1st Time - Jalapenos to Chipotles (Updated - Done)

[Chasing_smoke]

Nice work Terry!


 "my kettle is more powerful it will do almost anything."

[landgraftj]

Mike they sell them in grocery stores around here in the summer. But I've grown jalapeños the last 2 years and usually get some nice ripe red ones if the weather cooperates.

[pbe gummi bear]

I never had a hab believe it or not. Sorta in a salsa. Too spicy for the family so I usually don't cook with them. But I really want to see yours Eggs!

I used to carry around of Habanero sauce with me in school and put it on my lunch everyday. the problem with Habs is that they are super spicy and it's very easy to overdo the flavor with them. They are very smoky and earthy which easily overpowers a sauce or dish. I think there are better alternatives to getting that smoky flavor without the heat- such as with a chipotle flavor. My favorite hab sauce that is readily available is the El Yucateco kind.

[Heyjude]

Is there a trick to getting red Jalapenos? We get some really nice green ones..
My son cooked up a few poppers on Sunday. I barely ate 2, they were so hot.
I love Chipotle, but haven't figured that one out.  After smoking them and finishing in the oven, is all the mositure out?
How are you storing the powder?
Awesome job! AJ
 

[edhead35]

To get red jalapeños, let them stay on the vine longer I would stay

[landgraftj]

Yes guys letting them stay on the vine longer allows them to ripen to red. It can take a longer time, anywhere from 2 weeks to 1 month in my experience. AJ I think all the moisture is out, that's why you finish them in a dehydrator or the oven. You can store them in the freezer or a darker area of the room or closet in a sealed bag or jar at room temp. If you don't grind them it's more important to make sure the moisture is out otherwise they will grow mold.

[Tim in PA]

Add me to the list that didn't know that chipotle is smoked jalapenos. Lol

[1buckie]

Add me to the list that didn't know that chipotle is smoked jalapenos. Lol

chipotle is red ones, done like this post...............green is called something else....dried jalepenos maybe.....?

Good Show, Terry !!!!

[mike.stavlund]

Thanks for the tips, Terry!  It was fun to give this a try.

I asked about red jalepenos at the Supermercado near my home, and the guy looked at me like I was crazy.  After scratching his head, he did take me to the shelf of the produce section where the jalepenos were shrink-wrapped, and pointed to one package where two of the dozen peppers inside were turning red.  So I bought the package, brought it home, and set it in a sunny spot in the kitchen in the hopes that more would ripen.  Sure enough, by yesterday there were about 7 peppers that were pretty red.  I cut off the stem end, split them down the middle, and removed the seeds and most of the internal ribs (just trying to remove some of the spiciest parts). 

I fired up a handful of lump, put it in the JJ, added some apple wood chunks, and left it to smoke.  I was outside working on a project, so I kept an eye on the smoke as I worked.  Every 90 minutes or so I'd add some more lump and smoke wood.  Didn't monitor the temp too closely-- I'd guess it was in the 200s for most of the time.  Smoked the peppers for maybe 6 hours total, then just let the fire die down. 

This morning, I ground up half a pepper to mix into my scrambled eggs, and wow is it ever good.  Not very spicy, but with a rich smoky flavor and an almost sweet pepper taste.  I think I'll stash these away in the freezer and pull them out as my secret weapon for the Christmas chili contest we do every year. 

Thanks again!

[landgraftj]

That's awesome Mike! Glad to play guinea pig for you guys. Hope someone else tries them as well.

[mike.stavlund]

Just bumping this up to thank Terry once again for leading the way on this topic.  My guy at the farmer's market knows I've been looking for ripe (red) jalepenos, and he came through for me today in a big way.  I got maybe twenty peppers so I need to figure out when and how I can do this.  I read and re-read the initial post, and noted that you used a water pan, but that you left it *empty*.  Which makes sense since you are trying to remove moisture from the peppers, so I will definitely use an empty pan or maybe a pan with some terra cotta in it. 

I also found some red poblano peppers, which I guess will be considered 'ancho' when I'm done smoking them. 

[Troy]

Thank you for spelling and pronouncing chipotle correctly

[OoPEZoO]

Mike, you might want to check this out as well.  Found a great low stress way to smoke at low temps.

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/food-pr0n/smoking-this-years-pepper-crop/msg76477/#msg76477

That was from smoking my pepper crop last year......it turned into my secret ingredient in the beans you had at Marty's.
This year I'm growing Jalapenos, Giant Jalapenos, Pablanos, and more Scotch Bonnets.  I make a hot jelly out of the Scotch Bonnets that is simply to die for.

On another note, I have always had a hell of a time getting my jalapenos to turn red.  I leave them on the plant as long as possible and still only ever get a hand full of them to turn.  I guess maybe I live too far North to get a long enough growing season for that to happen.

[landgraftj]

Red poblanos will be anchos when smoked Mike. Excited to see the end results. No red jalapeños for me so far. Maybe this next batch that's just starting to grow will. Cool summer compared to last year so maybe that is why.

[mike.stavlund]

Keith, thanks for the extra encouragement and expertise.  GREAT (grate!) tip on flipping a JJ grate for extra capacity. 

One (dumb) question I have is about halving the peppers...  I've usually tried to leave them whole, but noticed that Keith and Terry slice them in half.  Is that to expedite the drying process, or to enhance smoke retention, or both?  I was thinking about stringing up my peppers and hanging them from my fancy new hanging rack in the 18.5 WSM, but will I have a hard time getting them dry enough that way?