Smoked salsa is easy to make and so nice to have bottled on the shelf. A little smoke, a little heat, and making use of a lot of garden vegetables. Smoked salsa is absolutely amazing, and we put it on the same level as fresh salsa in our book, which we understand is a pretty bold statement.
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What does smoking do to the salsa?
First, the smoke makes it delicious. Smoke works magic for meats, baked beans, cheese, jerky, and fish. The smoke from the hardwood adds a ton of flavor and just enhances flavors. The smoke works really well with the flavors of the salsa. The peppers especially work great with the smoke, after all a smoked jalapeño is a chipotle pepper, and I love those.
Secondly, smoking the vegetables actually gives them an acidic coating. Any experienced canner will know that when bottling food, acid is your friend, so it actually helps with the preservation.
Is it cheaper to make your own?
It used to be, but not as much any more. If you’ve got a surplus of tomatoes, peppers, and/or onions, yes, its much cheaper to make it than it is to let all that go to waste. I had a lot of peppers and onions and some tomatoes, but needed to buy more to make this. The total cost was about $6 to make 6 pints of salsa. If I had to buy all the ingredients, it would have gone higher, I’d estimate closer to $10. You can’t buy smoked salsa very easily though, and that touch of smoke makes it taste fantastic.
The other big cost currently is canning lids. As I write this, there has been a bit of a run on canning lids. I generally buy Kerr or Ball lids from my local grocery store, but I tried 3 stores and none had it. This led me to experiment with lids on Amazon, and I was able to find a brand on Amazon. These had great reviews and were made in the USA, so I gave it a try. They worked great for me and were very similar to Ball or Kerr lids, which I’ve had trouble finding.
Reusable canning lids
Reusable canning lids can cut down on canning costs in the long run, but they have a much higher up front cost. These cost about $1.50 per lid, though prices vary over time. The nice thing about it though is that the lids are reusable, so you buy once and cry once. If you use them more than 5 times, you’ve paid for them. The other negative about the reusable lids is that if you ever share your bottled goods with friends or family, I hate to give away a bottle with one of my reusable lids. Sharing my smoked salsa is hard enough, but they’re not getting one of my reusable lids.
Tools and Equipment Needed
- Smoker Buy on Amazon>
- Blender Buy on Amazon>
- Chopper Buy on Amazon>
- Mason Jars Buy on Amazon>
- Water Bath Canner Buy on Amazon>
- Lids Buy on Amazon>
The Recipe for Bottled Smoked Salsa
Makes 6 pints
- 5 Cups tomatoes pealed and chopped
- 2 1/2 cups green pepper
- 2 1/2 cups onions (about 3)
- 2-3 Jalapenos to taste (I did 3)
- 1 1/2 tbsp. garlic (paste or finely chopped)
- 1 tbsp. chopped cilantro
- 2 tbsp. salt
- 2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp mustard powder (optional)
Added heat for the smoked salsa:
- 1 tsp+ chipotle Tabasco (It has a smoky flavor that pairs really well with the salsa. See Product Details>)
- 1 tsp Red Pepper flakes
- Additional Jalapeño to taste (but add a splash of more apple cider vinegar for each one you add)
Instructions:
- Preheat your smoker to 250-275.
- Place your tomatoes, onions, peppers, and jalapeños on the preheated smoker. Allow them to smoke for 20-30 minutes, or until the skins on the tomatoes can be pealed easily.
- Peal and core the tomatoes. I have a bowl of ice water handy, as tomatoes coming off the grill can be hot, and it can sort of blanch the tomatoes as well.
- Puree about half the vegetables in a blender or food processor. I like my salsa to have both a thick sauce and some chunks, so the remaining half I dice.
- Combine vegetables and all other ingredients in large stock pot and bring to a boil, stirring regularly. At this point I like to do a taste test, and add more spicy ingredients or salt as needed.
- If it tastes too acidic, do not lower the amount of vinegar you use. The acidic flavor will vary based on the acidity of the tomatoes and vegetables, which can vary, and how much acidity is picked up from smoking. Simple add a bit more sugar, a teaspoon at a time, until it tastes how you like it.
- Boil smoked salsa for 10 minutes.
- Sanitize your jars, lids, and rings. Pour salsa into jars, leaving 1/2″ head space. Wipe mouths of jars clean so you get a good seal. Put on lids and finger tighten rings.
- Put your salsa in a water bath and bring to a boil for 15 minutes. You can add a little bit of white vinegar to help avoid getting the white coating on the jars if you want.
- Let cool and seal.
When Serving:
I like to squeeze a lime into it when serving and add some fresh chopped cilantro. This gives it more of a fresh taste, but you can still taste the smoke. Get a bag of chips, and you’ll see your bottles of smoked salsa disappear.
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