Author Topic: THE REAL PASILLA CHILE .... (Mexican/Latin/southwest cooking)  (Read 17641 times)

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Offline DoomsmokeBBQ

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THE REAL PASILLA CHILE .... (Mexican/Latin/southwest cooking)
« Reply #-1 on: August 07, 2017, 02:52:59 PM »
  Will the real Pasilla Chile please stand up !! ..... the lovely Pasilla chile , an essential chile to know and have on hand if you love Mexican & southwest cooking , however ...it breaks my heart to see a lot people become mislead by Spice companies (particularly here in California) mislabeling them for Ancho chilies & Poblanos . The real Pasilla chile  provides a deep dark fruity mild heat with some smokiness to some of the best Mexican sauces such as moles and glazes that really are at home in damn good barbecue . Here I explain the difference between the faux pasilla and the real McCoy ..plus tips on making your own smoked chilies such as Pasilla Oaxaca & Chile Chipotle ..followed by some recipes using these beauties !.  SO LETS BEGIN !

 IDENTIFYING THE REAL THING

  .) Identifying the real Pasilla is very easy and Obvious after learning the fact Ancho Chile's are actually dried Poblano peppers , which explains why Poblanos are labled as Pasilla in some Grocery stores. I'm not sure the history behind the mislabeling ..all I know is I'm very much lucky to have a born & raised Mexican cook as a mother to tell me otherwise and all about chilies and how to use em.  If the bag says pasilla ..observe and if they resemble a poblano ..they are anchos my friend.
 
 .) The Real Pasilla comes from a chile known as "Chile Chilaca" , a long slender dark green mild pepper (pictured below!) with a flavor similar to Poblano but a lot less peppery ..and more towards perhaps Anaheim peppers with a bit more bite to em but still on the mild side.  When dried .. these peppers turn very dark .. black to be exact and become very sweet & fruity ..hence their name "pasilla" which means little raisin in Spanish. Almost all dried chilies carry that raisin like fruitiness but that's because most are sun dried like a raisin , however none get that sweetness more then the Chilaca chilies when dried ...dubbing them the pasilla. They are often labeled "Chile Negro" by the spice company's that label their ancho's as pasilla's...these chiles labeled Chile Negro ..are the pasilla's your looking for when they are called in a recipe , they are the real deal. 


  THE RARE & HARD TO GET "OAXACA SMOKED PASILLA CHILE"

 .)  During my early days of cooking I would come across a lot of recipes that said Smoked chile this ...smoked chile that and upon reading those titles ..I'd be expecting to see  Chipotle chilies or maybe smoked paprika in the ingredients list but become surprised to see pasilla as the smoked chile . The Pasilla chile carries some smoky flavor naturally ..but not enough to be considered smoky or give a smoky flavor like Chipotle chiles which are actually smoked,  the mild natural faint smoky flavor Pasillas has comes  from the heat source it sat under to dry out , it becomes concentrated into the chilies , making it more sweet and fruity then anything ..so this had me scratching my head if there's such a thing as smoked pasilla chiles out there I wasn't aware of! ...most of these recipes were from Mexican/latin cookbooks and none of the recipes were prepared on a grill or anything to give smokiness , so I began to research and learned about the one and only Oaxaca smoked pasilla.

  .)  Oaxaca smoked Pasilla chiles are hard to obtain for several reasons .. , one being the fact only in Oaxaca Mexico are they smoked & dried ...everywhere else their not , Few online sources carry them ..but they are also in high demand from serious Mexican & latin restaurants , so they are always out of stock .. few times I have been able to order some but sadly they are not always available.  You may be lucky to find them at a well stocked latin market , especially if they have alot of products from Oaxaca , but the latin markets near me  don't carry them .. so I settle for online sources ...or even better , I MAKE MY OWN !.


  SMOKING YOUR OWN CHILES

.)  I very much enjoyed the smoked Pasilla's from Oaxaca ...their smoky sweetness made AMAZING glazes ,rubs and sauces , I just wish I was able to get em as often as Chipotles or regular pasillas which are just a trip to the store away but I didn't despair much after a reliable source of fresh Chile Chilaca's at the farmers market crossed my path. I smoked my own Jalapenos before to make chipotle chiles and thought ...eyy ? I can do this myself ya know !.  The process is very simple..but requires some patience as this takes about 2 days almost. This method can work for any chile you wish to smoke and dry.

. Purchase more chilies then you need to , you want to keep a good stock to last awhile.

. Split all the peppers lengthwise and seed them if desired  , remove the stems as well .

