NuMex Big Jim Preserving?
- Thread starter frjeff
- Start date
Here in the southwest the only way to go is roasting then freezing. They will easily stay fresh for a year in the freezer. Put them on a very hot grill roast till the skins are blistered. Chile will look burned should be about 75%-80% brown and black. You just want to blister the skin and not cook the chile so that is why you want a hot grill. Then, as they are ready, have someone else rinse them under cold water to stop the cooking and it will also remove most of the skin. We put 8-10 chiles in a zip lock label them and throw them in the freezer. You can use them for chile rellanos, chile con queso, salsa, or put on a sandwich or over a steak.
Beaglestorm,
Only moved here to Northern MI a year ago after 15 years in Austin, TX.
You'd think I would have learned a few things about peppers while there. But, only began gardening and growing peppers this Summer.
Thanks for the tips!
midwestchilehead
eXtreme
I agree with everything Beaglstorm said up to the point you rinse them in water. IMHO rinsing washes away too much of the chile liquor. After pulling mine off the hot grill, I just put them in a ziplock and let them sweat for 10-15 minutes, then pack into use-sized ziplocks or vacuum bags and pop into the freezer. The skins come off really easily after freezing. I don't rinse with water after defrosting either. Just peel the skins off, remove the seeds and use.
Funny you say that... I was totally in agreement with you about letting the chiles sweat for 15 minutes and not washing the chiles….. up until this spring.. I also felt that it washes away some of the flavor. However, a chile farmer friend of mine from Las cruces gave me some of his personal frozen chile last year when I ran out... The chile in the bags he gave me was bright bright green and the flesh was thick and firm and tasted so flavorful. I asked him how he processed it.. he said they roast it hot and fast then spray it with a hose to cool it off(which also knocks most of the skin off). Then they immediately, bag it and place it into the freezer. This year when I bought my hatch chile (Lytle Farms and the one down the street) for the first time ever, they did exactly the same thing. They roasted, sprayed it with a hose to cool it, bagged it, then packed it in ice for my drive home. What a difference. Now on a small scale backyard harvest, it would be possible to just put the roasted chile in a plastic bag and then put that bag into the cold icy water preserving all the flavor. But really, the difference is huge and the difference in the chile not getting soggy and overcooked made up ten fold for any minor loss of flavor. Give it a try with a small batch if you get a chance.
midwestchilehead
eXtreme
Beaglestorm, so no sweating necessary with this method? I have some heritage big jims about ready. I will give it a try.
One thing I did learn on my recent trip to NM, bring home fresh pods and don't get them roasted before taking them for an 11 hour car ride. I arrived home with a big, soupy mess. Had to turn most of it to green chile sauce (removing skins in a food mill) because I couldn't get the skin off the slimy whole pods.
One thing I did learn on my recent trip to NM, bring home fresh pods and don't get them roasted before taking them for an 11 hour car ride. I arrived home with a big, soupy mess. Had to turn most of it to green chile sauce (removing skins in a food mill) because I couldn't get the skin off the slimy whole pods.
Yes sir, no sweating. Yea, I have done that same thing year after year for the last 10 years or so. I would buy 2 bags of roasted chile then it would sit in my car sweating, while we ate lunch and drove around Hatch or Las Cruces. Get home and start bagging 3 or 4 hours later. Chiles on top are still pretty good, chiles on the bottom of the bag are mush. This year I spent a bit extra... bought the 35 pound sack roasted, bagged and iced for 40 bucks. Soooo nice not having to do the bagging when I get home. Just straight into the freezer.
midwestchilehead
eXtreme
I tried it out Beaglestorm, and you are right! I "micro-roasted" a few pods (with a torch) and plunged them into ice water. The skin did not easily slip off like with the roasting/sweating/freezing process, but running a knife down the pod easily removed the charred skin. The chiles were a lot fresher tasting and crisper. Now if I could just figure out how to do it on a large scale. I will try the grill/water hose method once I get a few more pods. I did note that it works much better with green pods. I tried it on a few that were turning red, and the skin did not come off nearly as easy. I suspect the dehydration and starch formation in the red pods make those pods hang on to the skin more so than the green pods.
I'm trying some chile pasado with the pods I micro roasted. I'll let you know how it turns out.
I'm trying some chile pasado with the pods I micro roasted. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Wow a torch! That is some heat! Great idea for just a few fresh peppers for dinner. I'm glad to hear the technique worked for you. For a larger amount, I think just using the gas grill pre-heated on high or a hot charcoal grill will work too. I can usually roast a full grill load in 6-9 minutes. I was thinking to avoid washing and loosing any flavor you could just put them on Ice. Buy a big bag from the store, dump it in an ice chest, Then straight off the grill onto the ice for a few minutes then into the ziplock bags and into the freezer.
Beaglestorm you nailed it. Mrs. Lytle taught me this method of immediately cooling down the roasted chiles many years ago. Whenever I got chiles roasted in ABQ and received them hot in a plastic bag, they would turn to mush and not look anything like the ones I would roast on my BBQ grill. This led my to roasting my own for a while until I just couldn't keep up with doing 4-6 sacks at a time. Mrs. Lytle turned me around with her method of cooling down. As close as we have been for so many years, she would not tell me her method of cooling and peeling. She had the edge on the competition in quality chiles and I understood why. I was sold on it and have paid the extra charge ever since. Last year the guy roasting my chiles confirmed I was right when I asked him how they cool and peel. It is not shown to the public. Because of this method, (also they are careful not to over roast) the chiles are handed to you with the very bright color, 90-95% peeled, with thick walls still intact. When you bite into them they are still firm with some crunch...not mushy. Beag was also correct about putting them in freezer bags, but I recommend vacuum sealing. Your question was about preserving Big Jims. The best way I know of is to vacuum seal them. This way you don't have to worry about freezer burn or the chiles losing color over time. Good luck.
midwestchilehead
eXtreme
A torch does work great if you just need a few chiles. I have some Barkers about ready and will try my wife's gas grill followed by ice. In any event, Father Jeff now knows how best to preserve his Big Jims! An Omri was right too - the best way to preserve the fresh ones is to consume immediately!