Anonymous Tue May 23 19:38:11 2006

1 pound ripe (red) jalapenos

Americans who love the smoky taste and fiery bite of chipotles have recently been hit with

high prices and a scarcity of product. With prices for these smoked jalapenos reaching a

pound wholesale, home growers yearn to smoke their own. But the Mexicans have been

fairly secretive about their techniques, and none of the books on chilies describe home

smoking. After a trip to Delicos, Mexico, I think I have solved this mystery -- but the process

takes some dedication. First, let\'s look at how the Mexicans do it. They use a large pit with

a rack to smoke-dry the jalapenos. The pit containing the source of heat is underground,

with a tunnel leading to the rack. The pods are placed on top of the rack where drafts of air

pull the smoke up and over the pods. The jalapenos can be whole pods or pods without

seeds. The latter are more expensive and are called \