Peeling Green Chili

semi_lucid · September 5, 2011

I grew 4 kinds of green chili this year,

Heritage 6-4
Heritage Big Jim
Joe E Parker
Anaheim

And I bought some chili grown in Hatch from the store. (I don't know the variety)

Of all these, Joe E Parker seemed to be the easiest to peel, and Heritage Big Jim by far the most difficult.

Have you noticed this about Heritage Big Jim?

What techniques do you recommend for roasting and peeling?

Tom C zone 4/5 · September 5, 2011

A very hot space, be that resting on a burner, a salamander, oven on broil; till skin chars.

Place parched peppers in a tightly covered dish, let steam and cool. Peel.

Some peppers are rinced while being seeded-peeled, some shouldn't be. Your recipe should say.

montanamato · September 5, 2011

I let them sweat in a sealed bag after roasting, then peel....the thicker fleshed a pepper is the easier it seems to peel for me...

Jeanne

Structure · September 5, 2011

I agree that given the same treatment some peppers are just harder to peel than others. For me at least, this doesn't relate to the thickness of the flesh either. It would be nice to have a good understanding of what varieties really are suited to roasting and peeling.

I've also heard that you can roast, bag, and freeze. When they are defrosted the skins come off easy. But I haven't tried that yet so it's just a theory.

I'm thinking of some Spanish Pimento peppers I grew last year that were perfectly shaped for roasting and had nice thick walls, but were still a royal PIA to peel. I roasted the heck out of them, blackened the skin, steamed in a bag, and still couldn't get the peel off completely or easily.

Ruth_10 · September 5, 2011

We routinely roast and freeze and then peel them when we use them. The easiest way is to run water over the frozen pepper. The very outermost portion (i.e., the skin) thaws and is easy to slip off the still hard, frozen pepper.

Roasted skin is harder to remove from the areas where the ribs are. Also a pepper that is not smooth and evenly shaped, because it's harder to roast it evenly.

semi_lucid · September 5, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ruth_10

Roasted skin is harder to remove from the areas where the ribs are. Also a pepper that is not smooth and evenly shaped, because it's harder to roast it evenly.

Don't laugh, but, (ok, it's ok to laugh) I've been usimg my oxygen/propane cutting torch to roast. the flame can be shaped like a pencil and it allows you to get those low spots first, so you get a more even roast. It is also so fast and controlled, that it does not cook the underlying flesh as much.

The less-cooked flesh is firmer, and seems to me to make it easier to peel the pepper.

Thanks for the tip about freezing, I'll try that.

John

**mdvpc** · September 5, 2011

John

In the Mesilla Valley and Hatch, they have these huge drums that they put the chile in, then they use propane to roast them. You buy what you want fresh, then they roast it, and if you pay for it, then remove the skin and bag it.

So your idea is a good one, and I have seen it used on a large scale here in this area.

semi_lucid · September 5, 2011

Michael

My local grocery store has chili from Hatch that they have marked down to $.50 per pound.

Many of these chili's are turning red, and I was thinking of saving some seed. I was wondering what varieties are most common around hatch. Do you happen to know?

Do you still roast and peel chili's when they are turning red?

Have you ever noticed Heritage Big Jim being difficult to peel?

John

Structure · September 6, 2011

"In the Mesilla Valley and Hatch, they have these huge drums that they put the chile in, then they use propane to roast them. You buy what you want fresh, then they roast it, and if you pay for it, then remove the skin and bag it. "

I actually drove to Colorado with a buddy to buy one of these (a fairly sophisticated version) and transport it back to CA. It worked so great there, but was really quite difficult to use once we got it back. There's a certain artistic/skill set involved. I suppose that may be the case for roasting chile in general. Hadn't really thought about it that way before though. When I roast by in small batches I sort of assumed I was doing "OK," but maybe there really are small modifications in practice that make a big difference in results. Sort of like what Semi_Lucid is describing.

semi_lucid · September 6, 2011

I froze a couple of HBJ's after a quick roast with my industrial cutting torch.

Freezing definitely seems to help. Finally, I got a HBJ to peel decent.

I also think it might help not to over cook the flesh of the pepper during roasting. The torch allows a quick, controlled roast, which leaves the flesh firmer. You can cook it a little more after peeling.

**mdvpc** · September 6, 2011

John

No problem with the red-they are just a little more ripe than the green. Should not be a problem saving seed, as far as I know. You still roast and peel the same.

The most common varieties are Big Jim (Heritage and "regular"), 6-4 (the same), Joe Parker (who is still alive by the way), Sandia-very hot usually, and Barker-very, very hot.

I have not noticed trouble peeling with Heritage Big Jim-if I get by Biad's again, I will ask them what their experience is.

Ruth_10 · September 6, 2011

John, a cutting torch, oh my! DO NOT TELL MY DH!

We use a large version of a Bunsen burner (there is a name for it, but it slips my mind right now). We have it hooked up to a propane tank. It will roast a pepper pretty quickly, but unfortunately one can only roast one pepper at a time.

semi_lucid · September 6, 2011

Ruth

I'm new to roasting peppers, And it seems to be a little more labor intensive than I expected.

