Fire Roasted Salsa

I'd say that it is pretty much a universal certainty. Visit just about any sit down Mexican food restaurant and when you are seated at your table you will be greeted by a big basket of warm, crunchy, salty tortilla chips served with a bowl of salsa. Pair that with an icy mug of beer or a margarita and you are off to a great start! Ha! The challange for me is to try not to eat too many chips before the main course arrives! In my opinion, one of the hallmarks of a good Mexican food restaurant is the quality of their chips and salsa. Especially the salsa. Now there are a myriad of different types of salsa with all kinds of ingredients but what I'm talking about here is your basic tomato, onion, garlic, and peppers concoction. Funny thing... even when you limit the list of ingredients to these few there still seems to be a limitless number of versions of the final product. There are salsas that are cooked and some that use only fresh raw ingredients. There are so many different types of peppers too... each lending their own special flavors, heat levels, and textures. And like so many things it comes down to personal preference. After many years of diligent field research at countless restaurants (ha!) I have found that I like cooked salsas that are served warm. I want a noticeable level of spicy heat from the peppers... not too much... just enough to get your attention. And I want something that is savory and full of flavor. My recipe is all of that and a bit more. It is crazy good (if I do say so myself). So grab a margarita or a cold beer and get your chips ready... let's make some of the best salsa you've ever had!

This recipe makes about 4 or 5 pints of salsa.

We'll start with the ingredients:

12 Roma Tomatoes

12 Serrano Peppers (more if you want a spicier mixture)

3 Poblano Peppers (I've also used the equivalent weight of Hatch green chiles, Fresnos, and Anaheims)

2 Sweet Yellow Onions

1 Whole Head of Garlic

4 teaspoons Seasoned Salt

4 teaspoons Chili Powder

2 teaspoons Garlic Powder

4 teaspoons Julio's Seasoning

4 teaspoons Knorr Tomato Bouillon

For the equipment you will need:

Barbeque Grill

Wood that produces a mild smokey flavor like pecan or oak. Avoid hickory or mesquite.

Food Processor

Tomato Strainer or Food Mill

Stock pot

A few large bowls

Aluminum Foil

Optional: Mason Jars and Canning Equipment

Start off by firing up your favorite grill. I prefer to use pecan wood. It is readily available in my area of Texas and I like the mild flavor that the smoke imparts to whatever you are cooking. Apple and cherry are good too... just avoid really strong flavored woods like mesquite or hickory. Smoke is a seasoning... just like salt and pepper. And it is very easy to overdo it. We just want a hint of smoke... not too much. I guess you could use charcoal and then add wood chips but if you do then use natural lump hardwood charcoal... not briquettes. And don't use charcoal lighter either. Briquettes and charcoal lighter have an offputting petroleum like flavor in my opinion. So if you can... just stick with a wood fired setup.

Now that the grill is going... peel the onions, and slice each of them into three discs. Wash everything else but leave them whole... even the garlic. I let the fire burn down quite a bit but not all of the way to where you just have coals. I want a little flame and smoke. The goal is to give the veg a good char and to partially cook them. Hopefully you have a mastery of your own grill and are good at controlling the heat. I have a Santa Maria style grill that allows me to crank the grill grates up or down and gives me excellent heat control. Use a set of tongs to periodically flip the veg to get an even char all the way around... it should take you 20 minutes or so. We're getting close in the third picture.

In the fourth picture you can see about what we are shooting for. I have moved everything into a big bowl and in the fifth picture we cover the bowl with foil and the veg will continue to steam with the residual heat from the grilling process. Allow it to sit until cool. In the meantime... we have a really good fire going. How about a little surf and turf tonight? A couple of porterhouse steaks with a side of shrimp and scallops!

I like to can my finished salsa in Mason jars. That way they are shelf stable for a fairly long time. You don't have to do this but if you don't you will need to keep the finished salsa in the refrigerator and eat it all within a couple weeks. That's a lot of salsa to eat in a short time! I can 4 pints and whatever is left over I put in another jar and place it in the frige for immediate use.

