How to Make Chipotle Peppers
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Chipotle peppers are synonymous with Mexican and Tex Mex cooking. It goes without a doubt that I use them weekly in something, and I’ll show just how easy they are to make so you don’t have to get store bought anymore.
What is a chipotle pepper?
Chipotle peppers are basically ripened jalapeño chiles that have been smoked and dried. They can be ground and used in many Mexican and Tex Mex cooking and are typically sold in a rich, smokey flavored adobo sauce.
The best thing to do is grab about 20 fresh jalapeños and allow them to ripen and turn red. I leave them out in a bowl uncovered near a window.
What’s the difference between red and green jalapeños?
They are the same pepper, it’s just that a green jalapeño is picked early before it ripens on the vine, while a red jalapeño is left on the vine longer. Like other chilies that turn red it is older. The red ripened are best to use for smoking, but the green are fine, too.
I’m sure making chipotle peppers all started as a way to preserve bumper crops of jalapeños back in the day.
How to make chipotle peppers.
Wash them and dry them off. You can remove the stems if you like, but I prefer to leave them on like little handles.
Lay them out on a rack that will fit inside your smoker and set your smoker for 200°F.
For the wood chips or pellets, pecan is the traditional Mexican wood, but I also like to use a mild, fruity wood like apple or cherry. Hickory or oak work well too, if you don’t have the others.
You will be smoking for these 3 hours, so plan accordingly. In other words, be sure you have enough wood or pellets!
After the smoking process is complete and you want to store these as dried chipotle peppers, then you’ll need to dry these completely. Using a dehydrator works best (125-135°F), but 10+ hours in an oven set at its lowest temperature, or 170-200°F depending on your oven (convection), will do.
Store in an airtight container or grind for chipotle powder.
This is what they look like fresh from the smoker!
If you want to store the smoked peppers in adobo sauce…
I take them straight from the smoker and add the freshly smoked peppers directly to my adobo sauce, skipping the other 10 hour drying process. Simmer for another 20 minutes. Let cool completely and store all in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
I make my own Adobo Sauce, too. The recipe for that is coming up next, so stay tuned. So get your jalapeños smoked and dried and come back to learn how to make my adobo sauce. Enjoy!
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How to Make Dried Chipotle Chiles
Instructions
- Set smoker temperature to 200°F.
- For the wood chips or pellets, pecan is the traditional Mexican wood, but I also like to use a mild, fruity wood like apple or cherry. Hickory or oak work well too if you don’t have the others. We will be smoking for 3 hours, so plan accordingly.
- Wash and dry the jalapeños. Make a slit with a paring knife from stem to tip along the side of each chile pepper. Place in a single layer on a wire rack (or racks) that will fit the inside of your smoker.
- Smoke the jalapeños for 3 hours. Remove from smoker (and if not storing in adobo sauce) you will need to dry these completely, see below step.
- Using a dehydrator works best (125-135°F), but 10+ hours in an oven set at its lowest temperature, or 170-200°F depending on your oven (convection), will do (See Note 1). Store in an airtight container or grind for chipotle powder.
Notes
- I typically use 6 inch or larger jalapeños. If you can find red, all the better, or allow to ripen and turn red. If drying in oven, any jalapeños smaller than 6 inches in size you will dry in 4-6 hours, depending on oven and thickness of jalapeños. If 6 inches or larger, drying time is 6-10 hours, depending on size and thickness. Use you discretion in timing as ovens vary. I have also used my convection oven set at 170-200°F and dried 6 inch jalapeños in 6-7 hours as well. Length of time depends on type of oven and thickness of jalapeños.
- If you want to store the smoked peppers in adobo sauce… I take them straight from the smoker and add the freshly smoked peppers directly to the adobo sauce, skipping the other 10 hour drying process. Simmer for another 20 minutes. Let cool completely and store all in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To learn How to Make Adobo Sauce, see this recipe.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
How long would you expect the dried powder to last? Thanks!
Thank you for checking out my recipe Ross! I would say up to 6 months in an air tight container any long the flavor diminishes. I hope you enjoy!
Can I still add them to the adobo sauce if I really dried them?
It’s all on the recipe card Bev!
If Adding Dried Chipotle Peppers
Pre-soak: Bend and crack slightly the dried chipotle peppers (or make punctures all over with a knife). Add to a saucepan and just cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Be sure to add water if needed so they don’t dry and burn. Set aside to cool.
How long will the Chipotle peppers in homemade adobo keep in the fridge? How long will the fully dried chipotles keep in an airtight container out of the fridge? Thanks for the great info!
Honestly, mine have never gone past the 2-3 week mark as I use them often. Seeing as these are not canned or processed I can not talk on the health safety concerns past that time frame. The dried, I’ve had for at least 2 months.
Great info! I do competitive BBQ competitions and have been looking for an easy recipe. I have some ripe jalapenos I just picked today. I’ll let you know how they turn out. Thanks again!
Excellent Thanks for giving this a try Keith. Smoke on!
Thanks for posting this Kevin! Its difficult to source the smoking wood here in India so I’m using rice husk and clarified butter (we got plenty of this..) made from the milk of forest grazing cows. Should be OK right?
Hi Prajith, I can’t answer to that as I have never used the rice husk for smoking. Is there no other wood you could use? Also, I have a question for you… what are you using the clarified butter for when making these dried, smoked chiles?
Kevin,
We’ve got mango and mulberry wood but as they’re grown for the fruits and leaves, the wood is generally coated with pesticides so I’m not going to use them.
I used a mix of rice husk and clarified butter to create smoke. Indian chefs sometimes put a dollop of clarified butter on a lighted bricket to induce a smoky flavor in their chiken tikka masala/butter chicken…
Great tip here, thanks so much for explaining Prajith!
That’s too bad about the Mulberry wood. I use it all the time when BBQin.
Lol what moron wrote this?? This is how you COOK chipotle peppers, not MAKE them. Making would be growing…
Ummm, no. Wrong. Chipotle peppers are NOT grown. They are ripened jalapeños that are smoked, dried, and at that point either dried further to grind into a powder, or are added to adobo sauce for other uses.
What kind of a moron wrote this comment? Good job embarrassing yourself.
I learned so much! Thank you Kevin.Can’t wait to be making my own Chipotle powder later this year.
That makes me smile, thanks for that Chris. Always want to help out and deliver good, informative recipes. 🙂
This is such a great tutorial, Kevin! I definitely share your love of chipotle peppers! Can’t wait to try this method! Pinned! Cheers!
Thanks so much Chey, hope you guys are safe and sound back there (with electricity, too). These are great and with minimal effort, too. 🙂
I’ve never thought about making my own chipotle peppers – genius! Can’t wait to try this, Kevin!!
Excellent, glad I could assist in your pantry staples! 🙂
Can’t wait to try this! You don’t know how much I love chipotle peppers…they are always stocked in our pantry. Gotta try making them myself next time 🙂 Pinned!
SUPER easy Dawn and so much better than paying the store prices. Little effort on your part, just time and it’s in the oven!