Chipotle's My Way

There was no sarcasm intended at all. They are what they are. You can choose to call them whatever you want. I'm not going to call them chipotles. They are smoked jalapenos. And there's nothing wrong with smoked jalapenos, I actually used smoked jalapeno powder all the time.

The flavor profile between a green jalapeno and a red ripe jalapeno is different and when smoked gives an entirely different flavor.

I'm not stirring the pot at all. One of the great things about this forum is the free exchange of ideas, techniques and other information. We have to be able to say something isn't quite right or we end up just telling each other how great we are and that doesn't lead to learning.

There are others who would have jumped all over you for calling something chipotle when it wasn't. I thought my approach was gentle, yet effective.

Be that as it may, what you posted and your technique is very informative and I'm sure the powder you make will be awesome.

And as a PS. When you grind that stuff, do it outside and wear a respirator.
 
Question - I can not find red jalapenos anywhere near me. Sometimes a green one that is partially orange bordering on red - but is it the same species that has ripened or is it a sub-species? I do understand the flavor difference between the two but if they both come from the same plant, does the red come from vine ripening only?
 
KnucklHed BBQ said:
If Larry didn't have his sarcasm, we'd think he was ill! :wink:

I wish my growing season was longer than 3 months around here, I'd try growing some peps myself. He have a saying around here, We have 9 months of winter and 3 months of relatives coming to visit...

I'm kinda wondering now, do peppers ripen up via the same ethylene gas that ripe fruit puts off? Could I buy $0.99/lb green japs and use ripe tomatoes or apples to get them red?? Could I call them the "C" word then Larry? :becky:
Click to expand...

What you can try is this. If you have any japs leftover, leave a couple of them out on the counter or near a window (sunny area) for a few days. THey should start to turn red. They will soften and wilt a bit, but they will turn red to orange. The key is not letting them go too far, as they will spoil from the inside out. You could also string them up and hang them outside and that will speed up the process.
Obviously the best way is to let them redden on the plant, but that can't always be done.
Most of the mom and pop places here simply sort out the ones that are turning red and then sell them for more simply cause of the color.
I need to make another batch of the jap flakes I smoked up some months back. That stuff perks up all kinds of stuff from salsas to plain ol mashed taters. You can also leave some of em whole and dried for later use in things like soups and stews.
Man, that grate full of japs looks nice!!

Bob
 
BBQ Grail said:
I'm not stirring the pot at all. One of the great things about this forum is the free exchange of ideas, techniques and other information. We have to be able to say something isn't quite right or we end up just telling each other how great we are and that doesn't lead to learning.
Click to expand...

I completely agree! :thumb:

Do you have a place that you're abe to buy smoked jalapeno powder from, or do you make it?

BBQ Grail said:
And as a PS. When you grind that stuff, do it outside and wear a respirator.
Click to expand...

Are you kidding me?? I usually have the kids go in the closet and grind em', that way I don't have to breath it!
Like I would do that horrible job myself! :becky: Now there's some sarcasm for ya'! :heh:

deguerre said:
Question - I can not find red jalapenos anywhere near me. Sometimes a green one that is partially orange bordering on red - but is it the same species that has ripened or is it a sub-species? I do understand the flavor difference between the two but if they both come from the same plant, does the red come from vine ripening only?
Click to expand...

Yeah, now that I think about it, what I was thinking of when I saw red jalapenos that cost $3-$4'lb, I don't think they were japs at all now, different shape... they had a pointed curved end on them, not the more blunt round end that japs usually have. I think it might have just said "Red Chili Peppers" too. So difficult to find "different" stuff around here sometimes...

BobBrisket said:
What you can try is this. If you have any japs leftover, leave a couple of them out on the counter or near a window (sunny area) for a few days. THey should start to turn red. They will soften and wilt a bit, but they will turn red to orange. The key is not letting them go too far, as they will spoil from the inside out. You could also string them up and hang them outside and that will speed up the process.
Obviously the best way is to let them redden on the plant, but that can't always be done.
Most of the mom and pop places here simply sort out the ones that are turning red and then sell them for more simply cause of the color.
I need to make another batch of the jap flakes I smoked up some months back. That stuff perks up all kinds of stuff from salsas to plain ol mashed taters. You can also leave some of em whole and dried for later use in things like soups and stews.
Man, that grate full of japs looks nice!!

Bob
Click to expand...

I'll try ripening a few up that way, I was also thinking that I'd expirement and put a few in a paper bag for a day with a ripe apple and another with a ripe tomato. Both of which produce a decent amount of ethylene gas which is what causes them to ripen. We'll see if a pepper ripens that way too!

It would be nice if they did, I'd like to try smoking red japs too and compare the difference in flavors.

Thanks for the info fellas!
 
I'd be interested to see how that works out. The flavor profile is quite different. Much the same way a very green banana tastes vs. one that's nice and ripe. But, that addition of smoke flavor........that's the ticket.

