Hatch Chili Peppers (Merged Topic)

[bobag87]

One of the problems with those claiming the chiles are bland (and please note in New Mexico it is "chile" for the peppers not "chili"), is that the commercial stores selling the chiles in August are getting an earlier crop that has not developed.  Traditionally in New Mexico, you would not really see chile season in effect until after labor day.  Central Market and Whole Foods bring in an earlier crop that is too young to have developed flavors.  Mid September is ideal. You want to see some of the chiles starting to turn red and that is when the flavor and heat is developed.  That crop tends to stay in New Mexico for local consumption.  My family is from New Mexico and, although now in Texas, we do a chile roast every year.  We have 275 pounds of chiles arriving for an October 4 roast.  It is a big event that requires weeks of prep with tamales, chicos (a rare traditional Native New Mexico corn dish with green chiles), posole, and all kinds of other dishes with red and green New Mexico chile.  We also do brisket and pork shoulder on the smoker as we are now in Texas with a New Mexico twist.  As we are late in the season, part of the chiles will be 50 lbs of fresh red chiles (fresh chiles that have turned red, but are not yet dried), a true New Mexico delicacy that is only available for about two weeks every year.  In New Mexico, you roast the chiles and then freeze.  Whether you are crazy enough to peel them all before freezing is a matter of motivation.  With 275 pounds, we roast and freeze with skin on.  When thawed we remove the stem and skin.  If interested, I can try to post about our preparation for chile roast over the next couple of weeks.

[Shelby]

Bobag87, I would love to see and hear about your big feast!!!  275 lbs.  wow!  That makes my measly 25 lb. box look very small lol.

 

Don't tell my husband, but I'm kind of debating whether to order another box......he will say we don't have the room in the freezer.....but they are sooooooo good.  I'm enjoying having fresh ones when ever I want.

[loki]

I lived in NM for years, and still go back often (maybe back soon too!). Shelby, I would never buy raw chiles.  The roasting part is difficult and they do it better.  For what you paid - I would expect them roasted, peeled and frozen shipped overnight!

 

Here's a recent Great Article

 

Anyway, Hatch has made a reputation on their chiles.  However they are not that special, except they grow a lot of them. In no way am I saying they are not good.  I stop there to get chiles when I'm near (though usually for red chile - green is easier to get at local farm stands or even supermarkets with a roaster outside).  Some of the best roasted green chiles I've ever had were from Colorado - the Animas River Valley. I've also had excellent ones from Central and Northern New Mexico.  Chimayo has famous red chile, but it's wonderful green too.

 

Also, there really is not a variety called Hatch, it's like Idaho potatoes, there really is not a variety, but most people think it's a Russet Burbank, but in reality it's any potato that is grown in Idaho, and uses the Idaho Potato Commission's trademark.  And I do go up (only 15-35 miles or so) nearly every year and get 50lb bags of Idaho potatoes, but usually yellow-fleshed varieties and reds (various varieties), as I like those better than mealy russets.

 

There are people claiming Hatch origins.  Even a company out of GA that has some sort of trademark called Hatch (which may get their chiles from anywhere).  So do get ones from known sources - and in this case local is easier to 'know'.

 

And you DO NOT freeze then roast: won't work.  Well, you might get the flavor, and it's probably OK for stew and such, but you won't get rellenos easily from that method.  I used to get them roasted, whole and freeze them. It's easier and they peel easily upon thawing.  But lately I've bought them peeled and chopped (no rellenos except a sort of erzatz version) and frozen, as they take up so much less room.  There is some debate whether the whole freezing with the burnt bit on them add more flavor - you could alway keep some of the larger peelings and put them in with the peeled peppers.

 

I would search out locally grown chiles and try them.  Encourage them to grow NM types!  I grow some here (Utah) and they are great. Just made rellenos too! But since I like to grow many other things, I don't grow enough to satisfy my needs, but I can get roasted ones fairly close now (from NM, CA, or TX).

