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    Home » Farm To Table » How to Make Chipotle Peppers

    How to Make Chipotle Peppers

    Posted on December 5, 2021 By Beth Neels

    53 shares
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    How to make Chipotle peppers Pinterest Pin with text overlay
    How to make Chipotle peppers Pinterest Pin with text overlay
    How to make Chipotle peppers Pinterest Pin with text overlay

    It is easy to make your own chipotle peppers with the jalapenos in your garden! They are smoked and dried and indispensable in many Mexican dishes!

    dried chipotle peppers on barnwood

    What are chipotle peppers?

    Did you know that chipotles are not a type of pepper that you can grow or buy fresh? They are a ripe jalapeno pepper that is smoked and dried.

    How do you know when jalapenos are ripe? They turn bright red! Red jalapeño peppers tend to be hotter than juvenile (green) jalapenos, especially in hot, dry years or locations.

    Chipotles and fresh jalapenos on burlap.

    If you don’t have your own jalapenos growing, you can buy local them from the farmers’ market and allow them to ripen on the counter. They can also be placed in a closed, sealed paper bag.

    You can cut off entire branches off of your jalapenos, at the end of the season, and hang upside down, inside, as well, but they are far superior if they are left on the plant to ripen!

    With each method of ripening peppers, be sure to check them all every few days, if you see any black spots, or mold, discard those peppers. You will most likely get more ripe jalapenos at the end of the growing season, closer to first frost.

    What you need to make them

    • ripe, red jalapenos
    • wood for smoking

    You can see in the photo that ripe peppers can produce hard, brown ridges. This is nothing to be concerned with. Those peppers are usually hotter, because they are older!

    Ripe red jalapenos on barnwood.

    What wood should you smoke with?

    To give these jalapeños that nice smoky flavor, you can use any of following woods.

    • hickory
    • oak
    • pecan
    • or any fruit wood

    How to make Chipotle Peppers in the smoker

    1. Set smoker at 200°F. Add wood to tray. Wash and dry ripe jalapenos and place on double rack. As they dry, they shrink and some may drop through the grates, so double the racks. No need to remove the stems at this point.
    2. Place peppers in the smoker. Smoke for 24-48 hours, until very dry. Check them every 12 hours, or so. Turn if needed.
    Fresh jalapenos on racks. Dried chipotles on rack

    How to make them on the grill

    1. Place wood in tray with water, if wood hasn’t been pre soaked. Turn grill on underneath the wood, on low setting. Heat to 200°F.
    2. Add peppers to grates on the side of the grill that is not lit. Smoke for about 24 hours, until very dry.
    grill with wood for smoking. fresh peppers on grill rack. Fully dried peppers.

    Pro tips for success

    • Once the peppers have smoked for at least 3-4 hours, there is no need to add additional wood. The peppers just need to dehydrate in the additional time.
    • After the initial smoking, peppers can be dehydrated in a commercial dehydrator, or in the oven, set at 200°F, until dried (usually 10-12 hours).
    • Make sure peppers are fully dried off, before smoking.
    • If they were stored in the refrigerator, allow peppers to come to room temperature, before the smoking process.
    • Only use peppers that are free from any spots, or decay.
    • Make sure peppers are fully dried and crispy, to avoid molding.
    • If you are adding the chipotles to adobo sauce, this can be done without fully dehydrating them. Add them to the adobo after the initial smoking.
    • Fully dried peppers can be rehydrated and added to adobo sauce. See recipe notes for full instructions.

    How to use them

    Use these peppers to flavor many Mexican dishes. Soups, stews, chili, tacos, enchiladas and the like.

    Chipotles in abodo sauce are a great way to preserve the chiles. Adobo sauce is made with vinegar, tomatoes and various spices, like cumin, coriander and cilantro.

    The dried chipotles can be crushed to a fine powder with a food processor, coffee grinder or spice mill. Add it to other powdered to make a homemade chili powder.

    Use the chili powder to spice up black beans or pinto beans.

    Recipes using chipotles in adobo sauce

    • chipotle turkey burgers
    • chipotle aioli
    • Southwestern garbanzo salad
    • chunky venison chili
    Dried peppers on burlap.

    Other recipes for preserving jalapeños

    • candied jalapenos
    • jalapeno relish
    • pickled jalapeno
    • dried peppers
    • fermenting peppers
    Jars of dried peppers.

