Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 24 hours
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.Or find out how to make Chipotle step by step.