 

The varieties I like are Barker,  Sandia, and Espanola. I might have Isleta Long in my freezer now - I bought them a the Isleta Pueblo store (hot and extra hot - they did not know the actual variety the day I was there). To me Big Jim is too mild; I consider it on the really mild side myself. I'm surprised they were listed as medium?  Well, some years are different, and peppers really vary in heat from year to year - so maybe they were adjusting for that. There are other varieties too, and new ones being developed.

[Shelby]

I kinda like roasting them myself.  I must be a glutton for punishment?  

 

This is the fourth year that I've bought the Big Jim's from this company and I'm tellin' ya, this year they are HOT.  I promise we are not weenies....my husband can eat the heck out of hot stuff and he had tears in his eyes after a huge bite lol.

[Martin Fisher]

Have you tried growing them there Shelby?

 

NuMex Heritage 6-4: #41 may be a good one to try, it's bred for extra flavor, but there are others offered by the Chile Pepper Institute as well as other vendors.

[Shelby]

Thanks, DD!  I will look into those.  Yes, we grow a variety here, but they are never as meaty and big as the Hatch.  

[bobag87]

 

Ok, we are starting our prep for our annual Chile Roast.  Our dried red chiles arrived.  We will use these in Tamales, Carne Adovada (Red Chile Pork), Posole, Salsas and in a Red Chile BBQ Sauce that is served with smoked brisket and pork shoulders.  We usually buy ristras of red chile, but this year we also bought some bulk pods from a company in New Mexico.  Our green chiles will arrive next week right before the roast.  Friday night of this week is when we will make our Tamale filling with pork and red chile.  Then on Sunday, we will finish off the tamales and freeze them in advance of re-steaming them as needed on the day of the roast.

Edited September 24, 2014 by bobag87 (log)

[bobag87]

Here is a photo from last years effort to give an idea of scale.  I will try to post some pictures as we go through the next week getting ready.  For the most part it New Mexico cuisine based on traditional recipes.  We also have Texas BBQ and even a few modernist touches such as modernist queso and chile infused tequila.  

 

 

[bobag87]

The Dried Red Chiles are roasted in the oven for a few minutes and made into a sauce by blending with hot water and spices.  This sauce is mixed with the simmered meat after it is shredded.

 

 

[Shelby]

I spent a looooong time yesterday roasting and peeling and chopping my (now mostly red) Hatch chiles.  I made a sauce that I will freeze today in smaller portions.  

 

 

 

[rotuts]

when the green's change to red, is there a noticeable difference in taste ?

[Shelby]

Maybe a tiny bit.  A tinge sweeter...or maybe "deeper" taste.

 

These are so hot that they are just....HOT lol.

[Smithy]

I'm impressed, Shelby. That's a heap of work, but what a payoff you'll have all winter!

[bobag87]

Well it must be time for Chile Roast as I have my annual burning chile hands and forehead. I cleaned a whole trash bag of dried red chile and peeled about five pounds of green and there is no way around it. It is an annual ailment that will get worse as we bag chiles on Saturday for the freezer. The good news is most of the chiles arrived today. One more box tomorrow.

[bobag87]

Our final preparations have begun. Tomorrow night we will make the stews and fire up the smoker. Tonight was getting all of the sauces ready and a number of other items including items more geared towards cocktails for Saturday. First, as with the tamale prep, we had to make red chile sauce from New Mexico red chiles that are dried. We used almost an entire trash bag of chiles tonight. The dried chiles are roasted in the oven for a few minutes, washed, stemmed, placed in a blender with salt, blue corn meal, coriander seed, Mexican oregano, garlic and hot water and then blended.

.

[Shelby]

BUMP!

 

It's that time of year again.  I just went to my fave site for buying Hatch and I see they've gone up $10 in price.  Has it been a tough year for growing?

