Homemade Smoked Chipotle

By
Derrick Riches
Derrick Riches
Derrick Riches
Derrick Riches is a grilling and barbecue expert. He has written two cookbooks.
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Updated on 01/24/22
Homemade Smoked Chipotle
Keith Ferris/Getty Images
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 24 hrs
Total: 24 hrs 15 mins
Servings: 5 servings
Yield: 5 ounces
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
26 Calories
0g Fat
6g Carbs
1g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 5
Amount per serving
Calories 26
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 3mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 6g 2%
Dietary Fiber 3g 9%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 108mg 538%
Calcium 11mg 1%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 225mg 5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Chipotles are simply smoked jalapeño peppers. The secret is to dry out the chiles in a smoke environment without cooking them first. Keep the temperature low for the best result. Then, use them as flavoring for everything from soups to salsa.

Ingredients

Steps to Make It

  1. First, you need a good clean smoker. Grease, oils or food particles from past smokes will leave a harsh and undesirable flavor on the chiles. Some people who make a lot of chipotles have a smoker for just this.

  2. Once you have the smoker good and clean, start the fire. You will need to do a long smoke. Depending on the moisture in the chiles you might be looking at more than 24 hours so plan on adding coals to the fire periodically.

  3. Wash and dry the jalapeños. Remove the stems and make sure they are in good condition. Place the jalapeños in a single layer on the rack and close the lid. Chipotles are best smoked with a fruity wood, but oak or hickory work well also. You will have good chipotles when the jalapeños have dried, become light in weight and a rich brown color. During the smoking process​, move the jalapeños around periodically and keep a close eye on the fire. Ideally, you should keep a cool, smoky fire that doesn't cook the chiles before they dry. Try for a consistent temperature of about 180 F / 82 C. There really is an art to this so don't be discouraged if it doesn't work out the first time.