Smoked Salsa
Smoked salsa is an easy way to kick up your basic dip recipe. This smoky dip tastes great with tortilla chips or with tacos, burritos or pretty much anything you would serve with regular salsa.
I’ve been obsessed with making smoked dips this summer.
My smoked queso is one of my favorites.
But honestly this smoked salsa is just as good.
Smoking the veggies prior making the salsa adds a new layer of flavor.
What kind of wood should I use?
This recipe works the best with a light fruity fragrant wood instead.
We used apple wood chips exclusively for this but you can use anything that won’t produce a heavy smoke.
How to Make
To make this, add the tomatoes, garlic, corn, tomatillo, red onion, poblanos and lime juice to a disposable aluminum baking pan.
Fire up your smoker to 250 and smoke the veggies for 1 1/2-2 hours.
Then take the pan out of the smoker and let the veggies to cool.
When they are cool, peel the tomatoes. The outer peels will have pulled away from the flesh and they will peel easily. Discard the peels.
Then slice off the top of the peppers and remove the seeds and squeeze out the roasted garlic cloves.
Add the prepared tomatoes, peppers and garlic cloves along with the onion, corn kernels, tomatillo, salt and pepper and cilantro to the blender.
Now put the lid on the blender and blend until it reaches your desired consistency.
Enjoy!
Do I have to use a tomatillo?
You don’t have to use a tomatillo if you don’t want to, but I love adding it.
Tomatillos aren’t as sweet as tomatoes, but brighter and a little tangy.
The woman who runs our local farmer’s stand is who turned me onto the appreciation/addition of tomatillo and she was right!
It adds a depth to the flavor of this salsa.
She also swears by adding a shot of tequila to the mix!
I haven’t tried it, but that’s mostly due to forgetfulness when I’m out shopping for ingredients and nothing else.
Storing
You can keep homemade salsa in your fridge for 4 to 6 days as long as you keep it covered.
This recipe is also great for canning.
Tips and Tricks
- Do not expect a vibrant red salsa like you’re used to even though the veggies may still be somewhat colorful after smoking. The darker nature of the cooking process will lead to a much more muted salsa. Don’t let it scare you away though!
- For chunky salsa, don’t add the corn kernels to the blender. Stir them in at the end.
- To make smooth salsa, puree the mixture.
- For more texture, just pulse the mix instead.
- To add more heat, smoke a jalapeno as well.
Other Homemade Dips
This smoked salsa recipe takes the salsa you are used to and kicks it up with addition of a subtle smoky flavor. Make it for your next taco night and enjoy!
Looking for other dip recipes? Try these:
If you’ve tried this SMOKED SALSA RECIPE recipe, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on.
Smoked Salsa Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 large tomatoes recommend a variety like beefsteak
- 1 bulb garlic (needs to have at least 4-6 fat cloves) top cut off
- 1 large corn shucked and corn silk removed
- 1 small tomatillo papery skin removed & discarded
- 1 red onion peeled & cut in half
- 1-2 poblano peppers
- juice of two limes
- s & p to taste
- 1 full bunch of cilantro stems removed
Instructions
- Add the first six ingredients to a disposable aluminum baking pan.
- Smoke the vegetables at 250° for 1 1/2 - 2 hours.
- Remove the smoked vegetables from the smoker, and set them aside- allowing them to cool to the touch.
- Once cooled, peel the tomatoes. The outer peels will have pulled away from the flesh and they will come away easily. Discard the peel & add the tomatoes to a blender.
- Slice the top off of the pepper(s) and shake out any seeds. Discard those, and add the pepper(s) to the blender.
- Squeeze out the roasted garlic cloves and add them to the blender.
- Cut the corn kernels away from the cob, and add the kernels along with any expressed corn milk to the blender.
- Add the onion, along with the remainder of the ingredients to the blender.
- Secure the lid, and blend to desired consistency. I like mine smooth, so I puree it. If you like chunks, use your pulse button instead.
Notes
- For chunkier results, in addition to using the pulse method to blend the salsa- don't add the corn kernels to the blender. Instead, stir those in at the end.
- Do not expect a vibrant red salsa like you're used to even though the veggies may still be somewhat colorful after smoking. The darker nature of the cooking process will lead to a much more muted salsa. Don't let it scare you away though!
- For chunky salsa, don't add the corn kernels to the blender. Stir them in at the end.
- To make smooth salsa, puree the mixture.
- For more texture, just pulse the mix instead.
- To add more heat, smoke a jalapeno as well.
Nutrition
