💨 Smoker
Can't get any simpler than this — and that's exactly the point. Fresh homemade salsa doesn't need a long ingredient list or a complicated technique. What it needs is smoke. Tomatillos, jalapeños, tomatoes, poblano, onion, and garlic go straight onto the Pit Boss at 250° for an hour, and the smoker does all the work. Every single ingredient picks up that wood-fired depth before they ever hit the food processor.
The result is a salsa with layers of flavor that no store-bought jar can touch — smoky, slightly charred, tangy from the tomatillos, with just enough heat from the jalapeño. Chunky or smooth, your call. Make a big batch on a Saturday and it'll carry you through the whole week.
The Smoke
After the Smoke
Get your Pit Boss running at 250°F. Any wood pellets work here — competition blend, hickory, or mesquite all give great results. Mesquite especially pairs beautifully with the tomatillos and gives the salsa an extra earthy depth.
Husk and rinse the tomatillos. Quarter the onion. Leave the garlic cloves unpeeled — the skin protects them while they smoke and they'll slip right out afterward. Place everything on a sheet pan or directly on the grates. Drizzle with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Give everything a toss to coat.
Place the sheet pan in the smoker at 250°F and let everything smoke for about 1 hour. You're looking for the tomatoes and tomatillos to be soft and slightly collapsed, the jalapeños and poblano to be blistered and tender, and the onion to be lightly charred on the edges. Everything should smell incredible by the time you open that lid.
Pull the pan off the smoker and let everything rest for 10–15 minutes — they'll be very hot. Once cool enough to handle, squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins. Peel and seed the poblano if you want a milder flavor, or leave the skin on for more smokiness. The jalapeños can go in whole — seeds and all if you want heat.
Transfer everything — including any juices collected on the pan — into a food processor or blender. Add the lime juice and cilantro if using. Pulse to your desired consistency. A few short pulses gives you a chunky, rustic salsa. Longer processing gives you something smoother. Taste and adjust salt. That's it.
Serve immediately with tortilla chips, or let it cool and refrigerate in an airtight jar. The flavor actually deepens overnight as everything settles together. Keeps in the fridge for up to 1 week — if it lasts that long.
Leave the garlic unpeeled while it smokes — the skin acts as a natural protector and the cloves come out perfectly roasted inside. Also, don't drain the juices that collect on the pan — pour every drop into the food processor. That liquid is concentrated smoky flavor and it's what makes this salsa different from anything you'll get at a restaurant. And go easy on the food processor at first — you can always blend more, but you can't un-blend a salsa that's already too smooth.