Smoked Salsa

My all-time most popular creation, revealed at last

We’ll be celebrating the end of tomato season at ToB this week with a couple of my favorite preserves.

I’ve had a smoker for over 20 years, though I’m on at least my second one since the first one rusted out about a decade ago. It’s a barrel-type device, with a separate firebox on the side so that you can use the main chamber like a regular grill but if you build a fire in the firebox the hot smoke travels through the chamber to the chimney on the opposite side, gently cooking the food and imparting that smoky flavor we all love so much. That’s how I made the pastrami back in September, and I use it for all sorts of tasty applications.

None are more popular than my smoked salsa, and it’s not even close. I have friends who get angry (not joke angry, real angry) with me for not giving them more of it, and who hoard it, forbidding their partners from sharing it with them. It’s that good. Beyond its addictive quality as a salsa, it’s also an incredible base for everything from chili to curry. Open a jar and pour it over rolled stuffed tortillas and you’ve got enchiladas to die for. Add ground seeds, spices, cocoa powder, and a few other things and you’re in pretty persuasive mole territory in no time. It can do a lot, and it makes everything taste amazing. I make enough to last all year, and that includes giving jars away to people who can’t live without it.

It’s not a complicated recipe, but there are a couple of essential steps and a few things to watch out for as you go. It also involves a two-stage cooking process, and if you’re making a lot and canning it (which you absolutely should do) then you’ll need to allow time for that as well. So if you’re going to go for it, maybe budget a Sunday and learn, as I have, what a special holiday Tomato Day is. You’ll be enjoying the fruits of this project all the way through the year until the tomatoes are ripe again. And your friends will mysteriously become better at staying in touch.