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Chipotles?

Satch_Q
Satch_Q Posts: 105
in EggHead Forum
Its getting to be that time of year around here and my jalapeños are beginning to turn red. Has anybody smoked them on the egg? How well can I expect to hold temps in the 180 range with a cyberq? Will the charcoal add an off taste as opposed to smoking over a bed of nothing but pecan? i normally finish them in a dehydrator so the fact the egg holds moisture longer isn't really a factor. Any advice?
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  • TexanOfTheNorth
    TexanOfTheNorth Posts: 3,951
    I'm getting ready to do some myself (although my jalapenos) are green. I've never done them before. I was going to try to smoke them closer to 140*. Planning on using some used lump with pecan wood. I'll smoke them for as long as I can keep the temp down. I don't have a dehydrator so will finish them in the over or just air dry them in the sun.

    If you've done them before, any advice/tips would be appreciated.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Well, "spa-Peggy" is kind of like spaghetti. I'm not sure what Peggy does different, if anything. But it's the one dish she's kind of made her own.
    ____________________
    Aurora, Ontario, Canada
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  • Satch_Q
    Satch_Q Posts: 105
    140 is probably a better target temp. I'm just not sure I can achieve that without a smoke generator. I did do some last year in my little propane powered smoker and they turned out awesome! The lowest temp I could manage in that was about 180 and I'm guessing the egg may be difficult below 200. Not much experience here with the egg at this point so I'm just guessing. Anyway, used pecan as I read this was the traditional wood for this. Smoked for about 6hrs before transferring to the dehydrator. The small amount I did was all ground into powder and it was amazing! Had a nicely smokey taste with a bit of heat. We used it up quickly as I added it to everything for a little smokey flavor. And I found its far more flavorful than any of the chipotle powders found in the stores. 
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  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490
    If you want to cold smoke them I think you need to look at some other smoke generator.  I know a lot of people like the A-maze-in smoker.  I also recall people did this using a soldering iron and a coffee can with some chips in the egg.   One other method I have seen is to use two smokers and use a dryer vent to connect the exhaust of one smoker to the intake of the other.  

    Which came first the chicken or the egg?  I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg. 

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  • TexanOfTheNorth
    TexanOfTheNorth Posts: 3,951
    I've found that the "trick" to getting 140* is to use just a couple of pieces of lump. I'll add some pecan chunks around those for smoke and can add additional pieces of lump as needed. Hope to get started this evening and may just leave them on the egg overnight. I realize I won't be able to maintain 140* through the night but can't see any harm in doing so.

    Will probably grind mine when they have fully dried.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Well, "spa-Peggy" is kind of like spaghetti. I'm not sure what Peggy does different, if anything. But it's the one dish she's kind of made her own.
    ____________________
    Aurora, Ontario, Canada
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  • Satch_Q
    Satch_Q Posts: 105
    @SmokeyPitt A cold smoke generator is probably the way to go but if I can't do it directly in the egg I will probably just use the propane unit since I still have it. It's not ideal but it worked well last season. Going to do a trial run for temps in the next few days. Hopefully I can keep sub 200. We'll see. If not I might connect the two but I'm not sure I would be able to acheive the draft as the propane unit is sealed at all really. 
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  • Griffin
    Griffin Posts: 8,200
    If you have a pit controller, ie cyberq, you should be able to maintain 180 easily. I've kept 150 for hours before while smoking sausage. What I like to do is just light a 3 or 4 good fist sized chunks of lump outside of the egg and then drop them into my egg with previously used lump (so no VOCs, don't use fresh lump) and let the pit controller take it from there.

    Rowlett, Texas

    Griffin's Grub or you can find me on Facebook

    The Supreme Potentate, Sovereign Commander and Sultan of Wings

     

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  • Griffin
    Griffin Posts: 8,200
    No experience with chipotles, but if it works for sausage it should work.

    Rowlett, Texas

    Griffin's Grub or you can find me on Facebook

    The Supreme Potentate, Sovereign Commander and Sultan of Wings

     

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  • Satch_Q
    Satch_Q Posts: 105
    @TexanOfTheNorth I will give that shot. Thanks!
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  • TexanOfTheNorth
    TexanOfTheNorth Posts: 3,951
    Satch_Q said:
    @TexanOfTheNorth I will give that shot. Thanks!
    I'll let you know how it works after trying it this evening.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Well, "spa-Peggy" is kind of like spaghetti. I'm not sure what Peggy does different, if anything. But it's the one dish she's kind of made her own.
    ____________________
    Aurora, Ontario, Canada
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  • Satch_Q
    Satch_Q Posts: 105
    @Griffin Thanks! What size egg are you using? LBGE here.
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  • Griffin
    Griffin Posts: 8,200
    Large.

