Mixed up a quick and easy tomato based sauce that I used on Jumping Jim's Chicken Thighs courtesy of Stogie. Made enough to cover chicken and fill a bottle for later use. I was quite pleased with the results.

3 Cups Ketchup
2 Cups Cider Vinegar
¾ Cup Dark Brown Sugar
1/3 large onion, diced and sautéed
¼ Cup molasses
¼ Cup Pineapple juice
2 T Worcestershire Sauce
2 T Honey
1.5 T Minced Garlic, sautéed
2.5 t Chipotle powder
2 t Kosher salt

Sauté onion and garlic, add to vinegar and ketchup, bring to boil and simmer. Add other ingredients; simmer for 30 minutes. Strain or use stick blender to render smooth. I used the stick blender to leave a little bit of substance.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Paul K,

Paul, this looks like a great base sauce. Will have to give it a try. How hot(spicey) is it?

Mine was not that hot. It really comes down to the chipotle powder you use. I'm guessing the powder will vary just like the jalapenos do; some are a lot hotter than others. Taste the powder before adding it in. If heat is a major consideration, sugars will help temper the heat. The introduction of pineapple juice, molasses, honey, etc. will help bring the heat down. I picked up some from Whole Foods and it is fairly hot. After I got home, I realized I should have just picked up some whole chipotle peppers at my neighborhood store and ground them myself; saving a little bit...oh well. Enjoy!

Paul, have you tried using canned chipotles?

Jim- I use them all the time. This time I thought I'd try the powder; never done that before. I have use the whole dried chipotles a lot also. The powdered form was more of a convenience and a reflex purchase as I was browsing the seasoning section at WF.

Did you notice a difference in flavor between the two? I have the powder but always seem to use the canned.

I think the flavor is more pronounced/stronger(?) with the canned. What I've generally used the canned chipotles for is salsa, and I use more in a salsa than this sauce recipe. With the other ingredients in the sauce recipe, the flavor of the chipotle powder is toned down. Maybe because only 2.5 t was used? But I definately think the canned variety was hotter.

I guess I'll try the powder, I think the adobo sauce they come in might be giving my sauce a "flat" note I don't like.

I'd like to resurrect this topic as I am researching the best way to make a chipotle sauce. What are the best applications for canned/dried/powdered chipotles? I personally have only used canned, which are becoming scarce around these parts, I've had to go to 3 grocery stores before just to find them. I recently discovered a local place where I can buy dried chiles and was wondering which would be better for what application. I didn't even know they made chipotle powder until this thread, any more information on that would be great too!

Kyle, I've been using chipotle powder in my rubs and sauces for years. Great flavor BUT be careful it can add a lot of heat. If your using chipotle powder and say black pepper in your recipe you may have to cut back a little on the pepper. Of course, you may like it really hot and the I'd say go for it

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I'd like to resurrect this topic as I am researching the best way to make a chipotle sauce. What are the best applications for canned/dried/powdered chipotles? I personally have only used canned, which are becoming scarce around these parts, I've had to go to 3 grocery stores before just to find them.

I bought a couple of large containers of chipotle powder a couple of years ago. I wasn't happy with it, wished I'd only bought one. It's got heat but not much flavor in it besides smoke. Doesn't mean all chipotle powders are bad but it's easy to smoke dry your own peppers on the WSM. I posted a method and some pics here.

You can smoke lots of different peppers and choose your smoke wood so it's a great way to go.

Powder is preferred where you don't want dry instead of wet. Powder is also preferred where you don't want adobo sauce flavors (the canned ones are usually packed in adobo sauce).

As Shawn recommends; you ought to try smoking your own chiles. Especially if it's harder to find what you like locally. Of course ordering online is always an option. The powdered form is very convenient for more precise measurements. I agree with Shawn; the powdered chipotle doesn't have a lot of flavor. I'd recommend using some of the dried chilies as well. For some applications, simply grinding them is sufficient. You can also rehydrate them in boiling water if needed.

Paul

I asked this on another post but I'll ask here as well - when you grind the peppers, do you grind them with the seeds or without?

quote:

when you grind the peppers, do you grind them with the seeds or without?

Normally without, but I'm not overly cautious.

Paul