Bob
 
SmokeJumper said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2oEmPP5dTM
:-D:-D:-D
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lol, sorry, I meant to say that I will try ripening some peppers in a bag with a Toe-mah-Toe, not tomatoe... (my english MOL would be giving me looks right now).

And I think Bob was trying to say that he likes his smoked jalapenos in smashed poe-ta'-toes.

This whole online interaction thing was soooo much easier when I could just assume that everyone was just as big of an A-Hole as I was... :rolleyes: :laugh:
 
KnucklHed BBQ said:
lol, sorry, I meant to say that I will try ripening some peppers in a bag with a Toe-mah-Toe, not tomatoe... (my english MOL would be giving me looks right now).

And I think Bob was trying to say that he likes his smoked jalapenos in smashed poe-ta'-toes.

This whole online interaction thing was soooo much easier when I could just assume that everyone was just as big of an A-Hole as I was... :rolleyes: :laugh:
Click to expand...
It's the "almost" Canadian in you. Take some asperin.:becky:

I see a needle and long string of thread in my immediate future.:clap2:
 
deguerre said:
It's the "almost" Canadian in you. Take some asperin.:becky:

I see a needle and long string of thread in my immediate future.:clap2:
Click to expand...


Did you mean ass-prin or asprin? Sorry but I only take Tylenol. I mean acetaminophen, err, non-asprin pain reliever. Midol - Whatever!

:mad2::mad2:Canadians...:mad2::mad2:

I'd love Canada if it weren't for all the Canadians up there! :becky:
 
SmokinAussie said:
G'Day Knuck,

I've never seen this before. I can see how full you've got the firebox when you start, for a very long burn. You must have to dampen it down a lot. Do you close the exhaust at all. Secondly, I can't see what temp you're trying for???
Click to expand...

With all my jack-assery I missed this one...

Alright, there is about 1 & 1/2 chimneys of unlit briqs and about 6'ish lit ones on the left side of the firebox (the furthest from the vents on mine). I keep the firebox vent completely closed, and the top stack wide open. The chargrillers are notoriously leaky and so plenty of air gets in for a low temp smoke like this one. It doesn't burn as clean as what I usually look for when q'ing meats, but it's a pepper and going to be used as an ingredient, so I'm ok with the heavier smoke on it.
The lid temp usually is between 75 - 100*F I really don't want to cook the peppers so I try to keep it low.

From times past, I have found that if the temp isn't up between the 75-100 range then A) the peppers take much longer to dry (especially if it's humid outside) B) they don't darken up as much, they tend to stay more green and while it's ok, I like the kind of toasted flavor that the darkend ones have, the flavor stands out more in rubs and in dishes. Just try not to burn em', that taste is not good.

Oh, in regards to the amount of fuel and duration of smoke... Honestly, this is the first time I've done it all in one fail swoop, since it takes so long, usually I smoke it either through the day into night, the fire dies and then sometime in the next 12 hours I fire it back up and let it roll for another full basket of briqs... This time I ended up burning 2 & 1/2 baskets of briqs and almost all of an 8lb of a bag of mesq chunks.

In all, they were prolly there for about 32 hours... the last 12 of which were really just to keep warm air moving to dehydrate them, no smoke during that time.

Here's a pic of them collected off the grill - I started with 2 heaping bowls this size and ended up with about 3/4 of a bowl.

I started with about 12.5 lbs and after weighing, I have just ever so slightly more than a pound and they're not quite all fully dried... Think of all the liquid smoke I could have caught from them! Anyone catch Alton's method in his beef jerky episode?

IMG_1073Medium.jpg


BTW - is it still a crime to use LS even if you make your own? :confused:
 
From times past, I have found that if the temp isn't up between the 75-100 range then A) the peppers take much longer to dry (especially if it's humid outside) B) they don't darken up as much, they tend to stay more green and while it's ok, I like the kind of toasted flavor that the darkend ones have, the flavor stands out more in rubs and in dishes.

Hmmmmmm...it's gonna be 93 in the shade today - all I have to do is generate smoke. Of course the humidity might make a difference...:becky:

Love that bowl of pepper goodness pic!
 
deguerre said:
From times past, I have found that if the temp isn't up between the 75-100 range then A) the peppers take much longer to dry (especially if it's humid outside) B) they don't darken up as much, they tend to stay more green and while it's ok, I like the kind of toasted flavor that the darkend ones have, the flavor stands out more in rubs and in dishes.

Hmmmmmm...it's gonna be 93 in the shade today - all I have to do is generate smoke. Of course the humidity might make a difference...:becky:

Love that bowl of pepper goodness pic!
Click to expand...


Send some of that heat my way! We're pushin' mid 50's with wind & rain!
Looks like summer is going to start sometime in mid July like last year. :mad::mad:

The smell of them is awesome! Sweet smokey jalapeno-ey-ness...
 