    Rowlett, Texas

    Griffin's Grub or you can find me on Facebook

    The Supreme Potentate, Sovereign Commander and Sultan of Wings

     

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  • Griffin
    Griffin Posts: 8,200

    Rowlett, Texas

    Griffin's Grub or you can find me on Facebook

    The Supreme Potentate, Sovereign Commander and Sultan of Wings

     

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  • Satch_Q
    Satch_Q Posts: 105
    Maybe I'll skip the peppers and move on to sausage. Those look delicious!
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  • Richard Fl
    Richard Fl Posts: 8,297
    edited August 2015
    Did some awhile back,  next batch will pull around 4 hours and get BGE to 200F

    http://www.greeneggers.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&func=view&id=1275667&catid=1

    Liked the smokyness but not the black color so next day did 3#'s in electric oven 200F for 10 hours turning every now and then.  Liked better and the color was reddish orange.  Think I had BGE up too high.
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  • TexanOfTheNorth
    TexanOfTheNorth Posts: 3,951
    Richard Fl said:
    Did some awhile back,  next batch will pull around 4 hours and get BGE to 200F

    http://www.greeneggers.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&func=view&id=1275667&catid=1

    Liked the smokyness but not the black color so next day did 3#'s in electric oven 200F for 10 hours turning every now and then.  Liked better and the color was reddish orange.  Think I had BGE up too high.
    Nice. Thanks for the link
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Well, "spa-Peggy" is kind of like spaghetti. I'm not sure what Peggy does different, if anything. But it's the one dish she's kind of made her own.
    ____________________
    Aurora, Ontario, Canada
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  • Satch_Q
    Satch_Q Posts: 105
    @Richard Fl Thanks for the info! Btw, I normally slice the peppers in half if the end goal is to grind for spice. Smoke has better access to the meat, they dry quicker and you can remove some or all the seeds which will lower the heat level of the spice if desired.
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  • NPHuskerFL
    NPHuskerFL Posts: 17,629
    You're just trying to get smoke in them and then dehydrate right?  If so dial in your controller to say 180℉ish and dryer vent the chimney to a cheap Styrofoam box to smoke. Maybe? :pensive: 
    LBGE 2013 & MM 2014
    Die Hard HUSKER & BRONCO FAN
    Flying Low & Slow in "Da Burg" FL
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  • Satch_Q
    Satch_Q Posts: 105
    @NPHuskerFL Yep! Just looking for the best method since I've not done them on the egg before. Was initially concerned about keeping low temps but from the looks of what others have posted here and on various forum pages my concerns maybe unwarranted. Going to make a trail run or two with a couple of the methods mentioned before I go ahead with the peppers. I'll report back with the results. The first peppers are just starting to ripen now so the project is still weeks away. I think the most difficult part of this may be letting the peppers ripen on the vine. It is already maddening to hold off on  picking them.
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  • Satch_Q
    Satch_Q Posts: 105
    I've already failed on the not picking part. The first one was snagged for some nachos yesterday morning.
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  • Griffin
    Griffin Posts: 8,200
    Fail? Looks like winning to me. 'Cept they could use some meat...

    Rowlett, Texas

    Griffin's Grub or you can find me on Facebook

    The Supreme Potentate, Sovereign Commander and Sultan of Wings

     

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  • Satch_Q
    Satch_Q Posts: 105
    Agree about the need for meat. I was in a hurry. =)
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  • TexanOfTheNorth
    TexanOfTheNorth Posts: 3,951
    Put my jalapenos on last evening when I got home from work. Was able to maintain dome temp of 150* or so with several pieces of used lump and some pecan chunks. Just left them on when I went to bed. Took them off the egg when I got up this morning. They have a nice smoky aroma but, I can still smell some jalapeno. I've never done these before so not exactly sure what to aim for. In any event, they are sitting on the kitchen counter. I may give them another couple of hours of smoke when I get home tonight (or not). Weather forecast is calling for cloudy weather for the next couple of days so I guess I will end up drying them in the oven.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Well, "spa-Peggy" is kind of like spaghetti. I'm not sure what Peggy does different, if anything. But it's the one dish she's kind of made her own.
    ____________________
    Aurora, Ontario, Canada
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  • Satch_Q
    Satch_Q Posts: 105
    TexanOfTheNorth said:
    Put my jalapenos on last evening when I got home from work. Was able to maintain dome temp of 150* or so with several pieces of used lump and some pecan chunks. Just left them on when I went to bed. Took them off the egg when I got up this morning. They have a nice smoky aroma but, I can still smell some jalapeno. I've never done these before so not exactly sure what to aim for. In any event, they are sitting on the kitchen counter. I may give them another couple of hours of smoke when I get home tonight (or not). Weather forecast is calling for cloudy weather for the next couple of days so I guess I will end up drying them in the oven.
    I would think overnight would be plenty of smoke but that's just a guess. There is not much info floating around and what I have found in regards to smoke and time have been all over the map. I have only done them once in my little propane smoker and in that I did about 6hrs of smoke. However, I had the smoke rolling in that thing. On the egg I just don't know. Until they are dry you are going to smell the jalapeño so I don't think that's an issue. I've only done the ripe ones as well. The green peppers have a much brighter taste and smell so I'll be waiting to hear how this works out. At any rate I think you'll be pleased in the end. Let us know how it turns out.

