Peppers · Dried Mirasol
Guajillo
Rick Bayless calls guajillos very bright-tasting, with far less heat than árbol.
2,500 to 5,000 SHU, per Wikipedia; Fiery Foods scale lists mirasol at the same range. Log scale against the hottest chile in this guide.
The guajillo is a long, deep red dried chile from northern and central Mexico. It is usually counted as the dried form of the mirasol. It brings color and a bright, gentle warmth to red sauces.
Fiery Foods' glossary says the guajillo looks like a small dried red New Mexican chile and is grown mainly in Zacatecas, Durango, and Aguascalientes. The general term chile colorado, meaning any red chile, usually refers to guajillo.
Its link to the mirasol is a matter of some debate. The same glossary lists guajillo as a variety of the mirasol pod type, and most references call it the dried mirasol. Dave DeWitt has also written that the two are separate pod types: guajillo pods hang down and run large, while mirasol pods are slender, point up, and run hotter. He adds that guajillos may be an ancestor of the New Mexican chiles.
Cooks stem and seed the pods, toast them briefly, soak them, and blend them into sauce. Rick Bayless pairs guajillos with árbol chiles to soften the árbol's bite.