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DRIED CHILE CHARTS

FRESH CHILE CHARTS

Ten-Pepper Brine

The aroma of peppers is often overshadowed by their heat, but that’s not so here. Capturing the range of peppers, from hot to sweet, dried to fresh, peppercorns to pepper fruits, balances the sharp edges of one pepper with the floral fragrance of another and rounds the whole to a radiating glow. Unlike in a peppery rub, the fragrance of pepper in a brine permeates every bite.

TIMING

Prep: 10 minutes

GRILL TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

• Long-handled tongs

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BRINING TIME

Brining small seafood and thin fish: 30 minutes

Brining thick fish and boneless poultry: 1 hour

Brining bone-in poultry, chops, and steaks: 2 to 3 hours

Brining roasts: 3 to 8 hours (depending on size)

GOOD WITH

Seafood: shrimp, scallops, salmon, any white-fleshed fish

Poultry: chicken, turkey, game hen

Meat: lamb, pork, veal

INGREDIENTS (MAKES ABOUT 2¼ CUPS)

1 dried ancho chile pepper

1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and coarsely chopped

1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and coarsely chopped

1 fresh or dried Scotch bonnet or habanero chile, stem and seeds removed

1 fresh serrano chile, stem and seeds removed

1 canned chipotle pepper en adobo

1 tablespoon cracked Szechwan pepper

1 tablespoon cracked black pepper

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon Chinese chili paste with garlic

1 cup water

2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Toast the ancho chile by holding it with long-handled tongs directly over the open flame of a stovetop, or on the grill using direct high heat. Turning it once or twice to ensure even cooking, toast it until the chile gets pliable and puffs slightly. Let cool until comfortable to touch. Remove the stem and tear into small pieces.

2. Put the toasted ancho chile, green and red bell peppers, Scotch bonnet chile, serrano chile, and chipotle chile in a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped.

3. Combine the pepper mixture, Szechwan red pepper, black pepper, pepper flakes, chili paste, water, salt, and sugar in a gallon-size zipper-lock bag; seal and shake until the salt and sugar dissolve, about 30 seconds.

4. Put the bag in a bowl just large enough to hold it snugly. Open the bag and add the meat. Seal the zipper, leaving about an inch open; push on the bag to release any trapped air through the opening, and close the zipper completely. Massage the liquid gently into the meat and refrigerate for the suggested time.

Steakhouse Brine

If you like the flavor of steak sauce with grilled meat, you’ll like this brine. It will infuse its essence deep into the fibers of a steak or roast.

TIMING

Prep: 5 minutes

GETTING CREATIVE

• Add a smoky redolence to this brine by using a chipotle steak sauce, or by adding a little chipotle hot sauce.

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BRINING TIME

Brining boneless poultry: 1 hour

Brining bone-in poultry, chops, and steaks: 2 to 3 hours

Brining roasts: 3 to 8 hours (depending on size)

GOOD WITH

Poultry: duck, goose, game hen

Meat: beef, lamb, pork

INGREDIENTS (MAKES ABOUT 1¾ CUPS)

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons sugar

¼ cup steak sauce such as A1

3 tablespoons purchased steak seasoning

¼ cup ketchup

1 cup water

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine the ingredients in a gallon-size zipper-lock bag; seal and shake until the salt and sugar dissolve, about 30 seconds.

2. Put the bag in a bowl just large enough to hold it snugly. Open the bag and add the meat. Seal the zipper, leaving about an inch open; push on the bag to release any trapped air through the opening, and close the zipper completely. Massage the liquid gently into the meat and refrigerate for the suggested time.

Hot Pepper-Chai Brine

Chai, a blend of black tea, honey, and spices, usually cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and pepper, is served with warm milk throughout Southeast Asia. About ten years ago, chai started to be manufactured commercially in the Unites States. Now it is available in teabags and as liquid tea, instant tea, and most commonly as a tea concentrate. The concentrate is an instant flavor