So I place 4 jars in a large pot of water and bring it to a boil to get ready for the canning process (pic 1). While that's going it's time to finish prepping the veg. Start by peeling and seeding the poblanos (pic 2) and then the garlic (pics 3 and 4). That may look like a lot of garlic but it is transformed by the roasting and steaming. It is mild, buttery, and soft now. You don't need to peel the serranos... just pull off the stems. Toss it all in the food processor (I did it in 2 batches) and make sure you add the liquid left over in the bottom of the bowl... that's liquid flavor gold! Pulse the processor a few times to chop everything up... but don't puree it (last pic).

I have a Weston tomato strainer that I use all the time. I love it. And while it is a wonderful product I'm not a big fan of Weston's customer service. I needed a replacement part (drive shaft assembly) because I had misplaced the one I had. They listed the part on their website but it was never in stock. I emailed them, explained my situation, and asked if they knew when the part would be available. The reply was that they didn't know. That was it... no offer to help or anything. I tried calling them but you get a recorded message telling you to visit their website. The good news is I found a part for another brand that looked the same as the one I needed... luckily it worked! So great product but lousy customer service from Weston. And just as long as you are not a knucklehead like me and don't lose or break anything you'll be fine.

So anyway... run the chopped veg through a tomato strainer or a food mill using a medium grate. If a few seeds get through... not a big deal. The hopper is plenty big (1 gallon) and I pour in all of the chopped salsa (pic 1). Pic 2 is the first pass and in the third picture I've run the contents of the bowl on the left through one more time to squeeze out every last bit of goodness.

Pour the strained salsa into a medium stock pot over high heat. Add the seasoning, give it a good stir, and when it comes to a boil reduce the heat to low. Now you are ready to can. If you are not going to can then let it all cool down and transfer the salsa into some sort of a food storage container. I've never tried it but I'll bet you could freeze it and it should be good for several months in the freezer until you are ready to use it. Just thaw it in the frige. It can be served hot or cold or even at room temp... I like to zap it in the microwave and serve it hot.

But if you are going to can your salsa then proceed to the next step...

I sterilize the jars, rings, and any tools that will touch the salsa. Don't boil the jar tops! The adhesive on them is heat activated and you'll ruin them if you boil them ahead of time. Canning is like anything else... there are lots of different tools you can use and you can spend a bunch of money on them if you are so inclined. I don't can a whole lot so I just have a few basic tools. I would say a canning funnel, ladle, and some jar tongs are essential. The process is pretty simple. Fill up the jar with the hot salsa and leave a little head space at the top... you don't want to fill it up all the way. Place the lid on top of the jar followed by the ring. Screw the ring down to where it is just hand tight... you don't need to overdo it. The jar is hot so you will want an oven mit or towel to hold onto the jar while you tighten the ring. Place all of the sealed jars back into the pot of boiling water. The water needs to cover the jars by an inch or so. Boil for 15 minutes and then turn off the heat. I let the water cool down a little (10 or 15 minutes) before I remove the jars. Let the jars sit on the counter until they cool (last pic). As the contents of the jar cools the pressure inside the jar reduces creating a vacuum that sucks the lid tops down. At some point you'll hear the lids pop... that lets you know you have a good seal. Once the jars are cool you should be able to push down on the lids and they shouldn't move. If for some reason they still flex a little bit then that means you didn't get a good seal. Not a huge deal... just place that jar in the frige and use it first. That being said... I've never had a jar that didn't seal.

In my opinion I think it is best served hot but it is also really good cold. Whatever you prefer. Just remember that once you open your jar of canned salsa it will need to be refrigerated afterwards.

It can be simply served with your favorite tortilla chips or as a condiment poured over breakfast burritos, eggs, tacos, nachos, whatever. You can also use it in place of Rotel when making cheese dip. I use it as an ingredient when making tacos, chili, and even barbeque sauce! And for an interesting variation on Buffalo wing sauce... heat it in a pot with some butter and pour it over your deep fried wings. Whoa! Really good!

I hope you find this salsa recipe helpful. If you have any questions or comments then feel free to post them below. Post pics if you do make it yourself... I'd love to see them!

Until the next Instructable...

SW