This Chipotle BBQ Sauce is delicious and couldn’t be easier to make. It strikes the perfect balance of spicy and sweet and takes no time to prepare.
I’m a little fan of homemade barbecue sauce . I love making different concoctions in my lab(by “lab” I mean my little corner of the kitchen) where I try to find the perfect balance between smoky, sweet and spicy.
And with this Chipotle BBQ Sauce recipe, you might have. Like any good BBQ sauce, it goes great with so many different types of grilled food.
I’ve tried chicken, pulled pork, brisket, burgers… you name it. And every time they go great together.
It’s a flavor profile that should appeal to many BBQ fans. It has hints of spice without being overpowering and has a deep flavor that gives it the Chipotle.
Here are some quick tips for getting the most out of your homemade chipotle BBQ sauce.
This recipe is easy to adapt to your personal seasoning preferences. I’m a total fan of spices, so I really like the kicks. However, I know not everyone does this, so I toned down this recipe to be gentler on the spices.
If you want to add a little more flavor, I recommend doing it while the sauce is simmering. Just add a little at a time and wait a few minutes for it to kick in before trying and passing judgment. It’s much easier to add spices than to dilute them.
While I love homemade spices, they have a much more limited window of consumption before they start to change. Thanks in large part to the lack of preservatives(trust me, it’s a good thing they don’t have that). In general, I wouldn’t leave a homemade sauce in the fridge for more than four days. If you plan to freeze, keep them in the freezer for no longer than two months.
What is chipotle barbecue sauce?
As the name suggests, the main ingredient in the sauce is chipotle pepper. They are often made from ripe jalapeno peppers that have been smoked and dried. This gives them a completely different, unique flavor than the chilies used in most traditional BBQ sauces like habanero.
Chipotle sauce comes in a few forms, with the most common form of resembling mayonnaise. However, chipotle barbecue sauce contains more tomato sauce and chopped tomatoes to make it similar to traditional barbecue sauce.
How Does Chipotle BBQ Sauce Taste?
Chipotle is easily recognizable thanks to its deep, smoky, and spicy flavor profile. Smoked flavors come directly from the chili and are regularly used in Mexican cuisine.
The combination of smoky, hot and sweet flavors makes the Chipotle a perfect pepper to use as a base for a BBQ sauce.
What also sets Chipotle apart from regular BBQ sauces is their texture. Most recipes, including ours, call for chopped tomatoes that have a sauce-like mouthfeel.