What is a Chipotle?
Lately, I have been seeing plenty of sauces, dips, marinades, and spices with the word Chipotle in the name. So, I had to ask myself, “Is Chipotle something new, or is something I have just become aware of, and by the way, what in the heck is a Chipotle Pepper?”
I’m still not sure, but I think Chipotles are something the food industry is just starting to market a lot. For sure, their flavor is astounding and is an interesting addition to your BBQ sauce, Chili, Beans, Mexican dishes, and a whole lot more.
This is what I’ve learned: Chipotles start as a regular jalapeno pepper, allowed to ripen to a full red color. Next they are split open and smoked. After absorbing that beautiful smoky flavor, they are dried (similar to a raisin.) What happens next depends on how they are going to be used. They can be packed and canned, or ground into a powder. They can be chopped and added to another product.
Two products I’ve recently bought with Chipotles are: Bronco Bob’s Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce and Tone’s Southwest Chipotle Seasoning. Both are highly recommended. It is the Tone’s that I recently used to add a unique smoky pepper flavor to my chili.
Southwest Chipotle Chili
serves 8-10 / prep. time: 25 minutes / cook time: all day
2 lb. ground beef, browned and drained
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans tomato sauce
1 can of each - navy beans, black beans, and light red kidney beans
1 can beer
3 T. Tone’s Southwest Chipotle Seasoning
4 strips of bacon, fried and crumbled
Put it all in your biggest pot or your crock pot and cook on low as long as possible. It shouldn’t be simmering, keep it just lower than that. Serve with cornbread, corn chips, hot dogs, or spaghetti noodles.
Add comment March 1st, 2006