Chipotle Rules!

Okay, my new favourite flavour is chipotle. I added a little to the bbq sauce recipe last night on the slow-cooked baby back ribs and WOW! Love this stuff.

At dinner last night, Sonwun flatly rejected the ribs and cried when I made him try just a bite. Sontoo, who usually loves his ribs, rejected them as well. Neomom loved them.

So I guess that's pretty much par for the course in my culinary exploration game.

Chipotle peppers, as I've learned, are actually just smoked jalapeno peppers, which accounts for the little kick (or big kick, depending on variety and concentration).

Anyway, the flavour was a welcome addition to my quickie barbecue sauce last night. I actually make two types of sauce - the quickie and the batch.

The quickie is ketchup based. I don't really measure anything, just kind of throw it together in a cereal bowl, starting with maybe a cup and a half of ketchup. I'd guess two tablespoons of brown sugar and an equal or slightly greater amount of white vinegar. That's the base and from there it's just a matter of adding flavour depending upon my mood and availability.

Generally speaking, I add garlic powder, chilli powder, maybe some Dijon mustard, curry powder, salt, pepper and a dash or two of Worcestershire sauce. Last night I left out the chilli and Dijon and added a couple of shots of chipotle based bbq sauce. And it was awesome.

Must look into locating some straight chipotle powder, or paste for the future, as it would better suit the batch recipe. That one I only make once or twice a year, depending on time and storage space.

For the batch, I used my 5-gallon Dutch oven.

I start with a cup of well chopped onion and half a cup of chopped garlic, which I fry for a few minutes in hot oil in the Dutch oven. Once those two ingredients have softened, I start adding the rest of the stuff:

4 cups tomato puree

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup Worcestershire sauce

3/4 cup honey

3/4 cup ketchup

1/2 cup creamy horseradish sauce

1/2 cup tomato paste

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

1/4 cup dark molasses

1/4 cup dried onion

1/4 cup garlic powder

1/4 cup chilli powder

1/4 cup curry powder

Juice from one or two limes, depending on size.

2 cups water

(Chipotle amount to be named later)

Anyway, I bring this to a boil and then turn the heat down to let it simmer for about half an hour. Then I let it cool, put it in Tupperware containers, freeze most of it and keep some out for immediate use.

Now, I need to point out that this recipe is a lifelong work in progress. I don't consider it perfect, just yet. It's good, but it still needs some polish. I think the chipotle is going to go a long way toward my goal. Try it if you like, play with it, add or subtract whatever floats your boat.

As for right now, it's almost breakfast. For Sonwun, I think we'll try cinnamon toast waffles with chipotle syrup. And for Sontoo, apple-cinnamon oatmeal, with chipotle yogurt.

Happy Tuesday!