Smoked Ghost Pepper Salsa Recipe | Spicy, Smokey, Delicious

I use my small offset smoke to smoke the ingredients. Use what you have. Weber, pellet smoker, offset smoker etc.

Tomatoes on the vine have the best flavor. Even in the off season, they are still delicious.

Ingredients:

9 red tomatoes, off the vine

3 ghost peppers (I used fermented peppers, check out how to make them here)

3 cloves garlic

2 shallots

2 limes (1 zested, both juiced)

1 sprig fresh oregano

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

Tools needed:

Sharp knife

Cutting board

Tomato shark

Food processor

Perforated pan

Citrus zester

Glass baking dish

Smoker, I use my small offset smoker

Lump charcoal

Oak wood splits for smoke flavor

How to make it:

Ghost peppers are extremely hot. I highly recommend wearing rubber gloves while handling them.

Wash tomatoes under cold running water. If using fresh, not fermented peppers, wash them as well. Dry on clean kitchen towel.

Peel shallot and garlic, keep whole

Measure out the paprika and chili powder. The oregano, chili powder, paprika, lime zest and juice get added to the salsa later after smoking.

Core and quarter the tomatoes. Remove stem from pepper if using fresh. Keep whole or halved if they are fermented. Seed and placenta removal is optional.

In a mixing bowl, place in the tomato quarters, garlic, shallots and peppers. I kept about 1 tsp of the brine from the fermented peppers and added it to the ingredients in the bowl. The brine is to help the seasoning stick to the ingredients. You can use oil instead. Season with pepper and half the salt amount. Gently toss to mix ingredients with seasoning. Place perforated pan over glass baking dish and put ingredients onto the perforated pan. The glass dish is to catch any liquid that may fall off the ingredients. The dish will not be used on the smoker.

Warm up smoker and hold at 225 to 250 F.

Nice smoke on the ingredients. I use oak wood for smokey flavor. Applewood is also nice.

Place the ingredients on the smoker. Smoke for 1 to 1-1/2 hours.  The ingredients will have a nice color to them and will be slightly softened.

A food processor makes fora quick way to break up the ingredients for the salsa.

Add smoked ingredients to the food processor along with the paprika, chili powder, remainder of the salt, pepper, lime zest and juice. Pulse the processor a few times to rough chop ingredients and add the fresh oregano. Pulse a few more times to break up the oregano. Over processing the herb can cause it to become too strong and become bitter.

Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Add more salt, pepper and/or lime juice as desired.

This will keep best in a glass food storage container in kept in the refrigerator. The salsa will stay good for about 1 week.