I'll gladly trade our current weather!:becky:
Seriously though, I wonder if I can try that sawdust coffee can soldering iron trick...I've got the dust that goes with my Cameron stove top and the peppers just may hang dry in the sun after smoking...
 
deguerre said:
I'll gladly trade our current weather!:becky:
Seriously though, I wonder if I can try that sawdust coffee can soldering iron trick...I've got the dust that goes with my Cameron stove top and the peppers just may hang dry in the sun after smoking...
Click to expand...

I don't see why you couldn't, I like to cut the peps open to allow the smoke inside since the skin is impossible to penetrate. If you were gonna hang em after, I'd split them from the tip to the stem into quarters, but leave the stem on, that way you could tie them by the stem to dry, and the smoke still gets inside and they dry quicker.

I do notice tho, if I leave the peps on a rack or something to finish drying for a couple of days, the potentcy of the smoke deminishes quite a bit, that could be good or bad I guess.

Instead of the soldering iron deal, what about 4 lit briqs on one side of your kettle with a chunk of wood on top of them? That should smoke low enough... You could fit a lot more of em on there too.

Let me know what you end up doing, I'd like to hear what results you have!
 
KnucklHed BBQ said:
I don't see why you couldn't, I like to cut the peps open to allow the smoke inside since the skin is impossible to penetrate. If you were gonna hang em after, I'd split them from the tip to the stem into quarters, but leave the stem on, that way you could tie them by the stem to dry, and the smoke still gets inside and they dry quicker.

I do notice tho, if I leave the peps on a rack or something to finish drying for a couple of days, the potentcy of the smoke deminishes quite a bit, that could be good or bad I guess.

Instead of the soldering iron deal, what about 4 lit briqs on one side of your kettle with a chunk of wood on top of them? That should smoke low enough... You could fit a lot more of em on there too.

Let me know what you end up doing, I'd like to hear what results you have!
Click to expand...
Duh. :idea: That way I could use mesquite chips in a foil packet too so they wouldn't oxidze so quickly and just smolder instead of burn. Just keep replacing with the four coals etc until enough smoke has been absorbed.
 
deguerre said:
From times past, I have found that if the temp isn't up between the 75-100 range then A) the peppers take much longer to dry (especially if it's humid outside) B) they don't darken up as much, they tend to stay more green and while it's ok, I like the kind of toasted flavor that the darkend ones have, the flavor stands out more in rubs and in dishes.

Hmmmmmm...it's gonna be 93 in the shade today - all I have to do is generate smoke. Of course the humidity might make a difference...:becky:

Love that bowl of pepper goodness pic!
Click to expand...

KnucklHed BBQ said:
I don't see why you couldn't, I like to cut the peps open to allow the smoke inside since the skin is impossible to penetrate. If you were gonna hang em after, I'd split them from the tip to the stem into quarters, but leave the stem on, that way you could tie them by the stem to dry, and the smoke still gets inside and they dry quicker.

I do notice tho, if I leave the peps on a rack or something to finish drying for a couple of days, the potentcy of the smoke deminishes quite a bit, that could be good or bad I guess.

Instead of the soldering iron deal, what about 4 lit briqs on one side of your kettle with a chunk of wood on top of them? That should smoke low enough... You could fit a lot more of em on there too.

Let me know what you end up doing, I'd like to hear what results you have!
Click to expand...

Quick note, there is another method using long green chiles called chile pasado where you roast, peel, and then hang the peppers to air dry. Basically a process used to preserve the peppers before refrideration was common. Humidity in the air can cause molding. I remember my dad trying this one time with LOTS of Hatch chile...........well, a few days later, the rainy season hit. The peppers never got wet, but the humidity caused molding and the entire batch was ruined. Probably less likey, since they will be smoked first, but just a heads up.
 
deguerre said:
Duh. :idea: That way I could use mesquite chips in a foil packet too so they wouldn't oxidze so quickly and just smolder instead of burn. Just keep replacing with the four coals etc until enough smoke has been absorbed.
Click to expand...

Heck, you'll prolly have the lower vents shut down enough that you could stick a fist sized chunk on the briqs... It would prolly smolder for an hour or longer as long as the lid was kept closed.
 
BobBrisket said:
Quick note, there is another method using long green chiles called chile pasado where you roast, peel, and then hang the peppers to air dry.
Click to expand...

Hmm, you've got me thinking about other larger peps now too... Maybe roasting/sweating/peeling and then smoking would make for some good results... Especially for a roasted salsa kinda thing...

Thanks!!
 
KnucklHed BBQ said:
Hmm, you've got me thinking about other larger peps now too... Maybe roasting/sweating/peeling and then smoking would make for some good results... Especially for a roasted salsa kinda thing...

Thanks!!
Click to expand...

Sounds good to me. I'd rather use the pit and smoke for drying them. Air drying is risky. I forgot to mention that if you are air drying outdoors, you need to have them contained in screen enclosure. You also don't want bugs etc having a picnic on the peppers as they dry either.

I may try some with my order of Hatch chiles at the end of summer. Sure would be nice to have some dry, smoked green chile for winter.
 
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