How to roast fresh Chiles- The EASY and fast way

Canned Chiles (even the fire-roasted ones) cannot hold a red-hot candle to freshly roasted chiles.  

You don't need a spendy culinary torch. You don't need to stand at your stove top and roast over an open flame. You don't need to babysit the chiles under your oven broiler or at the BBQ grill.

What you DO need is a multi-purpose propane torch. If you do a lot of camping, the chances are good that your hubby already owns one.

Entire Kits can be purchased new for about $25. When the propane bottle is out of fuel, just unscrew the torch and put it on a new bottle.

The BernzOmatic that I use is still going strong after 10+ years.

Hubby uses it for soldering and manly things.

I use it to light campfires AND roast chiles for rellenos and poppers... and marshmallows when I want a quick smore fix! ;-)

What you need:

A propane torch
A fork with a heat-resistant handle
Tongs
A brown paper bag

and CHILES to roast! ;-) 

I'm making Chile Rellenos, so the chiles I'm roasting here are a personal preference...  Anaheims. 
 

Step 1: Roasting the Chiles

Roast your Chiles outside (if possible) so you don't smoke up your kitchen.

Insert the fork securely into the base of the Chile.

Start the torch and begin roasting from the tip of the Chile. The flame is hottest where you cannot see it... about 5-6 inches from the torch spout. Find that ideal hot-spot and start the roasting process.

Rotate the chile around. Roast the skin around the fork LAST. 

A nice, black, blistered char is what you want and it makes stripping the skin easy-peasy!

After the chile is roasted, use tongs to place it in a paper bag to "sweat". 

Fold the top closed and place your next Chile on the fork and roast it. 

Remember...the torch is HOT and the fork is HOT, too! Use caution!!!

When you're done roasting and all of the chiles are happily sweating in the paper bag, find something else to do for about 20-30 minutes.

Comments

[CementTruck]

The aroma from roasting chiles has to be one of the most intoxicating I know of. I used to live in Albuquerque a lifetime ago, and I remember when the Hatch Chiles were roasted outside the grocery stores after harvest I just hung out by the tumblers, breathing in this most fragrant scent. From time to time, when the mood hits me in the middle of summer, I'll go to the grocery store and get a few Anaheims, Hungarians, or Banana Peppers and roast them on the grill, but nothing compares to the scent of a whole city roasting chiles at the same time.

[bajablue]

How interesting, CementTruck. I've drilled a lot of shed deer/elk/moose antlers for lamps, etc. I happen to find that smell intoxicating.... and WD40, too.

lol... everybody's different! ;-)

[CementTruck]

*barf! ;)

Drilling Antlers probably smells like the dentist's office. I make bone fish hooks and I hate the smell of it. To each their own.

Regarding the smell of WD-40: maybe you need to crack a window. I too like the sweet smell of WD-40...just not as much as Chiles.

[bajablue]

LOL!!!

[garnishrecipes]

These are awesome! I want to try roasting these with a torch rather than a broiler. I love the torch- a lot of chefs discourage using a culinary torch at all and carry these bad boys.

[bajablue]

lol.... culinary torches are for sissies. ;-D

[wazzup105]

+1 for using power tools in the kitchen (even if it's outside) !

I'll try this for my roasted paprika's. (so simple, why didn't I think of it)

[bajablue]

Perchance, do you make homemade ground paprika, wazzup???

What a GREAT idea for an instructable... and you should!!! ;-)

[aguilozano]

I prefer not to rinse the chiles after roastingI! You end up rinsing away so much of the flavor.

[bajablue]

I think you might be onto something!

Thanks for commenting!!!

[onrust]

I cooked a hot dog the same way on a comping trip. They thought I was nuts!

[bajablue]

lol... nuts?

You're smart and resourceful! I use it occasionally to quick-roast marshmallows for smores, too.

[Little Mom on the Prairie]

Wonderful,thank you! I was just wondering how to do this

[bajablue]

Of course you'll be sitting outside, drinking a glass of Merlot, soaking your feet in the pool and supervising the kids as they prepare dinner in the Toaster Oven...
right?

That's how I'd do it, anyway! ;-)

Thanks Jax!

[sunshiine]

Oh my goodness! I was going to do this! Oh well your idea is fantastic! I usually have the stores roast them but I would rather roast them myself. The problem is I don't have a bbq nor an oven that has a top broiler. I have to kneel on the floor to roast peppers! Great idea! I will try this. I love peppers! Thanks for sharing!

[bajablue]

lol... get off of your knees and out of the kitchen, girl... You'll LOVE this method! ;-D
(and you'll never pay anyone to do it again, either.;-)

When I'm roasting chiles, I'm sitting outside with a cup of coffee enjoying the fresh air.

[sunshiine]

LOL you crack me up! I actually don't pay to have them done IF I buy them at the store. We grow Chile's here locally so I buy them at the store until now of course! I will send your link to my sister because she will love this idea. I wanted to try roasted apricots for the cupcake and BBQ contest because I had fresh apricots. Too bad because they are all gone now. We don't always get a good crop because of a late frost or a wind storm in the spring. This year was our worst year for a long time. Our tree was loaded! Until the wind whisked them away!

[bajablue]

Sometimes I crack me up, too. Maybe I'm just Cracked! ;-D

Sorry about your apricots, but you're doing a GREAT job with all of your entries even without them!

Best of Luck to you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!