Throughly wash and dry your peppers before smoking them. Do not use your peppers if they are mushy or have turned bad. You want to use nice fresh peppers for making smoked paprika.
Put on a pair of gloves, then cut your peppers and remove the stems, seeds, and any ribs from inside. Slice your peppers into thin rings, or small pieces. You can leave them whole or in halves if desired, but they will take longer to dry out.
Your smoker to 220°F. Then, add your pepper slices to an aluminum foil dish, and place them on the smoker. Smoke for at least three hours, turning occasionally until you see the peppers dry out.
Once your peppers are smoked, they have likely begun to dry but are not completely dried out and are good for storage. The fully dry out your peppers, you can allow them to dry in the sun which may take several hours, or you can dry them out in your oven.
To use your oven to dry out the peppers, placed them on a baking dish, or leave them on the tray you were smoking them on, and allow them to warm in your oven at the lowest possible temperature, this is usually around 175°F, until they are dried.
When you’re smoked dried peppers are completely dried out, store them in an airtight container until you are ready to use them. Dried peppers will keep for several weeks when they are stored in a cool dry location away from the sunlight.
When you are ready for use, remove the dried peppers from your air-tight container and grind them into a powdered form. Use as desired for any smoked paprika.