Fire up the Yoder Smokers YS480s Pellet Grill for a smoky-sweet, fire roasted salsa that will tantalize any palate! Join Chef Tom as he shares his mouth-watering tips and techniques that makes this salsa the star of the party.
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Peppers roast directly over the flame while everything else rides shotgun. Placing the peppers right over the fire and arranging the tomatoes, onion, and garlic around them means everything gets some char without any single ingredient burning before it's ready.
- A post-grill steam does real work on the peppers. Letting the charred peppers rest in a covered container for 10 minutes loosens their skins, making them far easier to peel than trying to skin them straight off the grill.
- The garlic gets its own safe zone. Setting the garlic cloves on a Frogmat away from direct flame lets them soften and mellow without scorching, which would turn them bitter in the finished salsa.
- Blended warm, seasoned to taste. Combining all the grilled components in the blender with lime juice, chile oil, and rub — then adjusting the habanero salt at the end — means the smoky char comes through first and the heat gets dialed in exactly how you want it.
Fire Roasted Salsa
Tom Jackson
Rated 4.3 stars by 4 users
Category
Condiment
Cuisine
Mexican
Servings
8
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Chef Tom fires up the Yoder Smokers YS480s Pellet Grill and shares his tips and techniques for making Fire Roasted Salsa!
Ingredients
-
2 lb tomatoes
- 3 Anaheim peppers
- 2 jalapeño peppers
- 1 small yellow onion, quartered
- 1 cup cilantro, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 tbsp lime juice
-
2 tsp Colonial Chile Infused Oil
-
2 tsp Cattleman’s Grill Lone Star
-
Jacobsen Salt Co. Habanero Sea Salt, to taste
Directions
- Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS480s Pellet Grill to 450ºF, set up for direct grilling, with the diffuser door removed.
- Place the peppers on the grate, directly over the flame. Arrange the remaining ingredients around the peppers. Place the garlic cloves on a Frogmat, and place the Frogmat on the right side of the grill, away from the direct flame.
- Grill the peppers, turning them to blacken on all sides. When the skin of the peppers is charred, remove and place in a container to steam for about 10 minutes.
- Move the tomatoes directly over the flame to get some char, then remove. Remove onions and garlic when slightly softened.
- Peel the skin from the peppers. Remove the seeds and stem.
Place all grilled ingredients in the blender, along with the lime juice, Colonial Chile Infused Oil, and Cattleman’s Grill Lone Star and blend until smooth. Taste and season with Jacobsen Salt Co. Habanero Sea Salt, to taste.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why grill the peppers directly over the flame but keep the garlic off to the side?
Peppers need direct char to blister and blacken their skins, while garlic burns and turns bitter under that same direct heat. Keeping the garlic on a Frogmat away from the flame lets it soften gently instead.
Why let the charred peppers steam in a covered container before peeling?
The trapped steam loosens the blistered skin, making it come off far more easily than trying to peel a pepper straight off the grill while it's still tight to the flesh.
Why remove the seeds and stems after peeling?
The stems are inedible and the seeds can add a bitter, overly sharp heat. Removing them after peeling gives you control over how much of the pepper's actual heat ends up in the final salsa.
Why season with habanero salt at the very end instead of during grilling?
Blending everything first and tasting before adjusting the salt lets you gauge exactly how much heat and seasoning the salsa needs, rather than guessing beforehand and risking over-salting.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
2 out of 5 — the char on the peppers, tomatoes, onion, and garlic is central to the smoky flavor here, and that's difficult to replicate without live fire. A gas stovetop burner or broiler could approximate it, but not fully match it.
Recipe Highlights
Direct-flame charring for peppers and tomatoes: Placing these right over the fire builds the smoky base flavor that defines a fire-roasted salsa, rather than relying on raw or oven-roasted vegetables.
Steaming the peppers after charring: Letting them rest covered for 10 minutes is what makes peeling the blackened skin fast and clean instead of a struggle.
Isolating the garlic from direct heat: Cooking it on a Frogmat away from the flame keeps it from turning bitter while still letting it soften and mellow.
Seasoning after blending: Tasting and adjusting the habanero salt only once everything is combined gives you precise control over the final heat level.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 4 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- Fat
- 2 grams
- Cholesterol
- milligrams
- Sodium
- 137 milligrams
- Carbs
- 10 grams
- Fiber
- 2 grams
- Sugar
- 6 grams
- Protein
- 2 grams
