Great chiles,great taste just rightKevin S · Verified
🌶️ 100% Big Jim Hatch chile🌡️ Medium heat · ~6,500 SHU (NMSU CR706)🫑 Large, thick-walled pods🔥 Best for roasting & rellenos✓ Bred at NMSU with Jim Lytle, 1975
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Quick answer: The Big Jim is a large, thick-walled Hatch green chile pepper developed at New Mexico State University with farmer Jim Lytle in the 1970s. It runs Medium heat (~6,500 SHU) — hotter than an Anaheim or poblano, comparable to a medium jalapeño — with long, meaty pods ideal for roasting and chile rellenos.
The Big Jim Pepper at a Glance
Heat
Medium · ~6,500 SHUNMSU CR706. Hotter than Anaheim or poblano.
Pods
6–12″ longThick-walled and meaty — the big Hatch pod.
Best for
Roasting & rellenosAlso smothering, sauces, and freezing.
Origin
NMSU × Jim Lytle, 1975Bred for the Hatch Valley.
Every chile product in this collection is made with Big Jim, our Medium-heat Hatch variety. Read the full Big Jim guide →
Why 500,000+ Customers Keep Coming Back
The chili i get from. Chili store is always good and fresh. I recommended to everybody red and greenTerry D · Verified
This was the first time I tried your hot sauce. OMG it was really tasty. The right amount of ingredients and mixture hit a high 9 for me. I used it on a plate of roasted chicken the first night. It was wonderful. I recommend you buy it. It was worth the wait . ThanksErnesto R · Verified
This is the best green chili sauce I have ever had!!!Shelley B · Verified
Had it with my taco's last night, great flavor. I can't wait to try it on other things. I live in Kansas now after growing up in New Mexico. It's hard to find good green chili here. Will keep ordering from you.Mel W · Verified
Very unusual great taste never had anything like this. I highly recommend it fair price.Don S · Verified
Very good quality good taste fair price don’t know what else you needDon S · Verified
This is my third order and I absolutely love the 575. It reminds me of Colorado and time spent in New Mexico. This last order got lost in the mail, but when I notified them, they quickly reshipped my order. Thanks for a great product and great company service.William D · Verified
It arrived today. No leakage this time.Connie C · Verified
every morning I put it on my migasdennie J · Verified
Sauce was good. However be the only jar I tried because of the shipping cost game they play with you. Then I get bombarded with emails, including this survey none of which I agreed too. You know what I'm talking about. Buy something and now you are there email whipping boy. Another great reason I won't buy more.John B · Verified
This is my favorite. I ordered more of this. Also I put this on everything mashed potatoes, meatloaf stuffed peppers, chicken hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hotdog you name it I think I put it on just about everything but cereal.!Scott D · Verified
Good heat. A little sweet.Sally A · Verified
Awesome salsa put it on everything gonna get more gave a jar to a friend she loved it also have hatch chile also awesomeDanny G · Verified
After living in Albuquerque, now in Georgia, I missed my green chili. This is fantastic! Great to have authentic hatch green back in the house! Love it! Great on burgers, hot dogs, eggs, everything!James L · Verified
Really like it. First jar goneGerald S · Verified
The best of both worlds in one jar!Jennifer B · Verified
It’s delicious! I would recommend a tiny dash of salt, but it is wonderful. I ate it with my tamales and it added a lot of flavor.Jane H · Verified
just WOW! this green 575 is fantastick, such a fresh and great flavor, this is by far the best green chili I have ever had periodgerald k · Verified
I put it on everything. It’s the best I’ve ever tasted.Matthew S · Verified
My first taste of the green chili was in eggs. I was blown away. I can’t wait to try the red chili I am sold on this being my go-to chili 🌶️ from now on.William W · Verified
Love this stuff. Its my 3rd order.Frank S · Verified
absolutely what was missing in my life !!!!!!!!!!alfred b · Verified
ok on heat category, extremely tasty.... as Eli would say: "I eat this _ _ _ _ on everything"alfred b · Verified
I had to open this and taste, it is really spicy but really good! I put some in my sauce with cocktail weiners and it was a hit. Can't wait to try it on barbecued ribs!Kimberly G · Verified
Grew up in NM. Hatch chili was a staple and still is in Illinois.Rebecca W · Verified
I devoured this right out of the jar as a side dish at dinner. Taste is spot on.Jeremy R · Verified
This is the best on the market. I use it on everything. Now I can't eat my eggs for breakfast without my Hatch Red&Green ChiliDarvin A · Verified
I discovered Hatch Hot Honey in a store in Hatch, New Mexico. I use it as a garnish with my morning cereal breakfast. I am pleased with the quality and have since ordered the product online through the Hatch Chile Store. I recommend it to those who enjoy a sweet/spicy combination.Satish T · Verified
I grew up in ABQ and now live in Dallas, TX area. My love of green and red chile has been since I was a little girl. Every time I return to visit family, have to get my NM Chile fix! I purchased this as a Christmas gift for my coworker who loves all things spicy, but has never had NM Chile. He absolutely LOVES the Chile and flavor! Happy New Year and thanks again!Rebecca F · Verified
The Big Jim is the variety most people picture when they think of Hatch green chile. Co-developed at New Mexico State University by Dr. Roy Nakayama and chile farmer Jim Lytle in the 1970s, Big Jim was bred specifically for the Hatch Valley — long meaty pods, thick walls, and Medium-tier heat (~6,500 SHU per NMSU's Chile Pepper Institute, CR706; varies plant-to-plant and our pods often run a touch milder than the cultivar mean) that lets the roasted chile flavor take center stage without scorching the table. A single pod can run six to eight inches, which is why it became the standard for chiles rellenos and stuffed preparations.
