Tis The Season To Roast Chile Peppers

made some red chile and pork tonight for dinner was delicious

Botch said:

Regarding different climates (Hatch vs Colorado vs etc...)
The climate in different years make a big difference, too (just like wines).  My first year in Albuquerque (1988) was my intro to chiles, and even the locals were sweating and coughing, the chiles were HOT that year (very little rainfall, so the pepper plants increase the capsaisin in their fruits to resist munching by the local fauna). The local food writers noted the differences each year, was cool to track, and taste, it all.  

Yep.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terroir

bgebrent said:

NPHuskerFL said:

12 hrs roasting
2.5 hrs peeling, chopping and freezer bag portioning. All of this was done as a family. It's a must IMHO. 
I'll post more Pics tomorrow. We're gonna eat brownies now!

Just "brownies"?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ae4PGTk9LhU

NPHuskerFL said:

12 hrs roasting
2.5 hrs peeling, chopping and freezer bag portioning. All of this was done as a family. It's a must IMHO. 
I'll post more Pics tomorrow. We're gonna eat brownies now!

NM Chiles and Colorado brownies!  Darn fine combination there Blake

Local market here had Hatch chile for $.68 per pound, that was an amazing price and they're great chile.  Picked up two full paper grocery sacks and roasted them off last weekend.  I used to order the 25lb. box from Barringer Farms in Hatch, but was 2.50 to 3 buck a pound +shipping.

I pack them in 1 cup packages to just throw in a pot of beans frozen or other stews.

NPHuskerFL said:

The upper shelf pictured is this year's roasted green chile. Most of the portioned packages seen are chopped 2C in quart sized freezer bags and a few are whole chiles set aside for rellenos. The bottom shelf is what we had left of last year's roasted Hatch. We have some being shipped from Hatch this week. It may seem like a lot but, this is a staple in our household. Many swear by packaging with the peel on. We prefer to get that out of the way and portion in meal sizes so all we have to do is defrost and prep the rest of the meal. Not to mention it takes up less valuable real estate in the freezer. 

Nice Blake!  When I grow up I want a dedicated chili freezer!

@NPHuskerFL you need to make an investment in a small roaster. I stumbled into roasted chiles about a decade ago and they have since become an obsession. We grow them here at home in Utah and what started out as a small hobby garden has turned into a harvest of 1800-2300 chiles a season. Enough to fill a full size freezer and just enough to give friends and survive until spring. Anyway, we used to roast them on the grill and last season I roasted a few on the egg but nothing compares to a little dedicated roaster. This is a small table to unit and will comfortably roast around 50 Big Jims in about a minute and a half. As an added bonus you get to keep all the hair and skin on your knuckles! We harvest around 200 peppers a week and they are roasted and vac packed in less than a hour leaving the skins on. Doing them on hot coals I thought would impart some flavor but i could not tell the difference in taste. All I know is that it is much less work. Like the egg it is one of the best investments I have made.

They are Big Jims, it's the only big chile we grow. Once you use a roaster you won't believe the difference in time. What used to take the wife and I darn near an entire weekend I can now accomplish on my own in an hour or two. I was at first depressed when I found that the little unit I had could only do 60 or so at a time. That is until I used it. I found that about 40 is optimum and they are done in about a minute and a half. I will roast about three to four batches and let them sweat and cool in paper bags for about 10 min. Then I pack them by a dozen per vacuum bag. Then I roast the rest and finish. I will never go back to doing it on the grill unless it's just a few. And by all means leave the skin on. It's much easier peel them after they have been frozen. It just peels right off.

@NPHuskerFL Blake you have been a very busy man....very nicely done there my friend. Beautiful.

@blasting and @NPHuskerFL I found mine new at http://www.arizonachileroasters.com. I have no affiliation with them other than purchasing a roaster a few years back. So far so good. I have put 4000-5000 chiles through it and it works like a champ. Mine is just a three burner tabletop model and it's really all I need. Anything bigger would service a commercial operation. You can find manufacturers all over the southwest but beware most roasters are made to order as they are a specialty item. You may not be able to get one in time for this season. That being said, I had mine within two weeks.

NPHuskerFL said:

@Carolina Q first and foremost find a spicy Latina 
Just some of the things I personally use them for. Chile Rellenos, Nachos, Huevos Rancheros, Smothered Burritos both white sauced and traditional, burgers for topping and stuffed, chicken topping and for stuffing on a Ballotine or breast fillet, enchiladas, jam, fish (assorted), etc...even just to snack on
If you are a novice then perhaps maybe you might not know. Eat a few and compare them and you'll notice slight differences in the overall flavor profile. 

Any chance at a recipe for green chile sauce or stew? Something to smother a burger or enchilada with?