Make your own chipotle

What are chipotles?

Chipotle is the name for red-ripened, smoked jalapeños, as they are traditionally produced in Mexico. Since jalapeños have thick flesh, they are more suitable for smoking than for air drying. Smoking gives them a pleasant smoky flavour and a slightly stronger heat.
Traditionally, only the wood of the mesquite tree (Prosopis) is used to smoke chipotle in Mexico. Its wood is very hard and exudes an intense aroma when burnt. Pecan wood or well-seasoned untreated cherry or apple wood are also suitable. The woods are often also available as smoking chips or smoking powder. The barbecue briquettes used should also be of good quality. Purists use charcoal.
When hot-smoking, it is important to keep the temperature low for the entire period, preferably below 100°C, and to have plenty of smoke. You may therefore have to add smoking wood or chips several times.

The heat of the chillies

It is often assumed that the heat of chillies is found in the seeds. The capsaicin is formed on the placenta, a mostly white tissue where the seeds grow. During drying, the seeds draw liquid from the environment and thus also absorb heat. The heat of dried chillies can therefore be reduced by removing the seeds. With fresh chillies, the seeds only taste mealy, but are not hot.

How to make your own chipotles?

Ingredients:

900 g fresh red jalapeño chillies
Mesquite smoking wood
Smoker grill or kettle grill

Preparation:

Put on gloves for safety, because unknowingly you always touch your face or eyes and this can be painful. Only use fresh, flawless pods. Wash the chillies, dry them well, halve and core them. Be sure to remove the seeds before smoking, as dried chillies can be crumbly. Also, smoking chilli halves is quicker.

Smoking the jalapeños:

Preheat the smoker or kettle grill and wait until a temperature of 70 - 80 °C has settled. Soak the smoking wood or smoking chips in water for approx. 30 - 60 minutes and then pour away the water. Fill the pre-soaked aroma chips without water into a perforated grill or smoking tray.
For charcoal grills, place the tray directly on the embers. For the gas barbecue, place the bowl with the aroma chips in the built-in smoker chip drawer (if available) before lighting, otherwise according to the operating instructions for the gas barbecue.
Once the smoker/grill is ready, you can spread the halved jalapeños on the grate in the indirect zone (that is, not directly over the hot coals). Close the lid and open the vents only slightly or not at all. You will have to experiment a little yourself. It is important to keep the temperature as constant as possible and, above all, under 100°C. If the temperature is too high, the jalapeños will burn, if it is too low, the charcoal will go out. Smoke the chillies for about 4 - 6 hours. Check from time to time and take the chipotles out before they get too dark. If they are still too soft, you can dry them again.
Remember: smoking is an art and you have to experiment and gain experience.

Post-drying the chipotles

The time in the smoke is often not enough to dry the jalapeños completely. You will notice that the chillies still feel soft. It is therefore advisable to dry them again. If you still have some heat left in the smoker, you can leave the chillies a little longer. Otherwise, you can use a dehydrator or the kitchen oven. It is important that the chipotles are sufficiently dry so that they do not mould later. However, they should still be moist enough that they do not crumble, but are still a little flexible.
Then store them in an airtight container in a dark, cool place, e.g. in bags or jars.

What can chipotles be used for?

As an aromatic seasoning powder
Grind or mortar the dried pods and fill them into a screw-top jar. Use it to season Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes, marinades, rubs, meat and anything that needs a subtle smoky flavour.
The powder has a concentrated aroma, so season sparingly!

As whole pods
You can store the chipotles as whole pods and then soak them in water for cooking - depending on the recipe. They add a smoky, hot flavour to casseroles and stews, for example.

Delicious: Chipotles in adobo sauce
In Latin America, adobo sauce is a typical, spicy tomato-based sauce that can be used for many dishes. It is particularly suitable for delicious pickled chipotles.
To the recipe: https://www.chili-shop24.com/chili-recipes/vegetarian-vegan-with-chili/2100/chipotles-in-adobo-sauce