I can't remember ever not liking food with at least SOME heat...my
mouth always watered when my mom said she was making tacos for dinner.
Sure, the North Americanized style ground beef, chopped onion and tomato
sauce taco filling wasn't really spicy hot; and, I can't remember her serving
any sliced, pickled jalapenos on the side...but, she did add enough chili
powder to cause at least a recollection of a bit of sweat on the brow;
and,
there was usually some sort of store-bought Mexican-style hot sauce
on the table.
However, my real love affair with chiles began with the quest for my own personal chili con carne recipe after my dad passed away and took his secret recipe with him...
...and, I must confess to being a self-diagnosed sufferer of Chile Obsessive Syndrome,Rich's Carne con Chiles
I am not, however, a "leather-mouth" chilehead constantly seeking ever hotter tastebud searing chiles, salsa, or hot sauce in some sort of perpetual "right of passage" ritual. Heat is fine, but if it doesn't taste good...forget it.
I grow some of my own chiles and rely on commercial sources for others. I use them fresh during the growing season and dry, freeze, or pickle 'em when preservation of an overly abundant supply is necessary as the season ends and frost becomes a possibility.
Sometimes I smoke 'em...
Chipotle Chiles (Smoked Chiles)
Start this as early in the morning as possible.1 pound - ripe, red jalapeno chilesPut smoke chips in a container and cover with water. Mound about one half the briquettes into the charcoal pan and light. Wash the chiles and cut a slit lengthwise in each one from just below the shoulder to about a half inch from the tip. Place the chiles in a single layer (slit side up) on a surface that will fit in the smoker and won't let the chiles fall through. I use a grill wok, a pan shaped kinda like a wok (but with a flatter bottom) with holes drilled through meant for stir frying vegies on a BBQ grill. A rectangular piece of wire mesh or expanded metal lath can be used as well. In a pinch, cover the grill with aluminum foil and poke some holes for smoke to drift through. When the briquettes are covered with gray ash, spread out into an even layer. Drain a handful of smoke chips in a strainer, shake off excess water and set aside to allow the smoke chips to air dry to the point where they're damp and not soaking wet. Scatter the smoke chips on the briquettes. Fill the water pan with 3 to 4 inches of water and set in place. Put the smoker rack in place and place the container of chiles on the rack over the pan of water. Cover the smoker. Keep a low-heat, smokey fire for the duration of the smoking process, adding briquettes, smoke chips, and the optional sprigs of fresh rosemary as needed to keep generating heat and smoke. Add water to the water pan as needed as it evaporates. After 7 or 8 hours, the chiles have probably absorbed as much smoke as they're going to. They should be a dark, brick-red color and somewhat wrinkled; but, they won't be totally dehydrated to a point where they would keep at room temperature. Remove them from the smoker and finish drying them in a warm oven or a dehydrator. Use for making Chipotles en Adobo or wherever dried chiles with medium heat and smoky flavor is desirable such as chile powder blends, dry rubs, BBQ sauces, marinades and mops.
10 pounds - charcoal briquettes
as needed - smoke chips, your choice, I use mesquite chunks
as needed - sprigs of fresh cut rosemary (optional)While a smoker works best, a BBQ grill can be used when a smoker is not available. Mound and light the briquettes as if for grilling. When they are covered with white ash, spread the briquettes in a circular manner to the side leaving a bare spot in the center. Place an aluminum foil pan that will fit in the bare spot in the center of the BBQ and partially fill with water. Place some of the soaked smoke chips on the briquettes. Put the grill in place and place the wok or wire mesh with the chiles on the grill. Continue the smoking process as above, adding charcoal, smoke chips and water as necessary.
Note: while ripe jalapeno chiles are considered the traditional fresh chile for smoking and drying to make chipotle chiles, other chiles can also be smoked and dried. I've found that ripe Fresno chiles are generally more available commercially than ripe jalapenos and make an acceptable substitute.
Other good things to do with chiles...
Use whatever ground dried chiles you wish (habaneros, chipotles,
anchos, whatever), ground from fairly coarse to
as fine as desired. I like to use a combination of coarse and finely
ground chiles so that the flavor and color is
spread evently but there are still flecks of chile visible in the
butter.
.25 cup - butter
1.0 tablespoon - ice water
.5 teaspoon (more or less as desired) -
crushed and/or ground dried chiles
Melt butter over a low flame (use a heat diffuser if available).
Sprinkle crushed/ground dried chiles over the
surface of the melted butter and stir in until well blended. Pour
melted butter/dried chile blend into a small mixing
bowl (stainless steel works best but glass or ceramic is OK). Gradually
add ice water while whiping the mixture.
Continue to whip butter/water mixture until well blended and then
whip some more. The goal is to completely whip
the water into the butter and then some. Serve with corn on the
cob, hot vegetables, or wherever one would put a
pat of butter to melt over and season hot food.
Copyright © 1997-2002, by Rich McCormack
Send comments and questions to macknet@pacbell.net