. Preheat your cooker to a very low temp  , were not seeking to cook these ..we want them to dry out . ( I went with 195 to 200 degrees )  without trying to maintain the temp or even adding more coals , I just made a small bed of hot coals in my weber kettle 22inch and a wood chunk on top (I used applewood) for smoke . I allow them to smoke until the fire dies out , this lasted about 2 hours and a half and left them in there until I got home from work , which was 8 hours later. I took em inside and placed them in baking sheet lined with a cooling rack , then placed them in the oven with the light on and went to bed.

. The next morning they were leathery and dry but I wanted them dry enough to grind in powders for rubs so I placed them back in the oven with the lowest heat setting and allowed them to get nice and dry to my liking ...another 3 hours . They were ready to go.  It's more about feel then timing when dehydrating things . The smoke flavor definitely shines more 3 days later .

. Food dehydrator can definitely be used in place of the oven  ..probably work better and more convient .  Stove top smoker is also perfect for smoking things like chilies and spices , you can definitely use that and if your in a very dry part of the country ..you can definitely use that mighty fine hot sun outside ;).

. If you wish to not go through the trouble of making your own ..or seeking them online , you can certainly still use regular pasilla with another smoked ingredient like smoked paprika or smoked black pepper in rubs and such , Oaxaca pasilla's are amazing for being smoked and it's unfortunate their availability can be limited ..but now you know these exist and that pasilla chile in general very much deserves to be in your repertoire of flavors to use for your barbecue !... now let's get on with those recipes I promised in the beginning using the Pasilla .

  Q'ING WITH THE PASILLA

.)  Here's how to prep dried chilies if your not familiar with them . Remove the stems and seeds, tear the chiles into a few pieces and toast them on a skillet or Comal tossing them around for 1 to 2 minutes over medium heat ...just until you can smell them and quickly remove from the skillet to a bowl and pour boiling hot water over them , making sure to completely submerge them and cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to soften for 20 minutes.

. After they have softened , remove them from the water to a blender but do not strain in the sink ! strain over a bowl to reserve the chile water . Add a little bit of the reserved chile water to the blender and blend until a smooth paste forms , adding more of the chile water if needed.  This Chile paste can be added to sauces , marinades ,glazes ..you name it!.

. To make Chile powders for rubs , simply just toast the pieces of the chilies  and grind them in a coffee grinder.


 RECIPES USING PASILLA

  Honey Pasilla Chile Glaze
. 1 cup honey ( I like the kind that still has the honey comb inside the jar)
. 1/2 cup water or chicken stock
. 1/4 cup Pasilla chile paste (prepared as mentioned above)
. 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
. 1 teaspoon ground cumin
. 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
. salt to taste

Combine in all in a medium saucepan , and simmer over low medium heat until syrupy stirring frequently to prevent scorching.
Taste for sweetness and seasoning. GREAT on Ribs and chicken ..even salmon.

Smoked Pasilla chile Barbecue sauce
. 1 tablespoon Canola oil
. 1 star anise pod
. 1 split vanilla bean pod or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
. 1/2 cup  medium onion minced finely
. 1 tablespoon minced serrano chiles (seeded if desired)
. 6 cloves of garlic minced
. 1/4 cup Oaxaca Pasilla chile paste (regular pasilla is fine )
. 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
. 1 teaspoon ground cumin
. 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
. 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
. 1/4 cup dark rum
. juice of 1 lime & zest
. 1 cup cider vinegar
. 1 cup ketchup
. 1/2 cup Brewed Coffee
. 1/2 cup Coca-Cola (preferably the Mexican kind)
. 1/2 cup light brown sugar
. 2 tablespoons molasses
. 1 tablespoon Tamarind paste
. salt & pepper to taste

1.Heat the oil in a good size saucepan over medium high heat ,add star anise pod , seeds from vanilla been pod along with the pod into the pan. allow to cook until fragrant , 2 to 4 minutes and remove from the pan.
2. Add the onion and saute until softened , then add the serranos and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Add the Garlic , Pasilla chile paste and the spices and cook for 1 to 2 minutes stirring constantly until very fragrant , oh man this part makes the kitchen smell wonderful.
4. CAREFULLY add in the Rum to the pan , preferably away from the heat to avoid flare ups and allow the rum to reduce for 1 minute
5. Add the remaining sauce ingredients , allow to simmer over medium-low heat until richly flavorful stirring so often so it doesn't scorch ..45 minutes.
6. Taste for seasoning and adjust for sweetness ...sauce should be smoky & sweet with mild heat . Great with everything , sky's the limit with this one !.