    Tools I use to make chipotle peppers

    Contains affiliate links, for full disclosure, see FTC Disclosure, here.

    • smoker
    • grill
    • rack

    Want to learn how to grow your own? These posts are packed full of information about how to get that big harvest by the end of the season! Don’t miss our How to Start a Garden Series!

    The first section is Planning Your Garden. Second is Preparing the Garden Site.

    The third is Choosing Plants and Planting Your Garden. The fourth is Garden Maintenance.

    The last is Harvesting a Garden and Preserving the Harvest, this article has over 100 FREE recipes for preserving your harvest!

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    If you try this recipe, let me know how you like it in the comments below! I would love to hear from you!


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    That’s how easy it is to make smoked chipotle peppers. Thanks for stopping by today!

    Enjoy! And have fun cooking!

    Xoxo,

    Binky’s Signature
    smoked chipotles on barnwood

    How to Make Chipotle Peppers

    It is easy to make your own chipotle peppers with the jalapenos in your garden! Chipotle peppers are smoked and dried and indispensable in many Mexican dishes!
    See Step by Step Photos Above!Most of our recipes have step by step photos and videos! Also helpful tips so that you can make it perfectly the first time and every time! Scroll up to see them!
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Condiment
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 day
    Total Time: 1 day 5 minutes
    Servings: 20 peppers
    Calories: 6kcal
    Author: Beth Neels
    Cost: $6

    Ingredients

    • 20 fresh, ripe jalapenos red jalapenos
    • wood chips for smoking

    Instructions

    • Wash and thoroughly dry peppers.
    • Place peppers on a doubled rack, so that as they dry they do not fall through.
    • Set up smoker with wood chips.
    • Smoke for a minimum of 3 hours, up to 24 hours.
    • Can be thoroughly dried in oven, smoker or dehydrator.
    • Peppers can be stored in adobo sauce, before they are dried.
    grill-gas/ smoker
    wood chips for smoking
    smoker, electric
    See all of my favorite tools and gift ideas on my New Amazon Store!Check out Binky’s Amazon Store!

    Notes

    Peppers should be thoroughly dried, or stored in adobo sauce in the refrigerator.
    Dried peppers can be ground and used in many Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes.
    Store dried peppers in a storage bag, or canning jar, sealed, in a cool, dark place.
    If peppers are not thoroughly dried, they may mold. Check for mold before using. If you find any mold, discard those peppers.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 6kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 45mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 133IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 1mg
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    Originally published 5/1/20

    « Garlic Air Fryer Pork Loin
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    53 shares

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Andrea Metlika

      May 01, 2020 at 3:34 pm

      5 stars
      I am so doing this. I have so many recipes that call for Chipotle peppers.

      Reply
      • Beth Neels

        May 02, 2020 at 3:58 pm

        It’s pretty fun and easy! Let me know how it goes.

        Reply
    2. Lisa | Garlic & Zest

      May 01, 2020 at 2:15 pm

      5 stars
      This is such a cool post! I’ve never thought to smoke and dehydrate my own jalapenos for chipotle peppers, but my husband is big into smoking — so this would be a perfect quarantine project for us this weekend! Thank you!

      Reply
      • Beth Neels

        May 01, 2020 at 2:42 pm

        Thanks Lisa! I’m so glad you liked it! Let me know how it goes! Stay safe out there!

        Reply
    3. Cindy

      May 01, 2020 at 2:02 pm

      5 stars
      So my kiddos have been helping me with meal planning, recipe selection and gardening! We are going to grow some in our garden this year!

      Reply
      • Beth Neels

        May 01, 2020 at 2:42 pm

        Wait until late in the season and you should have tons of ripe jalapenos! Thanks so much Cindy!

        Reply
    4. Irina

      May 01, 2020 at 1:23 pm

      5 stars
      I have never seen such a recipe to make chipotle peppers. It sounds interesting to give a try 🙂

      Reply
      • Beth Neels

        May 01, 2020 at 2:43 pm

        Thanks Irina! I hope you enjoy them. Let me know how it goes!

        Reply
    5. Cate

      May 01, 2020 at 12:32 pm

      Wow these look amazing! I’ve never thought of making chipotle peppers but I think I’m going to try it, thanks!

      Reply
      • Beth Neels

        May 01, 2020 at 12:34 pm

        They are so tasty! Thanks for checking out the recipe Cate!

        Reply

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