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Drying Green Chillies

Drying Green Chillies is a traditional Mexican method for preserving chillies, first by smoking on a barbecue and then sun drying. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Mexican version of: Drying Green Chillies.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

360 minutes

Total Time:

380 minutes

Additional Time:

(+7 days drying)

Makes:

1 batch

Rating:

Tags : Chilli RecipesMexico Recipes

Smoking chillies, to make chipotles is an excellent way of both flavouring and preserving chillies. It is an ancient method of preserving, going back to at least 200 CE in Mesoamerica. However, it was the Aztecs who brought this method of preserving to its pinnacle and introduced the world to chipotles.

For this method I will use a standard kettle barbecue, but you can also use an indoor hot smoker.

Ingredients:

1kg chillies, washed
200g wood chips (fruit wood, mesquite, hickory)

Method:

For all kinds of smoking it is recommended that you do not use resinous woods (ie pine) as these can impart an unpleasant 'medicinal' note to the food being smoked.

Place the charcoal on your barbecue (you need any type with a lid — a kettle barbecue is perfect) and light. Allow the coals to become hot for about 20 to 30 minutes. Place the wood chips in a large bowl, cover with water and set aside to soak.

Remove the stem ends from the chillies, split in half and scrape out the seeds.

When the barbecue is hot, drain the wood chips and scatter 2/3 over the hot coals. Cover and when smoking put the split chillies on the grill. Cover the barbecue with a lid and allow the chillies to smoke for about 6 hours, or until essentially dry. During this time, top up the charcoal and the wood chips as needed to keep the fire and the smoke going.

At the end of the 6 hours remove the chillies and set aside to dry. Test them for dryness. If they snap rather than bending when flexed, they are dry. However, if not dry place in a very low oven for 2 hours and test for dryness again.

When dried, store in an air-tight tin out of the sun. Alternatively thread onto string and hang in your kitchen.