What is a Hatch chile?

Yesterday I told you a little about the history of Hatch and their famous chiles which seemed to confuse a few people. I talked about how Jim Lytle developed the Big Jim and how his son and grandson created the Lumbria and Legacy chile peppers and a few readers were all, “Wait…but what, exactly, is a Hatch chile?”

There is no chile called Hatch. There’s just a bunch of different long green peppers grown in the Hatch Valley. And even that has become a bit problematic since there are some unscrupulous farmers all over the Southwest and even into Mexico who now grow and market what they call Hatch chiles. (Last year the New Mexico state legislature passed a law making it illegal to sell any chile as New Mexican that wasn’t actually grown there.)

Now this also explains why it is that you can buy Hatch chiles that are mild, medium, hot, or extra hot. They’re all different varieties of Hatch chiles. Here are some of the most popular:

New Mexico 6: This is a very mild, somewhat smallish chile with pods 5-8 inches long.

Big Jim: The granddaddy of Hatch chiles and probably the most famous. They’re medium-hot and generally 7-12 inches long (although Jimmy Lytle has grown some monsters that were 16 inches). If you were looking for a pepper to make chile relleno with, this would be a good pick.

Legacy: This is a newish Hatch chile with thick meat and lots of flavor. It’s somewhere between a New Mexico 6 and Big Jim in heat.

Sandia: True Hatch chile aficionados swear by this baby. It’s hot and spicy with pods 5-9 inches long.

Lumbre: If you’re one of those nuts that just loves the heat in their food, this is what you want. These 4-7 inch peppers are extra hot.

Now there’s also a Hatch chile known as The Ghost Chile that’s even hotter than a Lumbre but it’s a different pepper altogether. They’re similar in size to a habanero but even hotter. At least that’s what people say and I’m going to take their word for it since there’s no way I’m trying one.