Roasting Hatch chile in smoker?

[DaveD]

Hey folks, we just got our batch of Hatch for the season, five pounds of beautiful chiles ready for roasting. Now that I have the vertical pellet smoker, I'd like to use it to do that roasting, since I could easily fit them all in there at once on my five-shelf rig.

I'm not after smoke flavor so much as a really convenient and quick way to roast the chiles. What temperature and for how long should they go? I've seen a couple of suggestions of 200F/93C; that seems a little low to me, but the only times I've roasted myself I've done it on the gas grill, with no real idea of the temperature, flipping constantly to not overchar the things.

I'm sure I'll do an experiment with just a couple of chiles before committing the whole batch, but any insight/guidance at this stage would be most welcome.

[MT_Cinnabear]

Really interested in this. Take notes and pics.
huge fan of the hatch green chilies.

[58limited]

This will be interesting. At 200^o I would expect the peppers to dry, kinda the Hatch version of a chipotle. I roast mine on my PK grill at grilling temps.

[Willy]

IMHO, going "low and slow"--200-ish°F--is a big mistake. You want to ROAST them, not "simmer" them. You want the skin to char/blacken. Think of roasted bell peppers. For years, I roasted mine on a hot grill, preferably on a hot flat surface. Lately, I have switched to putting the peppers/chiles in a large rotisserie basket and spinning them, which works very well and is "easy". Then, once well blackened, take 'em off the heat and dump the peppers into a sealed bag/bowl to steam for a while. Peel and deseed/stem. Enjoy!

[MsTwiggy]

+1🔥🔥🔥❤️🐿

[Jim White]

I will chime in against 200 degrees. My best job roasting chiles was cave man style, with them thrown directly on lump charcoal.

[barelfly]

i know you use to live in ABQ, so this should be familiar to you. All the places I’ve gone to for roasted chile are using flame burners that hit the chiles so they get the char. I don’t see how 200* gets anything like that.

I’d hate for you to waste the 5lb green goodness you just got. I’d go with a gas grill over the 200* unless you are looking for something else out of these.

just my thought.

[Histrix]

I've never bothered to fire up a grill just to roast some peppers. I just spread them on a sheet pan and put in my oven at 400°F-ish. Give them a turn or two as needed, only takes about 20-30 minutes. I can fit about 2 pounds on a sheet pan at a time.

[Histrix]

I get that. But for those of us where a normal summer day is 90°F and 90% humidity which causes me to start sweating the instant I step outside I'll keep using the oven and let the heat pump do its thing and keep the house a comfortable 72°F.

[DaveD]

Histrix I can totally relate. I lived in the Houston area for about fifteen years in a couple of stretches, and those kinds of conditions are debilitating. They were a big reason I gave up brewing beer at home, just couldn't see being outside standing over a kettle of boiling wort in July in Houston... gack!

[Willy]

Histrix Gotcha!. For me, humidity above 35-40% is too much---way too much. People mock the "it's a dry heat" line, but it's true. I much prefer 110°F and 10% humidity to your 90/90. Here, when the humidity reaches 30--40%, the temps drop to around 100°F. Worse than 110°F and dry, but (briefly) tolerable.

[DaveD]

Yeah, don't get the idea I'm the least bit married to 200F. That's just what I'm seeing in some articles, and as I said in the OP, that seems low to me too. I well remember the big wire barrel roasters outside every grocery store in ABQ, but I never looked into how exactly they operated in any detail. And I don't have a rotisserie option, which I'd definitely go for if I did.

If 400F/204C is a good temp, I can easily dial that in on the pellet smoker. Its vertical form factor is ideal for something like this. We roasted them in the kitchen oven once, and never again-- gets the eyes and mucus membranes into a state of red alert. Outdoors is the only option!

Simple searches for "roasting hatch chile" yields temps around 400-425F, so I can easily do that experiment with a chile and see how it comes out.

