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chipotles

Printed From: Foods of the World Forum
Category: The US and Canada
Forum Name: American Barbecue, Grilling and Smoke-Cooked Foods
Forum Discription: Cooking with fire is something that is universal across the globe, but in the US it has risen to incredible heights.
URL: http://foodsoftheworld.ActiveBoards.net/forum_posts.asp?TID=102
Printed Date: 26 March 2026 at 19:04


Topic: chipotles
Posted By: TasunkaWitko
Subject: chipotles
Date Posted: 03 February 2010 at 17:32
Chipotles

(This recipe uses a Little or Big Chief smokehouse and came from http://www.smokehouseproducts.com/ - www.smokehouseproducts.com . If you're not using one of these, consult the instructions that came with your smoker. this recipe is written for jalapenos, but should work for any chile pepper.)

The smoky spice of the chipotle makes them my favorite flavor addition to almost any dish. This obsession has lead to a quest for the perfect smoked jalapeno created at home.

The ideal chipotle will start with homegrown jalapenos fresh from the garden. Firm, ripe chiles are the best choice. You may use either red or green jalapenos, but the red jalapenos have a better flavor. If there are holes or soft spots in your jalapenos, save them for fresh uses where you can slice out the affected areas. Cut off the stems before smoking the peppers. You may also slit the peppers in half to remove the seeds, or cut small slits to let out the moisture and let the smoke in. One pound of fresh peppers will end up as one tenth of a pound of chipotles.

In Mexico, pecan wood is most commonly used to smoke chipotles. If you do not have ready access to pecan wood, any wood from a fruit tree will make a good substitute. Try smoking with apple or pear wood. Hickory or oak or a combination of the two may also be used.

After washing the chiles, you can start your smoker. Once the smoker has started smoking , lay the chiles side by side on your grill - do not stack them on top of each other. The goal of smoking peppers is a slow flavor infusion. To keep the chiles from falling through the grill, make a tray of aluminum foil, use a disposable foil pan, or try our http://www.smokehouseproducts.com/prod_lure_select.cfm?Stock=9749&CategoryID=14&ProductNo=9749-010-0000 - Smokehouse Drying Screens . Insert the grill rack into the smoker and close the smoker.

Check the peppers periodically throughout the smoking and rotate their position in the smoker to maintain even smoking. The chipotles are complete when they become ugly, shriveled, hard brown objects that don't look too appetizing. This may take as long as six to eight hours. Be sure to check the chiles every hour when you check the fuel pan.

After removing the chipotles from the smoker, place them on a rack and loosely cover them. Leave at room temperature for a week or two, depending on the humidity, to continue the drying process. I keep my finished chipotles in small cleaned airtight butter containers stored at room temperature. This way you do not need to let air into all of them each time you open the container. The less often you use chipotles, the smaller your storage containers should be. Stored properly, you can keep your chipotles for one to two years.

Chipotles can be crumbled by hand, run through a blender to create a powder, or re-hydrated by soaking in hot water for 30 minutes or so, then blended into a sauce.

If you find that you like the flavor of home-smoked peppers, don't stop with jalapenos. Experiment with other peppers, like Anaheim chiles, too!


Replies:
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 03 February 2010 at 18:14
Excellent tutorial on smoking Jalapenos, and we all know how good chipotles are! Thanks for sharing this, I look forward to trying my hand making then this summer.

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Posted By: Hoser
Date Posted: 03 March 2010 at 04:54
What temperature are you smoking them at Ron?

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Go ahead...play with your food!

Posted By: TasunkaWitko
Date Posted: 03 March 2010 at 09:38

dave -that's a good question - i've never made these, but am assuming it is very low and very slow.

the little chief doesn't have any temperature indicators - the instructions say that it is "factory tuned" to give the right heat and airflow and i ahve never had any reason to doubt them. my guess is that a person is looking for the same temps that they would use for smoking jerky, or perhaps even cheese. you do not want to cook them, as you know.
 
i would guess anywhere from 85 degrees to as high as 140 would be fine.

Posted By: Hoser
Date Posted: 15 May 2010 at 05:25
I'm assuming my super-duper little cold smoker would be just the ticket then.
Time to get some jalapeños and give it a try.

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Go ahead...play with your food!


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