This smoked salsa packs a deep, rich flavor thanks to fire‑kissed tomatoes, caramelized onions, roasted garlic, and smoky jalapeños. It’s simple, rustic, and absolutely addictive — the kind of salsa that makes you wonder why you ever settled for store‑bought. Serve it with tacos, chips, grilled meats, or anything that needs a bold smoky kick.
This recipe started as a blend of our favorite restaurant salsas — inspired by Uncle Julio’s and Pappasito’s — and then we added our own Southern Spoon twist. The real magic happens on the smoker, where those fresh ingredients transform into a layered, smoky, restaurant‑quality salsa that hits every note: sweet, spicy, tangy, and charred in all the right ways.
Ingredients
Pellet smoker or oven, plus a blender
15 Roma tomatoes (or 6 large tomatoes)
2 onions, cut into quarters
2–4 whole jalapeños (or substitute serrano peppers)
6 whole garlic cloves
Olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Juice of one lime
1½ teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon chipotle in adobo sauce
1 bunch fresh cilantro
Directions
- Preheat your pellet smoker or oven to 300°F.
Lightly coat the tomatoes, onions, and jalapeños with olive oil. Place them on a vegetable grilling pan and smoke for 1 hour. - After the first hour, add the whole garlic cloves to the pan.
Rotate the trays and flip vegetables as needed for an even cook. - Continue cooking for 1 more hour, for a total of 2 hours.
- Remove vegetables from the smoker and transfer to a blender.
Add the cooked onions, tomatoes, and garlic. Cut the tops off 2 jalapeños and add them in; remove seeds if you prefer less heat.
Add salt, pepper, sugar, lime juice, and chipotle in adobo. Blend until you reach your desired consistency. - Finish to taste.
Add cilantro last and pulse lightly. Taste and adjust with more cilantro, lime, or seasoning as needed.
Better than salsa’s you will get at most restaurants!
Try it out,
Mary
@Southernspoon