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Americans who love the smoky taste and fiery bite of chipotles have
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recently been hit with high prices and a scarcity of product. With
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prices for these smoked jalapenos reaching $15 a pound wholesale,
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home growers yearn to smoke their own. But the Mexicans have been
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fairly secretive about their techniques, and none of the books on
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chiles describe home smoking. After a trip to Delicos Mexico, I think
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I have solved this mystery -- but the process takes some dedication.
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First, let's look at how the Mexicans do it.
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They use a large pit with a rck to smoke-dry the jalepenos. The pit
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containing the source of heat is underground, with a tunnel leading
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to the rack. The pods are placed on top of the rack where drafts of
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air pull the smoke up and over the pods. The jalapenos can be whole
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pods or pods without seeds. The latter are more expensive and are
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called "capones", or castrated ones.
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It is possible to make chipotle in the back yard with a meat smoker or
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Weber-type barbecue with a lid. The grill should be washed to remove
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any meat particles because any odor in the barbecue will give the
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chile an undesirable flavor. Ideally, the smoker or barbecue should
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be new and dedicated only to smoking chiles.
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The quality of homemade chipotle will depend on the maturity and
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quality of the pods, the moisture in the pods, the temperature of the
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smoke drying the pods, and the amount of time the peppers are exposed
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to the smoke and heat. The aroma of wood smoke will flavor the
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jalapenos, so carefully choose what is burned. Branches from fruit
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trees, or other hardwoods such as hickory, oak, and pecan, work
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superbly. Pecan is used extensively in parts of Mexico and in
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southern New Mexico to flavor chipotle. Do not be afraid to
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experiment with different woods.
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The differenc between the fresh weight of the fruits and the finished
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product is about ten to one, so it takes ten pounds of fresh
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jalapenos to produce approximately one pound of chipotles. A pound of
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chipotles goes a long way, as a single pod is usually enough to
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flavor a dish.
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First, wash all the pods and discard any that have insect damage,
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bruises, or are soft. Remove the stems from the pods before placing
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the pepperrs in a single layer on the grill rack. Start two small
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fires on each side of the grill with charcoal briquets. Keep the
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fires small and never directly expose the pods to the fire so they
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won't dry unevenly or burn. The intention is to dry the pods slowly
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while flavoring them with smoke. Soak the wood in water before
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placing it on the coals so the wood wil burn slower and create more
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smoke. The barbecue vents should be opened only partially to allow a
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small amount of air to enter the barbecue, thus preventing the fires
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from burning too fast and creating too much heat.
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Check the pods and the fires hourly and move the pods around, always
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keeping them away from the fires. It may take up to forty-eight hours
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to dry the pods completely. The pods will be hard, light in weight,
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and brown in color when dried. If necessary, let the fires burn
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through the night. After the pods have dried, remove them from the
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grill and let them cool. To preserve their flavor, place them in a
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zip-lock bag. It is best to store them in a cool and dry location. If
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humidity is kept out of the bags, the chipotles will last for twelve
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to twenty-four months.
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Buen apetito!
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Recipe By : Garry Howard
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