Fresh hatch chiles!

[jtw]

I have about a pound of fresh hatch chiles. Someone tell me what to do with them. I can buy more if I necessary.

[barelfly]

Roast those suckers, get a good char on the outer skin. Throw them in a ziplock bag and let them steam for a while, about an hour, then peel the skin off.

Form there, you can use in anything. Green chile cheese burger. Or, make a green chile fettuccine Alfredo with chicken.

or, make some green chile stew, which I’ve posted on here with recipe and step by step.

One of my other favorites, green chile chicken enchiladas!

[barelfly]

Oh, and go buy more! 1lb is really nothing after you roast them. They do freeze well, in sandwich size zipper top bags. At least that’s how I store the 15lbs I buy each year.

man, you are in for a treat!

[Mosca]

barelfly is correct. Char, clean, and freeze. I clean before charring, that works better for me.

I actually weighed mine when I sealed them, they lose about 50%, between seeds, stems, skin, and water loss. I started with 3lbs, and froze 3 8oz pouches.

I charred mine on the gasser, btw. That was very fast and efficient. There’s no point in smoking them at that stage, they’re more versatile when natural.

This has been my first encounter with them. I’ve heard they vary from mild to reasonably hot. The ones at my grocery are hot, as in "wear gloves and don’t touch your eyes or other places" hot. Not serranos, but close. Like hot jalaps. Yours might be different.

[tstalafuse]

I have a roaster for my GMG grill that I just did a couple of pounds. Char the on high heat with a light smoke, peel the skins, and you have an amazing chili.

[jtw]

Awesome, this is great to know. I'll sear and peel them - I suspect they're on the milder side but you never know with fresh peppers.

They're also only $2.99/lb so I'll buy more. Lord knows I've wasted more money than that on other ventures.....

[barelfly]

Attjack posted a few photos that show a great step by step on this process, it was fairly recent. You could search for that as well.

[jtw]

Has anyone tried fermenting these things?

[Allon]

Another ingredient I know nothing about. I have to say, I'm glad google doesn't charge for searches...

[realdocBBQ]

I charred about 3-4 pounds the other day, also charred a couple of white onions with them and split 'em into 2 gallon ziplocs to freeze. They'll be a pretty ready-to-use kit for pork chile verde a couple of times!

I may go buy some more this weekend, wife is heading to Miami, so I've got the whole weekend to cook and occupy myself.

[Jfrosty27]

Forgive me everyone, but what are hatch chilies and why are they such a big deal? I see them talked about all the time here and I never heard of them before. Please educate me. Thanks.

[realdocBBQ]

Kind of like an Anaheim, but better flavor. It's a cult. Is it worth the hype? I dunno. But Anaheims are kinda bland, so there is a discernable difference.

[Mosca]

Jfrosty27 Allon I’d seen them for sale online, but never ordered them. Then this year they are in my local market for $1.99/lb… I’m in!

This is the first I’ve worked with them. realdocBBQ is pretty accurate with his description. Hatch chiles are richer in flavor than Anaheims, like the difference between tomatoes in August vs tomatoes in February. Maybe not that stark.

How I see it: a couple years ago I made New Mexico chile cheeseburgers using Anaheim peppers, and I thought it was a pain in the ass and not worth the trouble, and I didn’t make them again. Now that I’ve made them with these, I think about the next time I can make them. They have that "pull you back" memory that good food has. No more or less work than the same meal with Anaheims. Different flavor and different connection to the meal.

[Mosca]

Picked up another few pounds. $2/lb is cheap for produce, around here.

[Mosca]

realdocBBQ I did the first batch by roasting them then cleaning them, and all the others by cleaning them first. For me, the raw peppers are easier to deal with: cut the top off, run a paring knife around the inside, dig out the seeds, and rinse the rest of the seeds out. I got through 4 lbs (30 chiles) in just a few minutes. Then after they’re roasted, just peel. But I’m sure other folks find it easier to roast first. Try one and see what you think.

[Murdy]

I have always cleaned my peppers first.

[Smoked Transistors]

You can never have enough Hatch Green Chilies. They are addictive and the season is short, before you know it they are gone till next year.

[jfmorris]

I need to see if my local Kroger or somewhere like Fresh Market still has Hatch chilis. They've not been advertising them since the first week they showed up here. I think the 1.5 pounds I put away in the freezer won't last me once I figure out what to do with them!

[Bkhuna]

I'm making green chili cheese burgers this weekend. I still have plenty from the 20 lbs I got last year. Fresh Market had them the other day but only a couple of day's supply. I bough a couple of pounds just to have some fun roasting them this year.