Chipotle results from the process of smoking a jalapeno pepper. Your Green Mountain grill lends itself very well to this task.
Let’s Get Started
Prepare the jalapeños by cutting off the stems along with about 1/8” of the bodies. Then, slice one side of the pepper lengthwise to open it up. Remove the seeds. You may wish to use plastic gloves for this task, since the pepper residue will burn your eyes if you happen to rub them.
Now, take a fish basket you likely no longer need or a metal colander (or any metal utensil with holes in it). Put the peppers in this.
Set the grill to 150°. Put the utensil with the peppers on it inside and roast until the peppers completely dry out, usually about 6-8 hours.
When the peppers finish, you can either freeze them or grind them into powder in a blender or food processor.
BORDER-TOWN CHIPOTLE SAUCE
Ingredients
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup of tomato paste
1/2 cup of tomato sauce
2-3 chipotle chili peppers (from above)
2 tsp cumin
2 tbsp lime juice or the juice from one whole lime
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cilantro
1 tbsp brown sugar (to taste)
1/4 cup white vinegar (to taste)
A couple of drops of liquid smoke
1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
Let’s Get Started
Mash the garlic and chipotles together in a small food processor. Mix in the tomato paste, tomato sauce, water, and lime juice. Stir in the cumin, oregano, and cilantro. Add a few drops of liquid smoke.
Now, stir in about half of the brown sugar, half of the vinegar, and half of the salt. Taste the sauce at this point. Continue to add small amounts of sugar, salt, and vinegar until you like the taste.
You want to mix these distinct flavours, which you can do either by refrigerating for a few hours or by simmering on the stove for 30 minutes. Either way works well, but the stove top method yields a slightly more robust taste.
Keep this product refrigerated or frozen until ready to use.