Hatch Chili Peppers

[Smithy]

1 hour ago, Kim Shook said:

Saw this yesterday at my local (Richmond VA) Kroger:

Not at all sure whether I believe it or not.  It reminds me a little of the San Marzano tomato issue brought up in Stanley Tucci's Italy series - the person he was interviewing said basically that there is only so much land to grow these things - do you really think that there is enough to supply all that Italy AND the rest of the world demands?  Even more true of Hatch chilies.  I have a vague memory of someone here mentioning driving near Hatch and seeing trucks full of chilies heading into the area.  

 

This may be the discussion you remember about Hatch chiles....

 

 

[liuzhou]

Could someone please give me an idea of the size of these Hatch chilis? They look like something I get here, but without scale it's difficult to be sure. Thanks.

[Shelby]

9 hours ago, liuzhou said:

Could someone please give me an idea of the size of these Hatch chilis? They look like something I get here, but without scale it's difficult to be sure. Thanks.

I'd say they are about 7-8 inches long on average.

[heidih]

2 hours ago, Shelby said:

I'd say they are about 7-8 inches long on average.

But it is the unique "terroir" of the Hatch Valley in New Mexico that is the unique/special flavor - they say. Not sure how long that can hold with significant ongoing climate change.

Edited August 1, 2022 by heidih (log)

[Katie Meadow]

I lived in NM from the mid sixties to the early seventies. In those days Hatch chiles came from the Hatch area and they were reliably vey hot. Terroir plays a part, I'm sure, but the seeds have to be a certain variety. If you lived in Albuquerque and grew the seeds from Hatch chiles they would be hot, but you couldn't really call them Hatch. At some point after I left to live in CA a variety of chile called Big Jim was developed and some were grown in Hatch. They were big, varied a bit in heat, but were generally considered mild. If you see a sign that says "Mild Hatch Chiles" you are most likely buying Big Jims. They could be grown around Hatch or they could be from somewhere else.

 

Since I have not been back to NM in quite a while I don't know what the situation is there now and my information may not be current. The first years I lived in CA I missed real Hatch chiles terribly, and spent the dollars to have them shipped fresh in season. My friend Elaine, also a NM transplant, would also spend hours roasting a giant box of them to freeze for as long as they lasted. After several years of the extravagant purchase the chiles started to taste suspiciously unlike true Hatch chiles I remembered. I'm pretty sure they were mixing in Big Jims in haphazard quantities or they had grown a hybrid. Clearly growers were hip to the value of calling something "Hatch."

Edited August 1, 2022 by Katie Meadow (log)

[Annie_H]

Depends on the variety. I ordered Sandia this year. They should be 3-5 inches. I usually order BigJim. They are 8-14 inches. 'Hatch' is the HatchValley in NewMexico where they are grown. They just have good growing conditions and the perfect soil for the crop. Not even sure how many varieties are grown in the area. I read a history at some point. The original was somewhat like an Anaheim. So that would be in that 6-8 range Shelby mentioned. 

Some have argued that not much of a difference exists but all crops do better in some locations over others. They started a Chile festival in the early 70's I think. That put them on the map. Once faster shipping methods became standard, we can order straight from the farm. 

I'm guessing surrounding towns/counties have similar growing conditions so I don't think they would be much different. A friend from NewMexico swears they must be grown in the HatchValley. 

I think most important is the drum roasting. It's a once a year event even if in a grocery parking lot. I roast/smoke mine but we like the light smoky flavor in our salsa and hot sauce. If the Sandia are too hot this year, I'll add some tomatillos and/or a few poblanos. Years past using BigJims, it turned out a bit mild so we went through it fast. 

HatchChileStore

[haresfur]

A coworker from NM flew back to our DC office with a carryon cooler of frozen Hatch chiles. Dedication that's almost up there with my parents flying from Winnipeg to Halifax with a suitcase full of frozen beef roasts. I can't imagine what the baggage handler thought of the blood dripping out at baggage claim.

[heidih]

This made me think of our recent discussion about Campari tomatoes and trademark. I don;t see marks. Huh. Does not sound like it protects the guys in the parking lot roasting/tumbling away  https://alter.com/trademarks/hatch-85556144

[Annie_H]

Is that 1.49 a pound for fresh in the Kroger pic above? So cheap. I can't find much of anything with heat for under 5$ a pound near me. Farm stands and farm markets are usually near 10$. Fresh picked corn prices are coming down. Peppers maybe in a few weeks. 

[MaryIsobel]

I would love to try a Hatch chili but they are undheard of in these parts, as are a lot of things you folks discuss. We are apparently in the heart of the raspberry/blueberry capital of Canada (?) but that and Chilliwack corn are all we have to share with the rest of the province/country.

[Kim Shook]

9 minutes ago, Annie_H said:

Is that 1.49 a pound for fresh in the Kroger pic above? So cheap. I can't find much of anything with heat for under 5$ a pound near me. Farm stands and farm markets are usually near 10$. Fresh picked corn prices are coming down. Peppers maybe in a few weeks. 

