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Smoked Salsa

If you could have seen my face the first time, I tasted smoked salsa! Just when I thought I had tried just about every salsa known to man, lol! It was during a trip to Austin, Texas while visiting my brother Ismael and his wife Janet Lynn. The love of cooking and good home cooked meals rubbed off onto my brother Ismael and he loves to grill and smoke all kinds of dishes.
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings 5 cups each

Equipment

  • 5 c of hickory chips, previously soaked in water
  • Charcoal
  • Outdoor Grill

Ingredients

  • Smokin Salsa Roja
  • 8 large Roma tomatoes 720 gr
  • 4 red Jalapeños or Fresno peppers 160 gr, stem removed
  • 2 green jalapeño peppers 40 gr, stem removed
  • 1/2 large white onion 135 gr
  • 4 cloves of garlic 24 gr, skin on
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • Salt to taste
  • Smokin Salsa Verde
  • 8 large tomatillos 400 gr
  • 6 serrano peppers 72 gr, stem removed
  • 2 poblano peppers 200 gr, stems removed
  • 1/2 large white onion 135 gr
  • 4 cloves of garlic 24 gr, skin on
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • Salt to taste
  • Medium handful of fresh cilantro washed

Instructions

  • Wash all the vegetables and place them in a metal dish that is lined with foil paper. Make sure the pan will fit on one side of the grill with lid closed.
  • Build your charcoal fire on one side of the grill. Preheat until you reach 275 to 300 degrees F. Add 3 cup-soaked hickory chips to one side of hot charcoals, in the center of grill. Once they start smoking, add the pan of vegetables to the indirect heat and cook with lid closed for 30 minutes.
  • Turn all the vegetables over and move pan to the direct heat and continue cooking for another 30 minutes or until tomatoes and tomatillos are soft. You want most of the skin on the peppers to blacken and blister as well. You want to try and keep the lid closed as much as you can.
  • Before finishing the salsa recipes, remove the skin from the garlic and skin and seeds from the poblano peppers. If using Fresno peppers, remove the skin. I leave the seeds for extra heat. The other chile peppers will be fine because the skin is thin.
  • For the Salsa Verde: To the processor or blender jar, add tomatillos, poblanos, serranos, onion, garlic, lime juice, cilantro and salt. Pulse for a coarse salsa or blend on high for a smoother salsa. For the Salsa Roja: To the processor or blender jar, add tomatoes, all the red and green jalapeños, onion, garlic, lime juice and salt. Pulse for a coarse salsa or blend on high for a smoother salsa. If the salsas are too thick, mix in a little water to thin them out a bit. Serve warm or at room temperature. These smoked salsas are excellent on any of your favorite grilled proteins, roasted vegetables and baked potatoes! Cool completely and store in airtight containers in the coldest part of your refrigerator. It will stay fresh for up to 6 days in the refrigerator.

Notes

Tips & Variations: Red jalapeños, serranos and even poblanos can be found in some Mexican markets or flea markets that carry a large assortment of Mexican produce. As the weather gets colder, some farmers markets will also have some. In a pinch, you can substitute the red jalapeños with fresh hot cherry peppers.
I like to process or blend, by pulsing, all my veggies separately. I find that by doing this, I avoid big chunks of tomato or onion left behind. But if you like your salsa smoother, you can process or blend all together.