    Glad to hear about the temp control with the used lump. Gives me some confidence I can get this done and ditch the propane unit.
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  • TexanOfTheNorth
    TexanOfTheNorth Posts: 3,951
    Satch_Q said:
    TexanOfTheNorth said:
    Put my jalapenos on last evening when I got home from work. Was able to maintain dome temp of 150* or so with several pieces of used lump and some pecan chunks. Just left them on when I went to bed. Took them off the egg when I got up this morning. They have a nice smoky aroma but, I can still smell some jalapeno. I've never done these before so not exactly sure what to aim for. In any event, they are sitting on the kitchen counter. I may give them another couple of hours of smoke when I get home tonight (or not). Weather forecast is calling for cloudy weather for the next couple of days so I guess I will end up drying them in the oven.
    I would think overnight would be plenty of smoke but that's just a guess. There is not much info floating around and what I have found in regards to smoke and time have been all over the map. I have only done them once in my little propane smoker and in that I did about 6hrs of smoke. However, I had the smoke rolling in that thing. On the egg I just don't know. Until they are dry you are going to smell the jalapeño so I don't think that's an issue. I've only done the ripe ones as well. The green peppers have a much brighter taste and smell so I'll be waiting to hear how this works out. At any rate I think you'll be pleased in the end. Let us know how it turns out.

    Glad to hear about the temp control with the used lump. Gives me some confidence I can get this done and ditch the propane unit.
    I would not say that my smoke was "rolling" at my low temp and, I really have no idea how much smoke they got through the night (egg was "cold" when I took them off this morning). I did not have/take time to see exactly how much of my pecan was left in the firebox. I will do that tonight so that I can get a better idea of how much smoke may have been generated.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Well, "spa-Peggy" is kind of like spaghetti. I'm not sure what Peggy does different, if anything. But it's the one dish she's kind of made her own.
    ____________________
    Aurora, Ontario, Canada
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  • Satch_Q
    Satch_Q Posts: 105
    @TexanOfTheNorth Well, how did it workout or did you put them back on?
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  • TexanOfTheNorth
    TexanOfTheNorth Posts: 3,951
    Satch_Q said:
    @TexanOfTheNorth Well, how did it workout or did you put them back on?
    Decided to give them a couple more hours of smoke this evening. Now just need to let them dry. Not sure I want to dry them in the oven as the lowest setting is 170*. Supposed to be cloudy tomorrow and the sunny through the weekend so hopefully that will work. 

    Here's what they look like after the final smoke:


    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Well, "spa-Peggy" is kind of like spaghetti. I'm not sure what Peggy does different, if anything. But it's the one dish she's kind of made her own.
    ____________________
    Aurora, Ontario, Canada
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  • Satch_Q
    Satch_Q Posts: 105
    edited August 2015
    TexanOfTheNorth said:
    Satch_Q said:
    @TexanOfTheNorth Well, how did it workout or did you put them back on?
    Decided to give them a couple more hours of smoke this evening. Now just need to let them dry. Not sure I want to dry them in the oven as the lowest setting is 170*. Supposed to be cloudy tomorrow and the sunny through the weekend so hopefully that will work. 

    Here's what they look like after the final smoke:


    You may want to jump in there and cut the tops off those. Will allow smoke inside and moisture to escape. Will be key if your going to try drying outside.
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  • TexanOfTheNorth
    TexanOfTheNorth Posts: 3,951
    @Satch_Q, that photo was taken just before I pulled the peppers off the egg. I ran the egg a little hotter last night (around 160-70*), generating much more smoke than the night before. Now, when I smell the peppers, I do not detect much, if any, jalapeno aroma at all. I'm really flying by the seat of my pants here so I have no idea if that's what I want or not.

    I understand what you're saying about cutting the tops off but, I think I'll leave them on and see how they turn out. I've bought dried peppers before and they always have the tops (and usually the whole stem) on. I realize that the ones I purchase are probably dried with a much more sophisticated process than what I am doing.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Well, "spa-Peggy" is kind of like spaghetti. I'm not sure what Peggy does different, if anything. But it's the one dish she's kind of made her own.
    ____________________
    Aurora, Ontario, Canada
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  • Satch_Q
    Satch_Q Posts: 105
    @TexanOfTheNorth Well, I tried smoking the peppers with the egg. The end result was a good tasting chipotle but the process just took too long and the low temp required too much management. If I were only going to do a batch or two it would work just fine. At this point I'm a couple hundred peppers in with about 500 more to go. I ended up building a little cold smoke generator for my old propane smoker. After much experimentation with the airflow into the chip chamber I finally landed on a mixture that gives a nice thin blue smoke for about 2hrs. Turns out 2hrs is all they need with this combo so that will really cut down on the time factor here. After that it's into the dehydrator to finish. The end product will definitely see its way back onto egg in the form of many different rubs. Anyway, thanks for your help regarding the egg. It absolutely works, I just have too much to process this year.
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