook with the whole pepper. Carolina Reapers also make great pepper flakes and are the perfect ingredient for dry rubs on BBQ meats. But remember to always be cautious when you’re cooking with hot peppers; wear gloves while handling and cutting Carolina Reapers to avoid getting burned by the chili oil.
Carolina Reaper Origins
The Carolina Reaper is a cross between a red Ghost Pepper and the Red Habanero, two peppers that are both hot in their own right, despite the fact that neither one makes the World’s Hottest Peppers List currently. This pepper was artificially created, although it is not genetically modified. True to its name, the Carolina Reaper was produced in South Carolina, but it was first called the HP22B. Ed Currie is the man behind the first Carolina Reaper.
Health Benefits of the Carolina Reaper
The Carolina Reaper’s 2013 emergence was ten years in the making. Currie’s desire to breed such a super-hot pepper stemmed from his interest in extending human longevity. After witnessing many family members battle cancer, Currie hoped that his chili pepper invention could help fight the disease. The capsaicin from chili peppers, which is the compound responsible for the heat, has some cancer-fighting abilities. You can find this substance in any hot pepper, but it’s especially concentrated in the Carolina Reaper.
The Carolina Reaper has other health benefits. For example, eating the hot pepper spurs on the production of endorphins, which are a natural way to fight off pain and stress. Endorphins can also help you lose weight and regulate your mood.
Other reasons to eat Carolina Reapers include their ability to fight off symptoms of the common cold, flu virus, and even your allergies. Hot chilies can improve your heart and digestive health. They will also boost your metabolism.
Dispelling Myths About the World’s Hottest Pepper
Some people are concerned that because the Carolina Reaper is so hot, it could actually kill them. This is false. Although eating a Carolina Reaper causes your pain receptors to react as if you are experiencing pain, it’s only an illusion. The Reaper won’t do any damage unless you have an allergy or an ulcer. You should not have a problem eating the Carolina Reaper unless you know that spicy foods and hot peppers negatively affect your health.
If you don’t normally eat spicy foods, it’s probably not a great idea to go straight for a Carolina Reaper. Instead, ease yourself into eating the Carolina Reaper by trying more mild peppers like the jalapeno first. But if you’re experimenting and discover you can’t take the heat, a glass of milk should help you recover.
Carolina Reaper Appearance
The original Carolina Reaper was red, and this remains the most common color today. However, chocolate, yellow, and peach Carolina Reapers also exist. Even red peppers will start out as green and turn orange before becoming a deep red. Through each three of these phases, the pepper’s flavor and heat will increase. So, if you pick your pepper while it’s still orange (and eat it before it turns red), it won’t carry the same pungent heat as a red pepper.
Carolina Reapers are squattier and more textured than their ancestors the Red Habanero and Ghost Pepper. If you rub your finger along the pepper’s skin, you’ll feel many small bumps and grooves. Every Carolina Reaper has a long, thin branch at the bottom of the pod, which is known as “the scorpion’s tail” due to its resemblance to a stinger. These peppers typically have a diameter of three-fourths-inch to one-and-a-half inches.
Growing Instructions
If you want to grow Carolina Reapers, you should ensure the plants have full sun. Plant your seeds twelve to sixteen inches (thirty to forty centimeters) deep to protect the roots from getting burned. You should plant your Carolina Reaper in temperatures of at least sixty-four to sixty-eight degrees Fahrenheit (or eighteen to twenty degrees Celsius), although temperatures in the mid-eighties are preferable for optimal results. These plants thrive the most when they’re directly planted into soil outdoors. However, if you want to you grow your Carolina Reapers in a container, choose one that’s at least three gallons big. Five to ten gallons is preferable for the maximum amount of peppers.
Be careful not to overwater the plants. You should only water them when the soil has completely dried down, but don’t wait until the leaves droop. A mist gun is a great way to control the amount you water the plants, but if you have a large garden, that probably won’t be very convenient. If you’re growing the plant in a container, make sure you have a good amount of drainage.
For best results, you should use fertilizer. Look for fertilizer for growing vegetables or specifically tomatoes to yield healthy Carolina Reapers. Avoid using a fertilizer that has nitrogen. You may also need to spray your plants with some calcium if the fertilizer does not contain any.
At Sonoran Spice, we grow the peppers hydroponically. We start with Rockwool cubes and Hydroton using an Ebb and Flow type system. We then transfer them to soil once they are larger and the temperature is right. This is a great way to get a head start on the growing season especially if you live in a climate with a long winter.
Picking Instructions
After the seeds have germinated, you’ll have to usually wait three months for the fruit to be perfectly ripe for picking. Carolina Reaper plants grow as high as five feet tall. The bases of the plants are usually three to five feet wide. If you pick the peppers before they are fully ripe, they will continue to ripen. Just place them on a tissue in your kitchen. It’s crucial for you to always wear gloves when picking the peppers.
The plant will keep growing more peppers during the season as long as you keep picking. If you protect the plants by bringing them indoors for winter, you can keep your plant serving you well for several years. The current longest-lasting Carolina Reaper plant is ten-years-old.
New peppers are being discovered all the time and, thus, the World’s Hottest Pepper is constantly changing. But after several consistent years of superior hotness, it’s unlikely there will be a hotter pepper anytime soon. If you want the all-time hottest pepper, the Carolina Reaper is a safe bet.K
Carolina Reaper Popularity Over Time
Related Recipes
Make a delicious homemade spicy ranch dip using any of our pepper or flake products then pair it with our Carolina Reaper Baked Chicken Wing Recipe. You’ll have the perfect appetizer for all your chilihead friends. A perfect pair for your next Superbowl party.
Related Guides
Did you enjoy this guide? Be sure to check out our other Pepper Wiki guides to learn all peppers, where they come from and how to grown them. Also be sure to leave us a comment below and share this article with friends!
Sonoran Spice Carolina Reaper Products
At Sonoran Spice we carry a wide range of Carolina Reaper Products. We carry Carolina Reaper powder, flakes, whole peppers, candies, spice filed keychains, popcorn, beef jerky, peanut brittle and more.References
What Exactly Are Scoville Heat Units?
pepperscale.com/scoville-heat-units/(opens in a new tab)
Sonoran Spice Carolina Reaper Hot Sauce
https://www.sonoranspice.com/collections/hot-sauce
Sonoran Spice Carolina Reaper Peppers
https://www.sonoranspice.com/products/carolina-reaper-peppers
Sonoran Spice Carolina Reaper Flakes
https://www.sonoranspice.com/products/carolina-reaper-flakes
Confirmed: Smokin Ed’s Carolina Reaper sets
http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2013/11/confirmed-smokin-eds-carolina-reaper-sets-new-record-for-hottest-chilli-53033
10 Amazing Health Benefits to Eating Hot Peppers [Scientifically Proven]
https://pepperhead.com/health-benefits-eating-peppers/
How to grow the Carolina Reaper Plant
http://www.peppersbymail.com/reference/grow-carolina-reaper-plant/
[…] Complete Guide The Habanero: Breaking Down the Popular Pepper The Complete Guide to Ghost Peppers The Carolina Reaper: The Ultimate Guide Vegan Spicy Couscous Salad Jar Spicy Venison Veggie Soup Chipotle Pork Tacos with Pickled Jalapenos […]