04 Homemade Chipotle Sauce

One topic always leads to another. :-} From guacamole to fajitas and now to chipotle (smoked jalapenos), the current favorite condiment of 'American' cooking as a consequence of the popularity of Mexican food.

This 2013 entry may be useful for you: Hotness levels of different peppers.

For comprehensive info, check this wikipedia page.
I did some checking for a quick reference for you folks, and here is the list:

(Hottest) Habanero
Thai's bird eye pepper
Piri piri
Cayenne, tabasco pepper
Serrano
Jalapeno
Anaheim
Korean gochujang, poblano
Banana pepper, paprika, pimento
(Sweetest) Bell pepper

I've had some gochujang that was hotter than the Thai's bird eye. Hmmm...

Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
Recipe by Mary and Jim
At http://oldworldgardenfarms.com/2013/09/13/make-your-own-chipotle-peppers-in-adobo-sauce-fridays-recipe-of-the-week/

Ingredients:
12 dehydrated jalapeno peppers
Boiling water to cover the peppers
1 cup of ketchup [or tomato puree with 1 tsp. sweetener (honey, brown rice syrup, sugar, etc.)]
½ cup water
1 medium white or yellow onion – thinly sliced
4 large garlic cloves – peeled and smashed
½ cup cider or white vinegar
½ tsp salt
½ tbsp black peppercorns
Extra water if necessary

Instructions:
1. Thoroughly wash the peppers, remove the stems and place them in a bowl. Cover them with boiling water and weigh them down with a small lid or plate. Let them soak for 20 minutes.
2. Remove 4 soaked peppers, leaving the rest in the soaking liquid, and place them in a food processor or blender. Add the ketchup (or tomato puree with the sweetener) and half cup water. Blend until it yields a uniform paste.
3. Add the blended peppers and tomatoes into the pot with the remaining peppers soaked in water.
4. Add the onions, garlic, salt, peppercorns, and vinegar to the pan. Mix well.
5. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat, and allow chipotles to simmer for about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Check them at one hour. If the sauce has dried too much, add extra water as needed.
6. Place the chipotles and adobo in sterilized freezer-safe containers.
Hint – keep the containers small – most recipes only call for 2 peppers and a small amount of sauce. Once you open your jar – be sure to use it within a month.
You can also puree and freeze them in ice cube trays for future use.