A chipotle chile is a fully ripened, dried and smoked Mexican jalapeño (as seen on the right). The peppers naturally turn red at the end of the season, so the peppers that were not picked fresh for market get smoke dried into chipotles. The sweet-hot flavor that results from the long, slow smoking process is unique and lends an exotic tang to recipes.

Chipotles are most commonly available ground or canned, usually in adobo sauce, a marinade made from chiles, tomatoes and garlic (as seen on the left). The peppers lend a smoky-sweet flavor to sauces, marinades and salsas. In Mexico, pickled chipotle are eaten as appetizers.

Chipotles have caught on in recent years in the U.S. and are now used widely in Mexican-American and Tex-Mex cuisine.