spicy marinades with ground chili powder

[BeckyDC]

With the Fourth of July approaching, I'm going to make some spicy marinades, mainly with ground chili powder. I'm curious as to whether that ingredient, and ground spices in general, would grow increasingly spicy during the hours of marination?
I think i remember reading somewhere that fresh hot peppers and chilis do grow spicier, so I want to be careful about this as I consider amounts.
I hope this question will help other 4th of July Cook-outers.
Thanks for any insights and best,
Becky from www.textislepatchworkblog.com

[monavano]

What are you marinating?
When i season meat with chili and it's ilk, I do a dry rub:
Chili powder (s)
sweet paprika
smoked paprika
cumin
garlic
oregano
pepper
cayenne
onion

[Jay F]

I do a dry rub, also. I buy a 4 oz. bag of ground ancho chili at penzey's, and add:

.25 oz. garlic powder
2 oz. Kosher salt
1 oz. cayenne
1 oz. cumin

http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzey...

[BeckyDC]

Jay and Monovano, Thanks for sharing these seasoning combinations. Do you find that the spices increase during the marinade time? That's what I'm really concerned about--if I leave my pork, flank steak, or chicken to marinate over night, or for a few hours, I don't want the spiciness to overwhelm the other flavors. I did find this old Washington Post article that has terrific-sounding and freezer-friendly marinades:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/...

[monavano]

I find that dried spices mellow over time. You could also add a bit of brown sugar to balance out the flavors.
All of those marinades look great!

[BeckyDC]

Thanks Monavano!

[Jay F]

Hi, Becky -

Mine isn't a wet marinade. It's a dry rub I apply 30-60 minutes before cooking. No need to do this any longer than that. The only way to make it hotter is to add more cayenne (or some other hot ground pepper).

[BeckyDC]

Thanks for clarifying, Jay!