Hot, hotter, hottest: Which peppers pack the most burn?

Virtually unknown a decade ago, superhots are pushing peppers to new heights of heat. The Carolina Reaper, hybridized by South Carolina pepper breeder Smokin’ Ed Currie, currently holds the Guinness World Record as the world’s hottest pepper at 2.2 million on the Scoville Heat Unit (SHU) index.

Here’s a run down of popular peppers by heat index ratings in comparison to superhots, which all rate above 1 million SHU:

▪ Carolina Reaper 2.2 million

▪ Trinidad Scorpion Butch T 1.4 million

▪ Bhut jolokia (ghost) 1 million

▪ Scotch bonnet 250,000

▪ Habanero 250,000

▪ Cayenne 40,000

▪ Tabasco 30,000

▪ Serrano 10,000

▪ Red jalapeño (sriracha) 6,000

▪ Jalapeño 5,000

▪ Hatch 1,000

▪ Anaheim 1,000

▪ Poblano 1,000

▪ Pepperoncini 100

▪ Shishito 100

▪ Sweet Bell 0

Now, get some tips on how to best prepare peppers. And try some of these recipes.

Note: Pepper ratings may vary. Source: Chili Pepper Madness

This story was originally published September 20, 2016 at 10:23 AM with the headline "Hot, hotter, hottest: Which peppers pack the most burn?."