The word chipotle, which was also sometimes spelled chilpoctle and chilpotle, comes to English originally from the Nahuatl word chilpoctli by way of Mexican Spanish. The Nahuatl word chilpoctli means “smoked chile” (source). The people who made up the word didn’t even specify that it had to be a red jalapeno. It just has to be a “smoked chile”. In fact, you can even use serranos, habaneros, new mexican chiles, hungarian wax chiles and habenero chiles.

Traditionally, chipotles are made with red jalapenos at the end of the growing season. The demand for red jalapenos is not as great as green so most American jalapeño growers just till the red jalapenos into the ground to prepare the fields for the following growing season. Mexican growers use a more sustainable approach and harvest the red jalapenos for smoking into chipotles.  There are a few differences between red and green jalapenos other than just the color. As the jalapeno ripens it turn from green to dark red, black and then finally to bright red. The bright red jalapeño has a thinner skin and the meat of the jalapeño has also thinned. The thin flesh makes it easier to achieve a smoke dried jalapeño. The green jalapeno will take longer than the red to smoke dry at low temperatures. Bottom lime is farmers can get more money for green jalapenos so they sell those for top dollar. For the backyard grower with more jalapenos then they know what to do with, chipotles can be made from either green or red jalapenos. By all means, if you can sell your green jalapenos for top dollar, then only use the red. Otherwise, go ahead a smoke up some green chipotles.

Let me know how your chipotles turn out by leaving a comment.