I have often purchased frozen/peeled/chopped green chili from the store, and I'm wondering how long it take a Pro to peel a pound of green chili.

Right now I'm inclined to plant more Joe E Parker next year, simply because it seems to peel easiest. It may be my growing conditions or something, but there seems to be a big difference between HBJ and JEP.

Heritage 6-4 did ok for me, but the peppers don't get as big before they start tuning red, and the plants didn't get as big a HBJ or JEP.

The Hatch peppers that I bought from the store were a little hotter than any that I grew, but I would still describe them as mild/medium. They may be 6-4 but Im just guessing.

Pic of the Hatch peppers below below.

**mdvpc** · September 6, 2011

6-4 is not hot at all.

austinnhanasmom · September 7, 2011

There is a farmer's market near me where they roast the chiles. They have 3-4 types. They use the big drum and a few torches. After roasting, they hand over a big bag of hot chiles. The roaster tells me to let them sit for hours.

I'm not sure I peel them. If they get peeled, it must happen accidentally.

I usually buy them before I can make green chile (no ripe tomatillos in my garden) and salsa (not enough ripe tomatoes in my garden), so they do get tossed into the freezer.

When I grab them from the freezer, I thaw and chop in the food processor.

Now I am hoping that the peelings are removed in the drum!! OOPS. But I have been not peeling them for years...

September 5, 2011	#1
semi_lucid Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Texas, zone 6b Posts: 100	Peeling Green Chili I grew 4 kinds of green chili this year, Heritage 6-4 Heritage Big Jim Joe E Parker Anaheim And I bought some chili grown in Hatch from the store. (I don't know the variety) Of all these, Joe E Parker seemed to be the easiest to peel, and Heritage Big Jim by far the most difficult. Have you noticed this about Heritage Big Jim? What techniques do you recommend for roasting and peeling?

September 5, 2011	#2
Tom C zone 4/5 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: SE Ohio Posts: 253	A very hot space, be that resting on a burner, a salamander, oven on broil; till skin chars. Place parched peppers in a tightly covered dish, let steam and cool. Peel. Some peppers are rinced while being seeded-peeled, some shouldn't be. Your recipe should say. __________________ Beyond the mountains, there are more mountains.

September 5, 2011	#5
Ruth_10 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MO z6a near St. Louis Posts: 1,349	We routinely roast and freeze and then peel them when we use them. The easiest way is to run water over the frozen pepper. The very outermost portion (i.e., the skin) thaws and is easy to slip off the still hard, frozen pepper. Roasted skin is harder to remove from the areas where the ribs are. Also a pepper that is not smooth and evenly shaped, because it's harder to roast it evenly. __________________ --Ruth Some say the glass half-full. Others say the glass is half-empty. To an engineer, it’s twice as big as it needs to be.

September 5, 2011	#7
mdvpc Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 4,386	John In the Mesilla Valley and Hatch, they have these huge drums that they put the chile in, then they use propane to roast them. You buy what you want fresh, then they roast it, and if you pay for it, then remove the skin and bag it. So your idea is a good one, and I have seen it used on a large scale here in this area. __________________ Michael

September 6, 2011	#11
mdvpc Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 4,386	John No problem with the red-they are just a little more ripe than the green. Should not be a problem saving seed, as far as I know. You still roast and peel the same. The most common varieties are Big Jim (Heritage and "regular"), 6-4 (the same), Joe Parker (who is still alive by the way), Sandia-very hot usually, and Barker-very, very hot. I have not noticed trouble peeling with Heritage Big Jim-if I get by Biad's again, I will ask them what their experience is. __________________ Michael

September 5, 2011	#3
montanamato Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Montana Posts: 1,038	I let them sweat in a sealed bag after roasting, then peel....the thicker fleshed a pepper is the easier it seems to peel for me... Jeanne

September 5, 2011	#4
Structure Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: SLO, CA Posts: 99	I agree that given the same treatment some peppers are just harder to peel than others. For me at least, this doesn't relate to the thickness of the flesh either. It would be nice to have a good understanding of what varieties really are suited to roasting and peeling. I've also heard that you can roast, bag, and freeze. When they are defrosted the skins come off easy. But I haven't tried that yet so it's just a theory. I'm thinking of some Spanish Pimento peppers I grew last year that were perfectly shaped for roasting and had nice thick walls, but were still a royal PIA to peel. I roasted the heck out of them, blackened the skin, steamed in a bag, and still couldn't get the peel off completely or easily.

September 6, 2011	#14
mdvpc Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 4,386	6-4 is not hot at all. __________________ Michael

September 7, 2011	#15
austinnhanasmom Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Z5, CO near Denver Posts: 225	There is a farmer's market near me where they roast the chiles. They have 3-4 types. They use the big drum and a few torches. After roasting, they hand over a big bag of hot chiles. The roaster tells me to let them sit for hours. I'm not sure I peel them. If they get peeled, it must happen accidentally. I usually buy them before I can make green chile (no ripe tomatillos in my garden) and salsa (not enough ripe tomatoes in my garden), so they do get tossed into the freezer. When I grab them from the freezer, I thaw and chop in the food processor. Now I am hoping that the peelings are removed in the drum!! OOPS. But I have been not peeling them for years...