Chipotles

A few months ago I asked if anyone on the BBQforum had ever made chipotles. I got some interesting opinions on how to USE them, but nothing much on how to MAKE them. I read a few articles and figured, "What the heck, lemme give it a whirl...".

Background:

My Jalapeno plants, see all the green ones.....they were bright red by the time I harvested them.

Chipotles are traditionally a Red Jalapeno pepper which has been smoked for about 2 days over mesquite and/or pecan wood. They are then either stored dry, ground up to make chipotle powder, or bathed in an Adobo (seasoned tomato) sauce and canned. They generally have quite a kick to them and add a nice hot, smoky flavor to sauces and dishes. I've tried a couple, straight after drying them, and they were delicious....well at least for that first 2 seconds until the heat kicked in, then all I knew was PAIN!!! They can also be quite expensive when buying them whole and dried (many places will sell "chipotle-style" peppers and make some cool versions with habanero, serrano, hungarian wax, and other types of peppers).

Since I just happened to have 7 Jalapeno plants fruiting about now, and since I've let them mature to RED, I decided to try my hand at Chipotle Making.

The Philosophy

Basically, the idea is to dry out the peppers over warm smoke (about 150° for a period of days). Jalapeno peppers have a thick skin, so they don't air-dry very well (they mold). The heat of the burning coals speeds up the drying time and adds a pleasant smokiness to the pepper. Since I live in the suburbs of Southern California, have a family, and hold a day-job, it's not really practical for me to dig a pit and mind a stack of smoking wood and peppers for 48 hours straight. BUT, I do have a marvelous bullet-smoker called the Weber Smoky Mountain (WSM) that is a dream to cook with (as you'll see). One "could" make chipotles with any other smoker-type rig, but the extended smoking times and low temperatures will tire out the cook long before the peppers are done.

The Harvest

The basket in the back is from my last harvest (about 3 weeks ago), whose peppers are air-drying. The bowl in front is from this harvest. Although you could use any or all of them for chipotle-making, I'd stick with the Jalapenos (red ones along the rim) and maybe the Habeneros/Scotch Bonnets (red and orange ones in the middle)

Next Page, Preparation and Procedures....

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