The Chipotle Story

Chipotles (pronounced chipotlays) are the dried smoked chillies of Mexico. Thought to date back to Aztec times, smoking was used as a method of preserving the fleshy jalapeño type chilli as they do not dry well. The modern chipotle is a cool smoked jalapeño and is very popular in the southern and western United States and of course, Mexico.

At karrimah farm, the process begins with the harvesting of red, ripe jalapeño chillies that are grown on our property south of Perth in Western Australia. The chillies are immediately washed, sorted and cut then placed into the smokehouse. The smoking process takes three to five days. At karrimah farm we use Australian products and ingredients to give a uniquely Australian flavour. This results in a chipotle that is somewhat different in taste and appearance from its Mexican counterpart. It is darker in colour, more wrinkled and has a more smoky flavour with hints of caramel and chocolate.

The chipotles can be used dry as they are or at karrimah farm we also pack them in adobo sauce. This sauce is a traditional Mexican method of using chipotles. During processing, the chipotle flavour is extracted into the adobo sauce and the chillies are softened. Both the sauce and the pieces of chilli can be used. Again, the karrimah farm product is a little different in flavour from the Mexican. It is slightly sweeter and does not have the burnt, bitter flavour of some Mexican brands. It adds a hot, rich, smoky flavour to any dish. BEWARE! If you like a smoky taste in your food, this stuff is addictive!