Roasting Chiles

This year — along with cinnamon basil, lemon thyme, and red onions — we grew some Anaheim Chiles in our raised container garden.    We do not use additional pesticides or fertilizers on our vegetables and herbs.   Our one plant yielded about 20 chiles ranging 3″ to 6″ long.   These chiles are relatively mild with a Scoville rating of typically less than 2,500.

Unless you are running a Mexican cantina, your usage of chiles will most likely be a few times a month.  One method for preserving your fresh chiles for future use is to roast and then freeze them.

You can roast them over open flame, on a gas grill, or with a chile roaster.   Some people have even reported success using a conventional kitchen oven.   As I was hoping to infuse a bit of a smokey flavor into the chiles, I chose to do them over an open flame.   If you chose this method, be sure to ensure that a “No Burn” day is not in effect for your municipality.

I picked the chiles off the vine and brought them straight to a mesquite-fueled fire I had built in a large terra cotta pot.

You may be tempted to wash the chiles.  Don’t.   Doing so will wash away many of the distinctive flavorful natural oils.

On top of the terra cotta pot, I placed a small grate designed for a Weber grill.   These are available for about $10 at Home Depot or Lowe’s.   Your fire should be built so that the tips of the flame just reach the grate as you are attempting to roast the chiles; not incinerate them.

As the chiles cook, they will most likely move and possibly sizzle as the juices inside heat up.   When the underside of the chile becomes charred and blistered you can turn them over and let the other side cook.   When both sides are cooked, remove the chiles from the grill and head to your prep area.

Moisten a paper towel and wrap the chiles in it.   Place the chiles and paper towel into a Ziploc-style bag and seal it.   Leave the chiles in the sealed bag for about 20 minutes.   This process will steam the blistered skin, loosening it for easy removal.

After the 20 minutes have elapsed, remove the chiles from the bag.     If roasting any chile hotter than an Anaheim, wear food-safe nitrile gloves to protect your skin from the capsaicin.  Regardless if you choose to wear gloves, do not touch your eyes anytime during the prep process!   Using your gloved hands, peel the skins from the chile.   These should peel off relatively easily.

Next, cut the stem of the chile off and discard it.  Use your knife to cut each chile open and do your best to remove all the seeds.   Cut the remaining flesh into 1/4″ wide strips and place these in a marked freezer-bag.

Place the sliced chiles in the freezer for future use.   Frozen at 0°F, the chiles should remain usable for the next 12 months.