Chipotle Chiles, Capsicum annuum, are actually fully ripened and then smoked dried jalapeno chile peppers which are native to Veracruz, Mexico. Pronounced "chi-POHT-lay". It takes approximately 10 pounds of fresh jalapenos to make one pound of dried Chipotles, the end result is a dark brown to black colored, wrinkled pepper. There are two primary types of chipotle chiles – “”morita” and “meco”. These are the chipotle “morita” chiles.

There are approximately 9 chipotle “morita” chiles per ounce.

History of Chipotle Chiles

Chipotle, which comes from the Nahuatl word “chilpoctli” with "chil" meaning chile pepper and "poctli” meaning smoked (was originally “pochilli”). Morita means “small blackberry” in Spanish.

The ancient civilization of Teotihuacan was the largest city/ state in Mesoamerica (located north of modern day Mexico City). The original habitants of Teotihuacan smoked chiles hundreds of years before the Aztecs (1345-1521) did. This "smoke drying" process was initially used for drying meats but they found that smoking allowed the chiles to be stored for a long period of time. Teotihuacan is actually the Aztec name for the city, which translates to "Place of the Gods" as the original name has not been deciphered from surviving name glyphs (unique marks that collectively add up to the spelling of a word) at the site. Chile historians believe that the Aztecs also smoked jalapeno peppers because the fleshy, thick walls of the jalapeno were often difficult to dry in the sun and tended to rot.

Jalapeños are named after the town of Xalapa (often spelled as Jalapa) in Véracruz State (although no longer commercially grown there), and are also known by the names cuaresmeños, gordo or Lenten chiles. In Veracruz jalapenos are called “chiles gordos”, in Puebla and Oaxaca they're are called “huachinangos”.  In its dried form, the traditional chipotle chile (known as chipotle “meco”) is a dull tan to deep coffee brown in color with a wrinkled, ridged surface. It is usually 2” to 4” long and 1” wide, with a medium thick flesh.

A Spanish friar living in Mexico in the 1500s wrote of a dish he ate in Cholula (modern day Puebla) called "teatzin" which had a sauce made from chipotle and pasilla chiles that was used to stew Lenten palm flowers and fresh jalapeno chiles.

After the fall of the Aztec Empire (1345-1521), smoked chiles were found mostly in central and southern Mexico markets of Chiapas, Oaxaca, Puebla and Veracruz.

Chipotle Chile Cultivation

The jalapeno plant reaches a height of two and a half to three feet tall with leaves that are about 3” long x 2” wide and are a light to dark green in color. The flower petals are white with no spots which give way to the fruit which becomes cylindrical and conical and typically between 1” and 3” long. The growing period is typically 70 - 80 days.  

Jalapenos are commercially grown and smoked in the lower Palaloapan River Valley in the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Véracruz, northern Veracruz and the region around Delicias, Chihuahua (located in northern Mexico). Of the total Mexican jalapeno crop 20% is earmarked for fresh consumption, 60% for processing and the remaining 20% is to be smoke-dried into chipotles.

Once harvested, the ripe chiles are moved to a smoking chamber, where they are placed on racks and dried for several days (or longer) with low heat and wood smoke. Every few hours they’re gently stirred to expose all sides of the chile to more smoke; the smokier, the better. Creative and unscrupulous producers have started to use large capacity gas driers, spraying the chiles with liquid smoke to mimic the traditional smoking process. To tell if your chipotle’s have been treated this way, we recommend smelling your chiles as liquid smoke will often leave an unpleasant artificial chemical fragrance.

Our chipotle chiles are smoked using either pecan wood or applewood. 

More than One Type of Chipotle

A true chile head knows that not all Chipotles are created equal. There are actually two types of Chipotle chiles found in the US, the more common is the Chipotle “Morita” and the harder to find (and the one that serious chile lovers believe is better quality) smoked jalapeno that’s called the Chipotle “Meco”. The more common variety of smoked jalapenos is usually referred to as just “chipotle chiles”. This chile is typically the variety known as Chipotle “Morita” which translates to "little blackberry" in Spanish. Both the "meco" and the "morita" are smoked jalapenos.

There are some not so subtle differences between the two -- while both are left on the vine to fully ripen to red they are smoked differently. The "meco" also tends to be a bit larger of the two and more importantly is also smoked about twice as long. This makes them less leathery and pliable than the "morita." But, this also gives the “meco” a smokier, more intensely rich flavor than the "Morita". Chipotle Morita chiles are generally produced in northern Mexico, while the Chipotle Meco Chiles are typically grown and smoked in central and southern Mexico.

The Chipotle Meco, is also known as “chile ahumado” or “típico”, is a grayish-tan in color with a dusty looking surface, some say it resembles a cigar butt. They tend to be smokier in taste, and are the preferred chipotle of most native Mexicans. They’re also sometimes referred to as “chile navideño” because they are reconstituted and stuffed to make a very traditional dish popular at Christmas time.

There’s a third variety of smoked jalapenos called "Capones" which means "castrated ones" and these are very rare in the US. This is a red jalapeno has had the seeds removed prior to smoking.  

Cooking with Chipotle Chiles

Originally, Chipotle chiles were most commonly used to flavor salsas, stews and soups but now this popular flavor has found its way into everything from fried chicken to chips.

Chipotle chiles are excellent with beef, chicken and pork chops and one of our favorite recipes is Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie.

Your recipe may call for the chipotle chiles to be lightly toasted (or roasted) as this really brings out the flavor in them. We have also had some recipes calling for them to be lightly fried in oil or even burnt black.

To toast your dried chipotles, they can be lightly toasted on a dry comal (a smooth, flat griddle used in Mexico to cook tortillas, toast spices and sear meat) or a skillet (we prefer cast iron), just until they get fragrant and swell slightly. Be careful not to overcook as this makes them bitter. Once toasted, the seeds and ribs can be removed if you wish to have less heat and the chiles can then be ground or used whole. Some traditional Mexican sauces call for the toasted chiles to be sautéed in lard or oil prior to being pureed.

You can rehydrate them by soaking in hot water for about 20 minutes and then draining odd the excess liquid. Sometime we keep the excess liquid and add it the dish during cooking for even more flavor (especially soups and stews).

Try chipotles in brownies, cakes, chilaquiles (a traditional Mexican dish of fried tortillas bathed in green or red salsa until tender), chile con carne, scrambled eggs, pickled vegetables, salsas, cooked sauces soups, stews, queso or even stuffed and baked.

Flavor Profile and Heat Level

These chiles have a smoky, somewhat sweet chocolaty aroma and flavor.

Chipotle “Morita” chiles are considered a medium heat chile and come it at 5,000 - 10,000 SHU (Scoville Heat Units).

** This product is certified kosher.

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