[Willy]

It's really not necessary to worry about a specific temperature; just char the peppers over fairly high heat--preferably with flames. Heck (rarely), I have even roasted peppers (bells) over a stove top burner flame. It ain't rocket science (and I am a retired rocket "scientist", er, really a "rocket engineer"). LOL

If'n you are skeptical/cautious just try whatever method you choose using red/orange/yellow bell peppers (cuz green bells suck) first.

[DaveD]

Well, I'm a planetary scientist who totally understands that it's the rocket ENGINEERING that is the hard part! The science behind rocketry is actually pretty simple, comparatively speaking. It's the incredible engineering that brings the instruments we need where they need to be. I've been really fortunate to work with some amazing folks on the engineering side...

[jecucolo]

When I roast peppers I fill the chimney up with charcoal wait for it to get screaming hot, put a grate on top and start roasting. I love the aroma of roasting pepper! You want to chat and blister the skin. I then put them in a brown bag for an hour or so and then rinse them under the kitchen faucet and clean them up. Get rid of seeds and stem. All done and ready to use or freeze.

[Willy]

Plus one on realdocBBQ 's comment. DO NOT RINSE!

[jecucolo]

Interesting. That makes sense. So do you leave the char on the peppers? I guess you can just scrape the seeds off. Thanks!

[Willy]

Just rub/peel the skin/seeds, etc, which is sometimes easier said than done.. No need to do either perfectly, bits of left over black/seeds add character. ;«)

[Bad Hat BBQ]

Just started using a veggie basket that has been collecting dust in my garage for years...

The basket fits nicely over the firebox of my Okie Joe and I feel like I am a Brazilian BBQ dude!

THe Charred peppers turn out great

[smokin fool]

I cannot find hatch chili's anywhere up here in the boonies so I've done some research.
Cubanelle chili/peppers are available up here, look like hatch chili's, obviously different growing locations.
My question is for the pepper experts out there, are these a close relative of each other or am I reaching here.

[Willy]

Cubanelles are, generally speaking, much milder than New Mexico/"Hatch" pod types (which themselves range from relatively mild to damned hot, depending on the cultivar). Can you find Anaheim peppers? Have you tried the freezer section for frozen chiles from a company such as Bueno?

[Donw]

Look for Anaheims or look for brands that have frozen chiles like Willy stated. This was how we use to have to purchase them.

[smokin fool]

Pretty sure I've finally found them at a Whole Foods store about 20 mins away.
See what happens

[DaveD]

Hatch chiles are unique. There is no substitute, it's that simple. The combination of soil chemistry, groundwater composition, elevation, etc make for something that simply doesn't happen anywhere else. They can be had from https://www.hatch-green-chile.com/ by mail, we just got ours. 5 lb box for US$38. There is an FAQ about shipping internationally, and I'll bet they could work something out with you. Here's the text:

I live a long way from New Mexico, can you ship to me?

We can ship anywhere that FedEx or the USPS can deliver quickly enough to prevent spoilage. That includes all of the United States!

International orders require special attention and additional shipping/handling/customs fees will apply. If you're ordering from someplace outside of the US, please send an email to [email protected] with a brief description of your request. Also, please include your address so we can check with our FedEx rep for any potential complications involved in getting chile to you.

[Willy]

I must emphatically disagree, though all in good spirit. See my post below.

[tstalafuse]

I just did Pueblo chilis on the pellet smoker at 400 degrees w/o the heat deflector and using a rotisserie basket. It took approximately 30-35 minutes, but they developed a very nice char.

[Willy]

I'd love to try the CO Pueblo chiles. As I understand it, they are "all" of the same cultivar. Can you verify that?

[tstalafuse]

Willy I cannot verify that they are all the same cultivar. They are smaller than their Hatch counter part and have, at least to me, a different and better flavor.

[Willy]

Here’s the "peeing on the parade" piece I promised yesterday.

