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11:00am CT · recipe is here now
Sweet peach, dried ancho, and a kick of habanero. A thick, glossy BBQ sauce that clings to ribs and makes a damn fine dipping sauce too.
↓ Jump to RecipeShort goes live Monday, Sept 21
11:00am CT · recipe is here now
Toast the stemmed ancho chiles in a dry pan over medium heat, 1 minute per side, until fragrant and slightly darker. Don’t let them burn.
Combine the peaches, toasted anchos, habanero, water, and salt in a saucepan. Simmer uncovered over low-medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the fruit is fully broken down and soft.
Pull out the whole anchos (leave the habanero in if you want more heat). Pour everything into a blender and blend until smooth. Add a splash of water if needed to get it moving.
Return the blended liquid to the saucepan. Simmer on low, stirring often, until it coats the back of a spoon and looks glossy.
Stir in the brown sugar, molasses, and honey. Simmer another 10–15 minutes until it thickens a bit more. Kill the heat and stir in the lime juice. Taste and adjust salt, sugar, or lime.
Brush onto ribs in thin coats during the last 20–30 minutes of smoking, letting each layer set before the next. Or just serve it on the side as a dipping sauce so it stays clean of smoke bitterness.
One habanero with the membrane and seeds gives a solid medium heat that builds. Pull the seeds and membrane (or use half a pepper) if you want it milder. The ancho brings fruit and body more than fire.
This batch makes roughly 2–2½ cups of finished sauce — enough to sauce 4–6 racks of baby backs depending on how heavy you brush. One rack typically feeds 1–2 people.
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