My husband Scott yesterday smoked Jalapeños. He loves tackling something he never has done before. Chipotles are just smoked Jalapeño peppers. The secret is to dry out the chilies in a smoke environment without cooking them first. Keep the temperature low for the best results of Chipotle peppers. You can then use them as flavoring for everything from soups to salsa.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 24 hours
Makes about 5 ounces of Chipotle
Ingredients: 1 pound ripe jalapeños
Preparation:
First of all you need a good clean smoker. Grease, oils or food particles from past smokes will leave a harsh and undesirable flavor on the chilies. Some people who make a lot of chipotles have a smoker for just this. Once you have the smoker good and clean, start the fire. You will need to do a long smoke. Depending on the moisture in the chilies you might be looking at more than 24 hours so plan on adding coals to the fire periodically.
Wash and dry the jalapeños. Remove the stems and make sure the jalapeños are in good condition.
Place the jalapeños in a single layer on the rack and close the lid.
Chipotles are best smoked with a fruity wood, but oak or hickory work well also.
You will have good chipotles when the jalapeños have dried, become light in weight and a rich brown color.
During the smoking process move the jalapeños around periodically and keep a close eye on the fire. Ideally you should keep a cool, smoky fire that doesn’t cook the chilies before they dry. Try for a consistent temperature of about 180 degrees. There really is a art to this so don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t work out the first time.
Enjoy his Chipotle Dry Rub recipe that can be frozen…
Chipotle Dry Rub
Yield: Makes about 1 cup
2 dried chipotle peppers (use 3 to heat it up a little)
3 tablespoons black pepper
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried cilantro leaves
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground dry orange peel
Combine all ingredients in a spice mill or blender and grind until even and fine. Store in an airtight jar. Will store for about 6 months in the freezer. Great for brisket, steak, and pork.
Northerly Nosh 