Chipotle Sauce

This chipotle sauce starts with dried chipotle peppers rehydrated in warm water for an hour, which brings their smoky, slow-burning heat back to life. Combined with crispy bacon, chopped tomatoes, beef stock, and fresh cilantro, you get a sauce with layers of smoky, savory, and spicy flavor that store-bought chipotle sauce can’t match.

Bacon is the unexpected base here. Rendering it crispy with the onion before adding everything else creates a smoky-fat foundation that amplifies the chipotle’s natural smokiness. The rendered bacon fat becomes the cooking medium for the sauce, adding richness without any added oil.

The heat level is entirely in your hands. Two dried chipotles give a moderate, friendly warmth. The recipe notes you can go up to four for serious heat. Since the peppers are rehydrated and finely chopped rather than pureed, you get small, visible pieces throughout the sauce that deliver concentrated hits of smoky fire.

Kitchen Tips

• Soak the chipotles a full hour. Shortcuts produce tough, leathery pepper pieces that don’t chop fine enough and stay chewy in the sauce.
• Chop the rehydrated peppers very fine. This distributes the heat evenly. Large pieces create hot spots.
• Start with 2 chipotles and taste. You can always add more rehydrated pepper to the sauce. You can’t remove heat once it’s in.
• This sauce keeps well refrigerated for a week and the flavors actually deepen over the first day or two.

Variations

• Use canned chipotles in adobo instead of dried for a quicker sauce. Skip the soaking and chop the canned peppers directly.
• Blend smooth in a food processor for a pourable table sauce instead of a chunky condiment.
• Add a tablespoon of honey for a sweet-smoky-spicy barbecue-style variation.