Pete's Food Blog

2. Sep, 2021

How to make your own chipotle chillies

If you have a smoker, drill a 4mm hole in the lid and drop in the sensor probe of a digital grill-thermometer (12€ from a [Biltema] hardware store). Without this, your smoking is just "winging it", trial and error - probably more of the latter.

Chipotles add a lovely smokey warmth to food, with a dramatic aroma.

These require a little patience and perseverence, but I can assure you, they're well worth it and store for ever in an air-tight jar.

Method:

I use 2 dl of chippings in the centre of the smoking tray and 2 dl of soaked (1 hr) chippings around the edges. This ensures smoke throughout the long burn.

The chillies shouldn't touch each other.

Adding only very small quantities of wood to the fire at a time, try to keep the temperature at 90-100°C for up to 4 hours (I was picking blueberries nearby and warming up the sauna whilst doing this!).

Finally, increase the temperature to 180°C for 25 mins.

(F.Y.I. Meat seems to smoke cure at about 115°C - air temp. inside the smoker).

Place the smoked jalapeños on an oven-proof mesh or fine rack. Leave them in the oven at 75°C (again the same digital grill thermometer is far better than most oven thermostat settings) for 8 - 10 hrs. After this, switch the oven off and leave the oven door slightly ajar, for example with an oven glove wedged in it.