Ancho Chile and Sundried Cherry BBQ Sauce

This homemade BBQ sauce should be made a least one day before you use it. I usually prepare it 3-4 days before. It is a delicious combination of sweet and spicy and is perfect on chicken, beef and pork. I leave out the Cayenne pepper because the ancho chile is enough spice for me. What is an ancho chile? It is basically a dried version of a ripe poblano pepper.

This BBQ sauce requires a few steps and makes a fairly decent amount. However, it is well worth the time to make this!The directions for the sauce are below but I added a few pictures so you could understand how to prepare it.

Flavored Vinegar: boil both vinegars and spices in a small saucepan. Reduce the mixture by half. Pour the vinegar through a cheese cloth line mesh strainer and discard the spices and solids.

After you boil the vinegars and spices, discard the spices in a cheesecloth lined fine mesh strainer.After you boil the vinegars and spices, discard the spices in a cheesecloth lined fine mesh strainer.

These are pictures of the ancho chile puree. The full directions are below.

Fry the dry chiles in oil until they are a little blackFry the dry chiles in oil until they are a little black
Remove stems and seeds after they are cooked and softened in water.Remove stems and seeds after they are cooked and softened in water.
Add the water and cooked chiles to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.Add the water and cooked chiles to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.

Ancho Chile and Sundried BBQ Sauce

a sweet and slightly spicy BBQ sauce that goes great on chicken, pork and beef.
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: BBQ, sauces, condiment, grilled chicken, smoked pork ribs, smoked beef ribs
Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 1 hour
Servings: 12
Author: Cooks Books and Corks

Equipment

  • Food Processor or Blender

Ingredients

Roasted Garlic

  • 10 cloves garlic
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

Ancho Chile Puree

  • 4.5 oz dried red ancho chiles
  • 1 cup water

Flavored Vinegar

  • 1 1/2 cup rice vinegar
  • 1 1/2 cup cider vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon ground cloves
  • 1 Tablespoon Cayenne pepper **optional, I leave this out as the chiles give it enough spice for me**

BBQ Sauce

  • 1 medium white onion, fine diced
  • Roasted Garlic
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • Flavored Vinegar
  • Ancho chile puree
  • 4 Tablespoon Molasses
  • 1 cup dried cherries
  • 40 oz ketchup
  • 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 cup water optional. If the consistency is fine, do not add

Instructions

Roasted Garlic

  • Drizzle olive oil all over the garlic cloves.
  • Roast garlic in the oven for 1 hour at 325. If you do not have a garlic roaster, wrap the cloves in aluminum foil and place on a cookie sheet to bake.

Flavored vinegar

  • Combine the 2 vinegars and ground spices into a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
  • Reduce the heat to medium and reduce the mixture by half. Pour the mixture through a fine strainer lined with a cheesecloth to capture the spices.

Ancho Chile Puree

  • Heat the oil in a medium pan and 'fry" them until the become just a little black. Watch this carefully as they will turn black very quickly.
  • Put blackened chiles in a bowl and cover them with the water. Leave them for 20-30 minutes.
  • Take out softened chiles and remove the stems and discard the seeds. Add the water and the chiles in a food processor or a blender until there is a fine puree. If needed add more water but it should be thick.

BBQ Sauce

  • Heat oil in a large saucepan or stock pot and saute the onion,. Add the roasted garlic and saute until it is lightly colored.
  • Add the flavored vinegar, ancho chile puree and brown sugar. Cook until the sugar is dissolved.
  • Add all of the rest of the ingredients and cook on low heat for an hour.
  • Strain BBQ sauce through a strainer with small holes. To help pass the bbq sauce through the holes, use a wooden spoon and stir the sauce so it keeps moving through the holes.
  • Discard all the solids in the strainer (onion, garlic and dried cherries). Refrigerate until ready to use.
  • If the BBQ sauce is too spicy you can correct this with fresh squeezed lime juice which will help correct it.
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