I don't know.  I see two signs in the photo - one says $6.98 and the other says $1.49.  Not sure what either of them is for and I didn't go over since I didn't have any interest.  

[chileheadmike]

I bought a bag of fresh Hatch chiles at Kroger this weekend. I roasted them over hardwood charcoal in the Weber. $1.49 here. They were labelled as medium heat. They did not have any labelled as hot.  The mediums aren't very hot. They do taste good though. 

[FauxPas]

2 hours ago, MaryIsobel said:

I would love to try a Hatch chili but they are undheard of in these parts, as are a lot of things you folks discuss. We are apparently in the heart of the raspberry/blueberry capital of Canada (?) but that and Chilliwack corn are all we have to share with the rest of the province/country.

 

I know that the Hatch Chile Store used to ship to Canada. I'm not sure if they can shop fresh (due to possible agricultural import restrictions?) but they did shop frozen at one time via FedEx 2-day or overnight. You can't order online, you have to phone them for international shipping and I'm sure you'd pay a pretty good amount for the shipping, but it might be worth it as a splurge purchase.  🙂

 

Edited to add: Or there are various dried or canned products, of course, but I don't think you were asking about those? 

Edited August 1, 2022 by FauxPas (log)

[MaryIsobel]

12 minutes ago, FauxPas said:

 

I know that the Hatch Chile Store used to ship to Canada. I'm not sure if they can shop fresh (due to possible agricultural import restrictions?) but they did shop frozen at one time via FedEx 2-day or overnight. You can't order online, you have to phone them for international shipping and I'm sure you'd pay a pretty good amount for the shipping, but it might be worth it as a splurge purchase.  🙂

 

Edited to add: Or there are various dried or canned products, of course, but I don't think you were asking about those? 

Thanks, I have never looked into it honestly. I may now be inspired to do so. We are now once again, contemplating going over the border to grocery shop.It has been well over two years, but Bellingham WA, which is the nearest decent size US city to us, has a great selection of Mexican food and groceries, which I have been sorely missing. I realize that Hatch chilis aren't Mexican but the talk of them has got me thinking...

[lemniscate]

Went to N. New Mexico for a too short getaway.   

 

Came back with no fresh chiles, but grabbed a bunch of local produced jarred sauces and stuff.

 

Costco ABQ is a great place to get some local flavors.  Cervantes sauces (red and green) in 3 packs.

A gallon of Sadies hot salsa.   Believe the label, it's hot!   Reminds me of the old school macho table salsas you used to get with your bowl of chips if you asked for it special at Mexican restaurants.  

2 Costco packs of frozen chopped HOT green chiles.  I would have preferred med heat but I grabbed what they had.  Each pack has 12 smaller envelopes of chopped roasted chile.  Looks very nice and conveniently portioned.   I have never seen frozen chiles in Costco in AZ.

(Also bought 3 2023 Balloon Festival calendars, ~$4 bucks each.  Cheap and pretty to look at, that was my tourist purchase)

 

Adult beverages:  Atapino.  Nice for campfire sipping after eating green chile stew.

 

30 lbs of my beloved NM Pinon coffee beans right at the roastery on Comanche.  I know in the past on eG it's been disparaged as "tourist" coffee.  I've loved it for decades and will continue to love my "tourist" coffee.  I get the med roast beans and I just enjoy that buttery undertone of the pinon nuts in it.

 

Here's a delicious hot mess of Christmas smothered hash browns in Taos.    I was late taking a pic because I was hungry.

 

Edited August 5, 2022 by lemniscate (log)

[heidih]

1 hour ago, lemniscate said:

A gallon of Sadies hot salsa.   Believe the label, it's hot!   Reminds me of the old school macho table salsas you used to get with your bowl of chips if you asked for it special at Mexican restaurants.  

 

Ha! I ordered some chips and salsa for takeout at an old local Mexican/American resto a couple years ago and asked if they had an extra spicy version. He gave me a look, walked into the kitchen and I saw him stir a big spoon of Huy Fong Chili Garlic sauce into the pint. I have copied that in a pinch.

[Annie_H]

Started a gallon of fermenting hot sauce. Some oven roasted. Room to add a half dozen smoked tomorrow. A few black cardamon and some slices of mango. 

[catdaddy]

Oh my. This looks promising. Please keep us updated as the batch progresses!

[kayb]

On 8/5/2022 at 8:01 AM, lemniscate said:

Went to N. New Mexico for a too short getaway.   

 

Came back with no fresh chiles, but grabbed a bunch of local produced jarred sauces and stuff.

 

Costco ABQ is a great place to get some local flavors.  Cervantes sauces (red and green) in 3 packs.

A gallon of Sadies hot salsa.   Believe the label, it's hot!   Reminds me of the old school macho table salsas you used to get with your bowl of chips if you asked for it special at Mexican restaurants.  

