Smoke Hot Peppers
When your hot pepper plants are thriving and the pepper harvest is beginning, your thoughts may turn to making your own smoked hot peppers (chipotles). If you have a bag of mesquite chips, a charcoal grill and an afternoon to devote to tending your smoking operation, you will soon have a delicious supply of smoked hot peppers to last throughout the year. Even if you do not grow your own hot pepper plants, it is worth purchasing hot jalapeño peppers at the store for smoking.
Instructions
1. Soak the wood chips in water for approximately one hour. The easiest way to do this is to open the plastic bag at one end and fill it with water. Set the bag so the water will not escape and allow the wood chips to soak while the charcoal heats.
2. Place two charcoal briquettes into the steel baking pan and light them. Allow the charcoal to burn until the briquettes are sufficiently hot all the way through.
3. Add soaked wood chips around the charcoal briquettes in the steel baking pan. Start by adding one or two handfuls. The wood chips should start to smoke immediately.
4. Place the steel baking pan in the bottom of the grill and place the grilling rack over the baking pan.
5. Cut off the tops of the peppers and make slits down one side of the peppers to open them. Place the open peppers onto the rack and close the grill.
6. Watch the grill to make sure the wood chips continue to smoke. Add more wood chips to keep them smoking. Add additional charcoal if the charcoal burns out. Do not have more than two charcoal briquettes burning at one time, however: the goal is not heat--it is smoke from the wood chips.
7. Allow the peppers to smoke for between four and five hours. Remove the smoked peppers after the time elapses.
8. Place the smoked peppers in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at the lowest oven temperature for approximately 12 hours.
9. Remove the peppers from the oven and cool them completely. Place the dried, smoked peppers in a sealed container or plastic bag. Store the peppers at room temperature for up to one year.
Tags: wood chips, smoked peppers, charcoal briquettes, steel baking, hours Remove, pepper plants