Step 1

Cut the whole peppers in quarters, cut out the seeds from each piece, and slightly trim both ends where the pepper curls up.

Step 2

Preheat the gas or charcoal barbecue grill to high before putting the peppers on. Then lay the peppers on, skin side down, making sure not to put them too close together.

Step 3

Most of my peppers took 20-25 minutes to get that full-charred look I wanted, but time your peppers by how they look.

Step 4

I waited until peppers were about half charred, and then rotated them after about 12 minutes so different ones were in the hotter spots on the grill. You can turn them over for part of the cooking time, but it's not necessary.

Step 5

When all the peppers are quite black, take them directly off the grill and put them in a small glass or heavy plastic bowl.

Step 6

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (or a tight fitting lid) and let the hot peppers sit for about 15 minutes. The steam will loosen the skins so they'll peel right off.

Step 7

After I waited 15 minutes, it took me no more than 3-4 minutes to remove the skins. I rinsed my hand a few times, but it's important not to rinse the peppers because that rinses off some of the smoky charred flavor.

Step 8

Discard the charred black skins.

Step 9

If you don't have a gas grill, peppers can also be roasted in the oven, under a broiler, or even on top of a gas burner.