Diy Chipotle Peppers Food

HOW TO MAKE DRIED CHIPOTLE CHILES

Steps:

• Set smoker temperature to 200°F.
• For the wood chips or pellets, pecan is the traditional Mexican wood, but I also like to use a mild, fruity wood like apple or cherry. Hickory or oak work well too if you don't have the others. We will be smoking for 3 hours, so plan accordingly.
• Wash and dry the jalapeños. Make a slit with a paring knife from stem to tip along the side of each chile pepper. Place in a single layer on a wire rack (or racks) that will fit the inside of your smoker.
• Smoke the jalapeños for 3 hours. Remove from smoker (and if not storing in adobo sauce) you will need to dry these completely, see below step.
• Using a dehydrator works best, but 6-10 hours in an oven set at it's lowest temperature, or 200°F, will do (See Note 1). Store in an airtight container or grind for chipotle powder.

DIY CHIPOTLE PEPPERS

Steps:

• Soak wood chips for at least 2 hours. We used applewood chips.
• Light a chimney of charcoal. Lay the peppers out on the foil lined grill grate. Set up the smoker box with hot coals and a handful of the soaked chips. Replace the charcoal with new hot coals as needed and add new wood chips as the old ones burn away. Smoke the peppers for 3-4 hours, keeping the temperature between 180-200°F.
• Set up a hot side and a cool side by turning on half the gas elements to low or piling the hot coals off to one side of the grill.
• Arrange the peppers on the cool side of the grill. Place a handful of soaked wood chips on the charcoal. Replace charcoal with hot coals as needed.
• For a gas grill wrap the soaked chips in smoker box or a foil packet with slits cut in the top. Place the chips on the grill element to create smoke.
• Remove the smoked peppers from the grill and arrange them on a cooling rack. Place the cooling rack in the oven on the lowest setting possible. Turn on the convection fan if you have one.
• Dry the peppers in the oven for 12-24 hours until they are completely dry but still slightly pliable.
• If you have a food dehydrator you can use that, but it will smell of smoke when you're done.

CHIPOTLE SALSA (FOR CANNING)

Steps:

• Blanch the tomatoes, remove the skin, and then chop. Measure 8 cups.
• Mix all ingredients except the cilantro in a large pot and simmer until desired thickness is reached, approximately 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Ad the cilantro just before you are ready to pour into jars.
• Fill into hot, sterilized pint jars and top with hot, sterilized canning lids. I do not process in a canner and have never had a problem, but you may process in a hot-water-bath canner at this point for 20 minutes if you are concerned about food safety.
• If you buy a half-bushel of tomatoes and adjust the rest of the ingredients accordingly you get about 6 batches and 36 pints.