Pepper School: Guajillo Chile
Welcome to Pepper School, take a seat. Today we will be learning about the Guajillo Chile.
The Guajillo Chile is the dried form of the Mirasol Pepper, hailing from Zacatecas in Mexico. This pepper is about 5 inches long and turns from red to dark, purpleish-brown as it dries.
Heat Level? The heat level of the Guajillo Chile ranges from 2,500-5,000 Scoville Heat Units, that’s a mild to medium heat, milder than a Jalapeño.
The Guajillo is the second most popular dried chile, behind the Ancho Chile. It has slightly fruity notes, hinting at tart berries, that pair well with the other smoky and acidic flavors found in the chile. Guajillo Peppers are popular in Mexican cuisine, often found in mole sauces. Its fruity flavors also work well with chocolate! Because of its low spice level, Guajillos can bring great flavor to a recipe, without making it too spicy. Along with the Ancho and Arbol, the Guajillo Chile is considered a part of the “holy trinity” of peppers in Mexican cooking.
Traditionally, the dried peppers are ground into a powder or rehydrated and pureed before using in a variety of dishes.
Which of our recipes use the Guajillo Chile? You can find it used in our:
Some of our Menudo Recipes
So where do we find these high-quality Guajillo Peppers? Obviously we aren’t a farm, but we have some pretty great connections to hard-working pepper farmers. GC Produce, our Colorado neighbor, connects us to these growers. Started by a family of farmers, GC Produce is our Morita, Árbol and Guajillo supplier and has been a business partner with us for over 20 years.
They provide over two million pounds of dried peppers to Ready Foods each year. The GC family started farming in the 1940’s near the beautiful city of Mazatlan Sinaloa in Mexico. Today, they operate a state-of-the-art screening facility and use their experience to travel the world and source high-quality peppers and spices.
Great peppers and chiles start in the field and that’s where GC Produce begins, sourcing and screening the peppers while they are still growing. GC Produce is the eyes and ears for a company like us, they are on the ground, working with farmers to make sure the peppers are flavorful and sanitary. From seeds to the time a pepper comes through our doors, they have been auditing the process the whole way. They are the bridge between us and the farmer, connecting us with quality ingredients.
Once a Guajillo pepper crop is approved by GC Produce and harvested, it heads to GC’s facility in Colorado where it goes through rigorous screening under metal detectors, sifters, and the important human eye test. Once the peppers come to Ready Foods, we put them through additional screening and then grind them to order and make them into delicious sauces and more.
Marco's products are available through major broad-line distributors around the country. We are regularly stocked in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Arizona and more!