As one of the main ingredients of our new sauce Big Red One it seemed fitting to provide some backstory on the ever popular dark green chili. The reasonings behind why we choose it, some basic uses, and a fun fact or two. 

The poblano is a mildly smoky chili pepper originating in the state of Puebla, Mexico. Generally speaking the majority of consumed poblano peppers are the green variant. The further ripened red poblano is significantly hotter than the less ripe, green poblano.

Fun Fact:When the poblano is dried it is called ancho or chile ancho, from the Spanish wordancho (‘wide’).

The poblano has also become vastly popular within American cuisine for its versatility and rich flavor. Preparation methods vary greatly as with some chilies as they have nearly endless uses. For example, they can be used and prepared as dried, stuffed, inmole sauces, or coated in whipped eff (capeado) and fried, and you know….in a hot sauce. 

They sit on the scoville scale at about 1,000 - 2,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU). 

Fun Fact:"Poblano" is also the word for an inhabitant of Puebla, and mole poblano refers to the spicy chocolate chili sauce originating in Puebla.

One of the most iconic dishes that uses Poblano peppers would be ‘Chiles en Nogada’, which uses green, white, and red ingredients - symbolic of the Mexican flag and largely consumed on Mexican Independence Day. Some other dishes to try out would be a classicRajas Poblanos or aChiles Rellenos.

You can usually find poblanos in most local grocery stores, as they are quite popular with cooks all around the U.S. They are also extremely easy to grow. So next time you are at the market grab one and see why we love them so much.