Smoky Pasilla Chile Recado (Mexican seasoning paste)
.1 cup Oaxaca pasilla chile paste or regular pasilla
. 8 cloves of garlic minced
. 1 tablespoon smoked paprika (if not using Oaxaca pasillas)
. 1 tablespoon ground cumin
. 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
. 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
. 1 tablespoon oil

Combine Chile paste ,garlic , cumin and oregano in a bowl. Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium high heat , stir in the mixture and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until slightly darkened and very fragrant . Quickly Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool before storing in the fridge. Recado's are added to season foods by the spoonful such as rice & beans but also rubbed on meats before grilling . I like to rub this on pork chops and allow to marinate over night , then season them and toss on the grill. This can also be added in sauces and marinades like the one below .

 Smoked Pasilla marinade
. 1 12 oz bottle of Negra modello (dark Mexican beer)
. 1 medium onion minced
. 12 cloves of garlic minced
. 1 jalapeno or serrano minced
. juice of 3 limes & zest
. 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
. 1/4 cup Oaxaca pasilla chile Recado
. 1 tablespoon minced fresh marjoram
. 1 tablespoon  minced fresh thyme
. 3/4 cup canola oil

Combine all except oil in a blender and blend  till smooth..slowly adding in the oil little by little. Great with poultry & Steak

Sweet Pasilla Chile  & Coffee barbecue rub
. 1/4 cup light brown sugar
. 2 tablespoons seasoned salt (I use lawrys)
. 2 tablespoons pasilla chile powder
. 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
. 1 tablespoon ground coffee *ground as finely as possible*
. 1 tablespoon ground cumin
. 2 teaspoons coarse black pepper
. 1 teaspoon ground coriander
. 1 teaspoons chipotle chile powder

mix all together in a bowl . This rub sets a neat glaze on ribs and smoked turkey breast

Bold & Smoky Beef rub
. 1/2 cup Kosher salt
. 1/4 cup granulated garlic
. 1/4 cup granulated onion
. 1/4 cup coarse black pepper
. 1/4 cup turbinado sugar
. 3 tablespoons smoked paprika
. 2 tablespoons coarsely crushed smoked pasilla chiles or regular
. 2 tablespoons coarsely crushed Ancho chiles
. 1 tablespoon coarsely crushed Chipotle chiles
. 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano
. 1 tablespoon dried Marjoram leaves
. 1 tablespoon ground cumin
 
Combine all in a bowl . I love how the chile flakes are speckled in this rub , they make a neat crust on steaks , brisket and tri-tip. I also used this on pork chops .


 I hope everyone enjoys this post ..thanks for reading !!
« Last Edit: August 08, 2017, 11:47:00 AM by DoomsmokeBBQ »
WeberQ22inch

Offline hikerman

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Thank you for your very in-depth, educational and enlightening post Doomsmoke! Lots of info that is often times hard to come by.
I have a bag of Chile negro that I must use now. Maybe try your bbq sauce with some. It sounds wonderful!

Offline DoomsmokeBBQ

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Re: THE REAL PASILLA CHILE .... (Mexican/Latin/southwest cooking)
« Reply #1 on: August 07, 2017, 07:00:16 PM »
 Thank you !...that was the goal good sir :) very happy to hear that. Yea the sauce has a lot of traditional latin/Mexican ingredients happening ,  hope you enjoy it !.
WeberQ22inch

Offline ACW3

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Re: THE REAL PASILLA CHILE .... (Mexican/Latin/southwest cooking)
« Reply #2 on: August 07, 2017, 07:18:18 PM »
Most informative!!  Thank you for posting. 

Art

P.S.  I have bookmarked this for future reference.
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Offline Pappymn

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THE REAL PASILLA CHILE .... (Mexican/Latin/southwest cooking)
« Reply #3 on: August 07, 2017, 07:46:26 PM »
Excellent post. The chili world has always been confusing to me..... And still is :)


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Offline smokeasaurus

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Re: THE REAL PASILLA CHILE .... (Mexican/Latin/southwest cooking)
« Reply #4 on: August 07, 2017, 08:13:24 PM »
Great tutorial and great recipes  :thumbup: :thumbup:
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Offline teesquare

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Re: THE REAL PASILLA CHILE .... (Mexican/Latin/southwest cooking)
« Reply #5 on: August 07, 2017, 08:53:23 PM »
A GREAT POST.....

These kinds of posts really add to the knowledge base on LTBBQ. Things that folks can really learn form. High quality information.

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Offline Roget

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Re: THE REAL PASILLA CHILE .... (Mexican/Latin/southwest cooking)
« Reply #6 on: August 08, 2017, 08:26:50 AM »
Very interesting & informative read.
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Offline Smokin Don

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Re: THE REAL PASILLA CHILE .... (Mexican/Latin/southwest cooking)
« Reply #7 on: August 08, 2017, 10:28:33 AM »
Thanks!!! A great post for chili lovers!!! I hope I can at least try one of your recipes! Don
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