Just as we dry fruits and vegetables to make them last longer and create concentrative flavors, chili peppers are also dried to preserve and intensify them. Thankfully, most chili peppers are simply air dried, either by way of sunshine, ovens, or a dehydrator. Jalapeños and poblanos, however, because of their thick-skinned nature, are commonly dried by smoking.
How Do I Identify Smoke Dried Peppers?
Dried jalapeños become Chipotles and Moritas. Dried poblanos become Ancho and Mulato peppers. Chipotle peppers are basically the green skinned, unmatured jalapeños. Morita peppers are the fully matured, red skinned jalapeños. Similarly, Ancho peppers come from green skinned poblanos. Mulato peppers originate from matured brown-skinned poblanos.
Ancho peppers are not always smoked but Mulato peppers typically are. The reason? Once these peppers are fully matured, the next stage is rotting. Smoking matured poblanos will dry them much faster and extend their use for sale.
Any other type of pepper you find smoked for sale, likely would have been processed that way for the flavoring goals, not because they were hard to dry.
Are There Risks Consuming Smoked Foods?
Studies have been published as to the health effects of consuming smoked foods, particularly with meats and processed foods. Epidemiological studies have correlated an increased risk of intestinal cancer with the frequent intake of smoked foods due to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (also known as PAH) that are deposited into the food. Chili peppers however, are usually consumed in far lower proportions than other denser and caloric rich foods such as meat. Nevertheless, a risk is still a risk, and with all the other cumulative toxins we are exposed to on a daily basis, eating cleaner has no doubt, become essential. At any rate, if our diet is not habitually filled with entrees from the Standard American Diet, occasionally enjoying a sauce with smoked dried peppers shouldn’t be a cause for concern.
Which Peppers are Smoked the Less?
Morita vs. Chipotle Meco: Morita Chipotle peppers are matured red jalapeños and smoked for a shorter length of time than the brownish grey, drier type of the Meco. This is apparent by their maintained softness, color, and flavor. So in order to avoid the heavily smoked peppers, check for softness and color of the pepper. You can also just exchange out the smoked peppers for dried peppers that have a naturally smoked flavor. In our book, we've included a Chili Pepper Comparison Chart that lists many of the dried peppers we've used along with their flavor profiles to help you identify which ones have a naturally smoked flavor.
Spanish Paprika: Besides being smoked with oak wood, did you know Spanish paprika can also be smoke dried with tobacco leaves? Not all Spanish paprika products are dried this way, but this could make anyone concerned wonder if the “gourmet” bought from Spain, sitting in the kitchen cabinet, was processed this way. To avoid smoked paprika in your recipes, use unsmoked Spanish paprika. New Mexican ground Chimayo chili powder is another excellent substitute as well. Chimayo gets its name from where it comes from, a small village in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo mountains. This part of New Mexico is drier than other parts of the state which helps to cultivate a pepper that tastes earthier and smokier than other New Mexican chilies.