2 Costco packs of frozen chopped HOT green chiles.  I would have preferred med heat but I grabbed what they had.  Each pack has 12 smaller envelopes of chopped roasted chile.  Looks very nice and conveniently portioned.   I have never seen frozen chiles in Costco in AZ.

(Also bought 3 2023 Balloon Festival calendars, ~$4 bucks each.  Cheap and pretty to look at, that was my tourist purchase)

 

Adult beverages:  Atapino.  Nice for campfire sipping after eating green chile stew.

 

30 lbs of my beloved NM Pinon coffee beans right at the roastery on Comanche.  I know in the past on eG it's been disparaged as "tourist" coffee.  I've loved it for decades and will continue to love my "tourist" coffee.  I get the med roast beans and I just enjoy that buttery undertone of the pinon nuts in it.

 

Here's a delicious hot mess of Christmas smothered hash browns in Taos.    I was late taking a pic because I was hungry.

 

oh, hell. That’s right up there with @Kim Shook’s bacon and eggs from the breakfast thread. Glorious!

[chileheadmike]

Just finished roasting another batch of Hatch.  Off the Weber just before it rained. 

 

 

[pastameshugana]

We lived in New Mexico for 8 years, green chili is certainly a way of life. So much so that when I would have breakfast with staff, if someone ordered oatmeal, he would variably get mocked or someone would tell the server to put green chili the poor guys oats.

 

After the first year, we learned to ask around about when the two main 'harvests' would show up in the local stores. If you wanted to buy cases of the good stuff, you had to be there in the first two or three days. You could get them year round, but that first delivery was the freshest, biggest, and best-priced. (To be fair, the second harvest seemed to taste better, but I don't know why). When the shipments would come in, most grocery stores would have huge entry displays with stacks of 25lb cases of the varying heat levels.

 

Then the real chili-heads had their own favorite farms or areas, and special chillies. While green chili is not normally a very hot pepper, you could get mild, medium, hot, extra hot, and triple-x. And some years the XXX would be a fair comparison to some of the genuinely hot chillies in the world. The triple-X wasn't usually available at normal grocers, but some of the smaller places would carry them. Some friends were so committed they would drive a couple of hours to a particular farm or roadside stand to get their favorite batch each year.

 

One of my favorites was a red chili from Jemez. Just a wonderful smoky flavor, it made the best red enchiladas I've ever had. We used to know a family that had a farm there and could get a private stash from time to time.

 

As for restaurants, a couple of Green-Chile winners (As you can tell, I can't decide on a spelling of chili or chile...)

 

Statewide: Blake's Lottaburger has great green chili cheeseburgers. A real staple. Depending on the season or the day they range from medium to very hot.

 

Gallup (northwest NM):

-The Rocket has the hottest green chili that is still mild enough to truly enjoy - great with juevos-rancheros or to dip your crispy bacon in

-Jerry's Cafe has the absolute tastiest green chili, but not very hot. Not a stew, but a sauce. Also, their ground beef (in tacos & enchiladas) is catnip-level-addictive

 

We're living back overseas again, and this time the only food we really miss is Green Chili.

[weinoo]

3 hours ago, pastameshugana said:

: Blake's Lottaburger has great green chili cheeseburgers. A real staple. Depending on the season or the day they range from medium to very hot.

 

Possibly Significant Eater's favorite for a burger. I've had one or two and yes, they are pretty darn good.

[pastameshugana]

20 hours ago, weinoo said:

 

Possibly Significant Eater's favorite for a burger. I've had one or two and yes, they are pretty darn good.

 

My first (real) green chili cheeseburger was about 2010, in Alamogordo, NM. I went to a place and the lady could tell I was out of my element. She said, "Just trust me, I'll give you something you'll never forget." It was greasy, salty beef, melty cheddar, crisp pickles, shredded lettuce, a good ripe tomato, a healthy whack of yellow mustard, and tons of chopped, roasted green chili on a butter toasted bun. As evidenced: I still haven't forgotten it. 

 

That combo of: green chili, mustard, pickle and lettuce are truly magical.

[Annie_H]

On 8/7/2022 at 6:07 PM, chileheadmike said:

Just finished roasting another batch of Hatch.

Looks good and a clean pull. Did you use the ice water bath method?. That is the only way I can clean them easily. 

I started a small batch with the smoked. This pic was Sunday. Both were bubbling this morning when I 'burped' the big jar. Air locks are so much easier. 

The gallon jar has a silicone small disc that fits perfectly with a glass juice jar to hold all under the brine.

[chileheadmike]

3 minutes ago, Annie_H said:

Looks good and a clean pull. Did you use the ice water bath method?. That is the only way I can clean them easily. 

I started a small batch with the smoked. This pic was Sunday. Both were bubbling this morning when I 'burped' the big jar. Air locks are so much easier. 

The gallon jar has a silicone small disc that fits perfectly with a glass juice jar to hold all under the brine.

I grilled them over hardwood charcoal on the Weber kettle. Once blackened and blistered, I put them into a container with a tight fitting lid until cool. Peels come off easily.