Fast Smoked Salsa

Whether you’re looking for a dip for gameday or want to add some flavor and spice to taco night, this homemade smoked salsa is the perfect recipe.

Homemade salsa is so much better than the store-bought alternative, and roasting your veggies on the smoker adds an extra layer of flavor that will blow your mind.

Homemade Smoked Salsa

This homemade salsa is comprised of just 8 simple ingredients and takes about an hour to whip up.

All you need to do is chop up your veggies and place them on the smoker for about an hour to soak up a nice, smoky flavor and a little char. You could also do them in a pizza oven.

Then blend them in a food processor until your salsa reaches your desired consistency.

Ingredients required

Fresh tomatoes – virtually any type of tomato will work for this recipe.

I like to use large Beefsteak tomatoes because they tend to be extra juicy and flavorful. You can also use Roma tomatoes, Campari tomatoes, or San Marzano tomatoes as well.  

Red onions – I love the bite and acidity of red onions for this recipe, but you can also use white or yellow onions.

Red onions are going to give you the biggest kick, so if you want to tone it down a bit you can swap out a milder onion.

Fresh cilantro – any salsa recipe is not complete without the burst of flavor from fresh cilantro.

If you’re unable to find fresh cilantro, you can also use cilantro paste, but I recommend doubling the amount if you opt for the paste variety to get the right amount of cilantro flavor.

Jalapeño pepper – jalapeño is a great way to adjust the spice level of your salsa. This recipe calls for one, large jalapeño, but if you want to add some extra heat you can add another one.

If you want to tone down the heat, just chop the jalapeño in half.

Poblano pepper – poblano peppers are not spicy, but they pack a ton of flavor. I find that the flavor of the poblano in this recipe helps to give the salsa an extra dimension of flavor.

You can also swap out the poblano with a bell pepper or Anaheim pepper if you prefer, or just skip it altogether if you want a more traditional salsa flavor.

Garlic – fresh garlic adds a punch of flavor to this recipe and helps to round out the flavors of the tomatoes and peppers.

If you aren’t a big garlic fan, just cut the amount in half.

Fresh lime juice – the final pop of acid in this recipe comes from fresh lime juice.

I recommend squeezing your lime juice fresh, but if you prefer to use store-bought lime juice you can use that as well. Just make sure that your lime juice isn’t concentrated or you will end up with too much citrus flavor in your salsa.

Kosher salt – adding salt to your salsa will help to balance all of the acids in the other ingredients.

I like to use kosher salt, but you can also use sea salt or flaky salt if you prefer.

Tools required

• Smoker (or grill)
• Wood (or charcoal)
• Tongs
• Food processor (or blender)
• Mason jar (or storage container)
• Citrus juicer

How to make Smoked Salsa

1. Chop your vegetables

The first step is to chop your vegetables and remove any stems. You can chop your tomatoes into halves or quarters, but leaving them whole with the stems chopped off will work just fine as well.

For your onions, simply remove the skin and chop them in half.

For the peppers, you can leave them whole and just chop off the stems at the top. If you want to reduce the amount of spice in your salsa, you can also remove the seeds from the insides of the peppers.

You can leave the garlic cloves whole, as you won’t add them until you are ready to blend the vegetables.

For the cilantro, just remove the stems and give it a rough chop.

2. Fire up your smoker

This salsa can be made on any style of smoker or charcoal grill, as long as the grill is able to hold a steady temperature of 250°F.

For this recipe, I used my Camp Chef Woodwind Pro with Bear Mountain Gourmet BBQ pellets.

You can use virtually any type of wood or charcoal for this recipe, but keep in mind that if you use a bolder wood choice such as hickory or mesquite you will have a heavier smoke flavor compared to milder options such as pecan, oak, or cherry.

If you don’t have a smoker or would prefer to make this recipe on the grill, you can also use a gas grill.

You won’t get the same smoky flavor, but will still be able to achieve a nice char on your veggies.

If you decide to use a grill in lieu of a smoker, I recommend a higher temperature of about 350°F and cut the time down to about 20 minutes on the grill.

3. Smoke your vegetables

Place your tomatoes, onions, and peppers directly on the grates of your smoker. They’re going to smoke for about an hour and you want to give them a flip about halfway through.

If you want a little less smoky flavor in your salsa, you can just smoke the tomatoes and leave the other vegetables off to the side until you’re ready to blend your salsa together.

4. Blend your salsa

After your tomatoes, onions, and peppers have been on the smoker for about an hour, you can remove them from the grill and set them on a plate to cool.

They don’t need to fully cool to room temperature, but you want to let them sit for about 20 minutes.

Once your vegetables are cooled down, place them in your food processor (or blender) and add the cilantro, fresh lime juice, kosher salt, and garlic cloves.

Depending on how you prefer your salsa, you can adjust the thickness by blending it differently.

If you prefer a thick, hearty salsa, just use the pulse function on your food processor and give it 3 to 4 pulses at a time until you reach the consistency you want.

If you prefer a thinner salsa, add half a cup of water before you blend, and then let the vegetables blend for 1 to 2 minutes on medium speed. The water will help give you a thinner, restaurant-style salsa.

5. Serving

This salsa tastes great straight out of the food processor, but you can also transfer it to a mason jar (or similar storage container) and let it cool in the fridge for a few hours before serving.

It will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week.

Salsa isn’t just for corn chips you know

Here are some great recipes that pair wonderfully with this homemade smoked salsa:

• Grilled carne asada
• Smoked picanha
• Smoked beef birria tacos
• Smoked beef shank for tacos
• Smoked beef cheeks (Barbacoa)