[gfron1]

Its been wetter than normal down here so that may have played into it. Prices down here are about the same running $20-25 a bushel roasted.

[Jon Savage]

I had been planning to buy some this Sunday at a market nearby as we both really have a soft spot for these after a 2,500 mile road trip honeymoon that included much time in NM. I seems that even in Southern California Hatch Roasting at supermarkets has suddenly become fairly commonplace this time of year (who knew and how did I miss it the past few years?).

 

Anyway... We were shopping on Saturday last & unexpectedly the market we went to was roasting! 1 1/9 bushels purchased & roasted while we waited for the princely sum of $24.99 all in. That equates to about 25lbs of peppers.

 

The time investment to prep & pressure can these was surprisingly trivial  - maybe <45 minutes to peel/de-seed (my wife & I work well together) + another couple hours largely unattended to pressure can 2 batches which yielded 24 pints. We could have also frozen these but I have far more shelf space than freezer space.

 

We have not tasted any yet but tonight will be cheeseburgers w/ Hatch Chiles .

 

Shelby - the price seems about what it has been in the past but several roastings have been delayed due to inclement weather in Hatch.

 

We'll surely do another batch before the season ends. 

 

All Prepped

 

Done.

 

Edited August 18, 2015 by Jon Savage (log)

[Shelby]

Gorgeous!  This might put me over the edge on being brave and getting a pressure canner.

[daveb]

I've enjoyed the Hatch chiles a lot but geography has made it almost impossible to have any for the last few years.   Now our local Fresh Market is selling them this weekend for 35/bushel.   Bit high but it's the only game in town.

 

The peppers are available in bulk as pre-order only.  Buyer to choose roasted or green at time of order.  My question is do I skip the fuss and order them roasted or will they keep better green and I can roast per use?  I plan to chamber seal pint bags and freeze  when I get them home.

 

And I could eat that cheeseburger right off the screen.

 

TIA

Edited August 22, 2015 by daveb (log)

[Shelby]

I've enjoyed the Hatch chiles a lot but geography has made it almost impossible to have any for the last few years.   Now our local Fresh Market is selling them this weekend for 35/bushel.   Bit high but it's the only game in town.

 

The peppers are available in bulk as pre-order only.  Buyer to choose roasted or green at time of order.  My question is do I skip the fuss and order them roasted or will they keep better green and I can roast per use?  I plan to chamber seal pint bags and freeze  when I get them home.

 

And I could eat that cheeseburger right off the screen.

 

TIA

I enjoy roasting them myself.  It's therapeutic  Mine from mail order keep a good week and a half but then I have to get on the stick and get them processed and frozen.

 

Do they cost more if they roast them for you?

[daveb]

Shelby - Thanks, the price is the same roasted or green.  When I lived in NM I loved the whole parking lot thing where you buy a bushel, they toss it in at long tube roaster and the smell is everywhere.  Seem to recall that frosty beverages were involved.....   I'm not sure that's what Fresh Market has in mind for roasting - another reason for the question..

[Jon Savage]

Skip the hassle & have them roasted for you. Roasting 5-10 lbs is fun but 25-30 not so much. Besides that there is a small bit of work involved in peeling/de-seeding ahead of you anyway. 

 

Herself & I will do another batch the first weekend or so of September. 

 

@daveb that burger was delicious thank you. 

 

-edited to add burger info

Edited August 22, 2015 by Jon Savage (log)

[loki]

Planted "Numex heritage 6-4" peppers this year and they performed wonderfully.  Still haven't roasted then yet.  These are a variety grown in the Hatch area, and beyond.  They bred flavor back into an old standard variety, and I really think it worked.  They are early and productive too. They are medium in heat.

[huiray]

Hatch chiles are currently being sold at my local Fresh Market at $1.49 a pound (Indianapolis).  I picked up some.  They also have packaged store-roasted Hatch chiles (on ice).

Edited August 30, 2015 by huiray (log)