What makes a Hatch Big Jim different from a Big Jim grown somewhere else is the soil and elevation of the Hatch Valley in southern New Mexico. The alkaline Rio Grande bottomland, the altitude, and the swing between hot days and cool nights concentrate a depth of flavor you don't get from peppers grown in California, Mexico, or anywhere else — even if they carry the same variety name. Our Big Jim chile comes from fifth-generation farms in the Hatch Valley, harvested at peak season and processed at our packing shed in Garfield, NM.
In this collection you'll find fresh-frozen roasted Big Jim chile, Big Jim-based sauces and powders, and prepared foods — tamales, chimichangas, salsas — made with real Big Jim chile. If you're new to Hatch chile, Big Jim is the right starting point: classic flavor, approachable Medium-tier heat, and versatile enough to go into almost any New Mexican dish. See What Are Hatch Chiles? for more variety background.
Quick answer: The Big Jim is a large, thick-walled Hatch green chile pepper developed at New Mexico State University with farmer Jim Lytle in the 1970s. It runs Medium heat (~6,500 SHU) — hotter than an Anaheim or poblano, comparable to a medium jalapeño — with long, meaty pods ideal for roasting and chile rellenos.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Big Jim pepper?
Big Jim is a New Mexico chile cultivar — a large, thick-walled Hatch green chile bred at New Mexico State University with farmer Jim Lytle in the 1970s. At about 6,500 SHU it sits in the Medium band: real Hatch flavor, manageable heat, and pods long enough to stuff for rellenos.
How hot is Big Jim chile?
Big Jim is a Medium-tier chile — approximately 6,500 SHU per NMSU's CR706 (Nakayama & Lytle, 1975). Heat varies plant-to-plant and we find our Big Jim often runs a touch milder than the cultivar mean. The roasted flavor stays the star, with a real but manageable warmth that suits everyday New Mexican cooking. If you're buying for kids or heat-sensitive guests, our Mild varieties (1904, Joe Parker, NuMex 6-4) are a gentler step. For a full comparison of our heat levels, see our Heat Level Guide.
Can I use Big Jim chile the same way I'd use an Anaheim or poblano?
Structurally yes — Big Jim, Anaheim, and poblano are all in the same long-pod category and can swap in most recipes. The flavor is different, though. Big Jim has a more complex, earthier roasted profile than Anaheim (which can taste thin by comparison) and a lighter heat than poblano. Anywhere a recipe calls for green chile, Big Jim works.
Why are Big Jim pods so large compared to other chiles?
Big Jim was specifically bred for large pod size — that was part of the original NMSU development goal. The thick walls make it ideal for stuffing (chiles rellenos, whole chile strips) and mean more actual chile per pod when you're chopping or processing for stew or sauce.
Are your Big Jim products gluten-free?
Our plain roasted and frozen Big Jim chile is naturally gluten-free. Prepared products like tamales and chimichangas contain wheat — check the individual product labels for allergen details. If you have celiac disease or a strict gluten intolerance, stick to the straight chile products and sauces.
How should I store frozen Big Jim chile after it arrives?
Transfer straight to your freezer on arrival — our frozen chile ships with dry ice or gel packs to arrive cold, but the sooner it goes in the freezer the better. Properly frozen, it holds well for 12 months. Once thawed, use within 3 days and do not refreeze.
What's the best way to cook with frozen roasted Big Jim chile?
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or run under cool water still in the bag. From there, chop it into green chile stew, layer it into enchiladas, stir it into scrambled eggs, or pile it on a burger. The roasting is already done — you're just reheating and seasoning. For more ideas, visit our Recipes page.
The Complete Guide to the Big Jim Hatch Chile
Big Jim is the chile that put Hatch on the map. Developed in 1975 at New Mexico State University by Dr. Roy Nakayama and Hatch Valley grower Jim Lytle—a son-in-law of Joseph Franzoy, the valley's first commercial chile farmer—Big Jim once held the Guinness World Record for the largest chile pepper on Earth, with pods stretching past thirteen inches. Its thick, meaty walls and approachable Medium-tier heat (approximately 6,500 SHU per NMSU's CR706; our pods often run a touch milder than the cultivar mean) made it the definitive relleno chile and a staple in kitchens across New Mexico. Every Big Jim product below is Certified Hatch—grown in the same Hatch Valley soil where Lytle and Nakayama first tested the variety nearly fifty years ago—and flame-roasted, shipped fresh, or jarred into sauces within days of harvest.