Sweet and Smoky Grilled Tomato Salsa—Gas Grill
By America's Test KitchenPublished on August 22, 2007
Time
1½ hours
Yield
Serves 12 (Makes about 3 cups)
Ingredients
1 cup wood chips, preferably hickory, soaked for 15 minutes2 pounds medium plum tomatoes (10 to 12), cored and halved pole to pole2 large jalapeno chiles 2 teaspoons vegetable oil, plus additional for brushing cooking grate3 tablespoons minced red onion 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves 1 teaspoon table salt ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil ½ teaspoon sugar (see note above)1 - 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice from 1 line (see note above)
Before You Begin
Sugar and lime juice should be added at the end to taste, depending on the ripeness of the tomatoes. For a spicier salsa, don't seed the grilled chiles. This salsa is a good match for tortilla chips but also goes well with grilled food and eggs. Mesquite wood chips are too potent for this recipe; we prefer hickory.
Instructions
- Place wood chips in small disposable aluminum pan; set pan on edge of grill burner and position cooking grate. Ignite grill, turn all burners to high, cover, and heat until very hot and chips are beginning to smoke, about 15 minutes. (If chips ignite, use water-filled spray bottle to extinguish.) Scrape grate clean with grill brush.
- Place tomatoes and chiles in bowl; drizzle with vegetable oil and toss to coat evenly. Using long-handled grill tongs, dip wad of paper towels lightly in vegetable oil and wipe hot side of grate. Place tomatoes cut side down over on side of grill away from wood chips and grill with lid down, checking often to make sure they are not burning. Grill tomatoes until evenly charred and beginning to soften, 4 to 6 minutes. Using tongs, flip tomatoes and grill until skin sides are charred and tomato juices bubble, 4 to 6 minutes more. While tomatoes are cooking, grill chiles until skins are blackened on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes, turning as needed.
- When both tomatoes and chiles are on cooler side of grill, add soaked wood chips to hot coals and cover grill, positioning open lid vent over tomatoes. Cook for 2 minutes (smoke should billow through vents after about 30 seconds). Transfer vegetables to platter and let cool in single layer, at least 10 minutes.
- Stem, peel, seed, and finely chop chiles. Pulse tomatoes in food processor until broken down but still chunky, about six 1-second pulses. Transfer tomatoes to bowl; stir in chiles, onion, cilantro, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Taste and add sugar and lime juice as needed to balance flavors. Let stand for 10 minutes and serve. (Salsa can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 2 days; bring back to room temperature before serving.)
Time
1½ hoursYield
Serves 12 (Makes about 3 cups)Ingredients
1 cup wood chips, preferably hickory, soaked for 15 minutes
2 pounds medium plum tomatoes (10 to 12), cored and halved pole to pole
2 large jalapeno chiles
2 teaspoons vegetable oil, plus additional for brushing cooking grate
3 tablespoons minced red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon sugar (see note above)
1 - 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice from 1 line (see note above)
Ingredients
1 cup wood chips, preferably hickory, soaked for 15 minutes
2 pounds medium plum tomatoes (10 to 12), cored and halved pole to pole
2 large jalapeno chiles
2 teaspoons vegetable oil, plus additional for brushing cooking grate
3 tablespoons minced red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon sugar (see note above)
1 - 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice from 1 line (see note above)
Ingredients
1 cup wood chips, preferably hickory, soaked for 15 minutes
2 pounds medium plum tomatoes (10 to 12), cored and halved pole to pole
2 large jalapeno chiles
2 teaspoons vegetable oil, plus additional for brushing cooking grate
3 tablespoons minced red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon sugar (see note above)
1 - 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice from 1 line (see note above)
Why This Recipe Works
To get great grilled flavor in the tomatoes for our grilled tomato salsa recipe without losing most of the tomato in the process, we used meaty plum tomatoes, starting the halved tomatoes cut side down over the hottest part of the grill and then flipping them cut side up (the skin acts as a cradle, keeping the flesh intact as the tomatoes continue to cook and soften). After moving the tomatoes for our grilled tomato salsa recipe to the cool side of the grill to keep them from being torched by flare-ups, we tossed soaked wood chips onto the hot coals to generate more smoke.
Before You Begin
Sugar and lime juice should be added at the end to taste, depending on the ripeness of the tomatoes. For a spicier salsa, don't seed the grilled chiles. This salsa is a good match for tortilla chips but also goes well with grilled food and eggs. Mesquite wood chips are too potent for this recipe; we prefer hickory.
Instructions
- Place wood chips in small disposable aluminum pan; set pan on edge of grill burner and position cooking grate. Ignite grill, turn all burners to high, cover, and heat until very hot and chips are beginning to smoke, about 15 minutes. (If chips ignite, use water-filled spray bottle to extinguish.) Scrape grate clean with grill brush.
- Place tomatoes and chiles in bowl; drizzle with vegetable oil and toss to coat evenly. Using long-handled grill tongs, dip wad of paper towels lightly in vegetable oil and wipe hot side of grate. Place tomatoes cut side down over on side of grill away from wood chips and grill with lid down, checking often to make sure they are not burning. Grill tomatoes until evenly charred and beginning to soften, 4 to 6 minutes. Using tongs, flip tomatoes and grill until skin sides are charred and tomato juices bubble, 4 to 6 minutes more. While tomatoes are cooking, grill chiles until skins are blackened on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes, turning as needed.
- When both tomatoes and chiles are on cooler side of grill, add soaked wood chips to hot coals and cover grill, positioning open lid vent over tomatoes. Cook for 2 minutes (smoke should billow through vents after about 30 seconds). Transfer vegetables to platter and let cool in single layer, at least 10 minutes.
- Stem, peel, seed, and finely chop chiles. Pulse tomatoes in food processor until broken down but still chunky, about six 1-second pulses. Transfer tomatoes to bowl; stir in chiles, onion, cilantro, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Taste and add sugar and lime juice as needed to balance flavors. Let stand for 10 minutes and serve. (Salsa can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 2 days; bring back to room temperature before serving.)
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