Ancho Chile Lime Barbecue Sauce

Ancho (Ahn-cho) Chile (Capsicum Annum) means Wide Chile Pepper. This chile ranges from 3 – 4 on a heat scale of 1 to 10. An Ancho is the dried form of a Poblano Pepper and often is mislabeled as a Pasilla or Mulato Pepper. Anchos have sweet fruity flavor with hints of cherry, prune, and fig. Anchos, combined with the Pasilla and Guajillo, form the Holy Trinity of chiles used to prepare the traditional mole sauces. Scoville heat units are 1,000 to 3,000.

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Ingredients:

2 Ancho chiles, stems removed
14 ounces tomato sauce
¼ cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, chopped
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon prepared Dijon mustard
Juice of 2 limes*
Zest of 1 lime*
½ teaspoon salt

Instructions:

Makes: 1 ½ cups of sauce

Place the chiles in a medium bowl and cover with 2 cups of hot water. Let sit for 30 minutes, and drain the water.

To the bowl of a large food processor, add the tomato sauce, onion, garlic, brown sugar, mustard and lime juice. Add the rehydrated chiles.

Process on high for 20 seconds, until all ingredients are finely chopped.

Transfer the sauce to a medium saucepan. Add ¼ cup water. Heat to a low boil on medium-high. Cover partially with a lid, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Stirring occasionally.

Stir in the lime zest and salt. Remove from the heat. Pour the sauce through a mesh strainer and drain into a medium-size bowl. Use a spatula to gently press the solids around the sides of the strainer until all the liquid has drained. Discard the solids.

The sauce is ready to top grilled meats or to be served as a condiment.

From dailysqueeze.com