The point of this post is to show that there’s a heck of a lot of, let’s generously say, "mythology" (aka, marketing) around Hatch chiles. A quote from Dave DeWitt, the so-called "Pope of Peppers":
"It’s like an urban legend," DeWitt says. "In fact, there isn’t enough chile grown in tiny Hatch to meet demand for all the places that supposedly sell Hatch chile." Link here: https://alibi.com/food/43183/A-Myth-Hatched.html

Here’s another link discussing Hatch chile mythology:
https://www.burn-blog.com/11372/myth...-hatch-pepper/

Below is a link from the USDA and NMDA showing chile production in NM, partly by county. Note that the county Hatch is in, Doña Ana county, produces less than a quarter of all NM chile production and Hatch is only a tiny fraction of Doña Ana county. Note too that only about 20% of the total NM crop is sold fresh. So how is the chile from the rest of the state marketed/labelled? Hmmmm. https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics...Production.pdf

Yet another interesting fact is that most all of the chile seed planted in Hatch is actually grown in Arizona, so there’s no evolutionarily acclimating to the Hatch "terroir" over time: https://www.azfb.org/Article/The-Sto...thout-Ed-Curry

The good news is that any New Mexico pod-type chile grown in New Mexico will be very good, as will chiles from the hotter parts of Arizona and Colorado. Heck, even chiles from Texas will be good.

If you can make it to Hatch for their Chile Festival (Sept 2-4 this year), absolutely do so. It’s a hoot, including their tiny old-timey parade. You’ll be able buy all the tasty chiles you want, and, hey, even learn how to tie a ristra. Hatch is a tiny town, so I recommend getting a room in nearby Las Cruces, which also worth exploring.

Bottom line: If it's being sold as "Hatch"; it's probably good even if it wasn't grown in Hatch.

Oh, if you do get to Hatch, go to Sparky’s to eat. BBQ, green chile burgers, and all the kitsch you can handle. Oddly, I have found the actual Mexican restaurants in Hatch to be less than sterling.

New addition: There is no such variety/cultivar as a "Hatch" Chile. There ARE chiles grown in the Hatch region and they grow numerous cultivars/varieties. Some cultivars are Joe E Parker, Big Jim, Barker's Hot, New Mexico 6-4, NuMex Heritage 6-4, R Naky... These cultivars vary quite a bit with respect to their heat level. The "terroir" of the tiny Hatch area is duplicated for tens, maybe a hundred or more miles to both the north and south along the Rio Grande valley.

Again, if you find chiles labelled as "Hatch", they're almost certainly gonna be good.

Again,, PEACE. I just have to set the record straight.

[DaveD]

Thank you for this excellent info! I remember learning some similar vagaries about hop varieties and cultivars back when I was homebrewing...

[Willy]

DaveD Yer welcome. It satisfied this crotchety old coot to be able to be able to scratch an itch! ;«)

[DaveD]

Guess I never updated the "received wisdom" I got when I lived in ABQ from '02-'09... had no idea about so much being grown elsewhere! What do you reckon about the chiles in local NM grocery stores, roasting in the drums out front? Presumably they'd get theirs from in state? Or is it luck of the draw for all comers?

[Willy]

DaveD I reckon I don't know what to reckon. LOL My best guess is that most New Mexico pod types that are sold anywhere, even in NM and AZ (my state--I'm about four hours from Hatch) are NOT actually grown in Hatch. It's just too small an area for the sales volume that is claimed. I have even heard--but never verified--that some of what is sold by road side vendors in Hatch during the Chile Festival was actually grown in AZ. Almost certainly, chile vendors in/around Hatch are selling pods grown outside the Hatch area. Perhaps, the big name Hatch mail order places are more strict.

The good part IMHO: the NM pod type (with all of its cultivars that vary so much by heat level and pod size) is a great chile to eat/roast green/red, regardless of its growing location (unless it was grown in Minnesota or Maine--LOL--just kidding. I bet Spinaker could grow some decent "Hatches" given a long, hot summer.). I suspect any chile being sold as Hatch anywhere in the US will give ya what ya want.

For me, if my grocery stores (all three of 'em) are selling "Hatch chiles"—and they are, I'm buying. Now I have a hankerin' to visit Hatch (and Sparky's!) in a couple of weeks.