Chili Colorado Sauce

Make no mistake: I absolutely love chili in all its forms. Whether it’s the Americanized version with ground beef and beans, a chicken or pork chili verde, or the classic Chili Colorado of meat and pepper sauce, I’ll slam it down like the world was going to end tomorrow. Of all the varieties I’ve tasted, though, the best by far is the classic Colorado – beef simmered in a pepper sauce – in all its forms. And the first thing you’ll need is a good sauce. Come to think of it, the first thing you need for any form of red chili is a good Colorado sauce.

This recipe and video focus solely on that sauce. I’ve tinkered with this one for many years until it’s as close to perfect (for me) as I can get. Once you’re comfortable with the recipe, you can begin to make your own adjustments until it’s perfect for you. At the end you’ll find links to recipes that use the sauce as their base. I encourage you to try them all. Even though I have my favorite version, I continue to make all of them from time to time. I – and those I feed – enjoy the variety.

So – enough yakkin’. Let’s get cooking, shall we? Follow along as I show you how to make this Chili Colorado sauce.

Ingredients:

Small Batch:

3-4 oz. dried chiles (see below)
3.5 cups water
1/2 cup beef broth
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
6 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. oregano (Mexican, if possible)
1 tbls. salt (or to taste)
1 tsp. brown sugar (or to taste)
1 healthy pinch of cinnamon (up to 1/4 teaspoon)
2 tsp. vinegar – balsamic or apple cider

Large Batch:

Up to 16 oz. dried chiles (see below)
12-16 cups water
16 oz. beef broth
1/3 – 1/2 cup ground cumin
1/3-1/2 cup oregano
1/3 cup salt
1/3 cup onion powder
1/3 cup garlic powder
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tbls. cinnamon
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tbls. balsamic vinegar

About the Peppers:

You can use any variety of dried peppers you choose. The types I’ve seen recommended are New Mexico, guajillo, pasilla, ancho, Big Jim and jalapeno peppers. I’ve used several other types as well, including the hotter-than-hot habanero. No ghost peppers yet, but I’ve been keeping my eye out for some. When I make a huge batch, I often use five or more different types (dried) plus bottled of habanero sauce. Try different varieties and combinations, making sure to keep notes. Eventually you’ll probably focus in on the combination you prefer. Or, if you’re like me, you’ll use a different blend every time… just because it’s fun!

Instructions:

Rinse peppers and remove stems and seeds.

In a large pot, bring water and beef broth to a boil. Add peppers, cover with lid and turn off heat. Let sit for 20 to 30 minutes. That’s the minimum. But I like for ingredients to get to know each other and get happy. So if I have time, I may let the peppers sit there for an hour. If you’re in a rush, though, thirty minutes will do just fine.

Do something else while your peppers soak. Don’t just stand there and stare at the pot. It won’t help, dude. (Or, Dudette.) You may want to prepare side dishes for your meal, or you could do something completely unrelated. For me, it’s a great time to get in a short practice session, whether on bass or vocals. Or maybe work on a video. Anything but worrying about the peppers.

Put a metal strainer in a large bowl. Use a ladel to add some of the peppers and some of the water into a blender. Puree at highest speed for as long as it takes to really mash the peppers into tiny bits. Pour into strainer. If you’ve got one, you can use a food processor for this as well. But a blender works great and can be a lot cheaper. Anyway, repeat the process, doing as many batches as necessary to puree all the peppers. It’s better to do more batches than to overfill the blender. Mine does fine at about 2/3 capacity. Continue pouring the puree into the strainer.

Use a wooden spoon or flexible spatula to press the mashed peppers through the strainer. This removes any stray seeds and large bits of skin from the final sauce, giving it a smoother texture and flavor. Keep scraping the side of the strainer until all you have left are the largest solids. If you’re like me, you’ll want to get every last bit of usable sauce. That’s why I scrape the outside of the strainer before setting it in the sink. (Clean as you go!)

Transfer sauce to large pot on medium-low heat. Add diced onions and spices. Stir to combine so everything gets to know each other and get happy.

Continue to heat sauce until bubbles begin to form. Reduce heat to lowest setting and let sauce simmer for as long as you can stand it. Simmer means just a few bubbles here and there. You really shouldn’t boil this, so go easy on the heat.

Now that you see how easy it is to make an authentic Chili Colorado sauce, you can use it in these chili recipes:

Notes:

The measurements above are for a single, then a quadruple batch. I always make at least two batches, which actually gives me three portions – one to use right away, the other two to freeze. It’s just doesn’t take that much more time to do a larger batch. You’ll have to do more batches in the blender, and you’ll scrape the strainer longer. But you’ll do it less often, and that’s where you’re saving time.

If you’re on a tight schedule and can’t let the sauce simmer for hours, you can jump start things by sauteing the onions in a little olive oil before adding the pepper mash to the pot. Still let the sauce simmer for as long as possible.

To store extra sauce, let cool – really cool – then divide portions of 1 or 2 cups (I do 2 cups) into zip-lock freezer bags. Squeeze all the air out of the bag before sealing. If you get the air out, frost won’t grow in the bag over time.

Have fun with this and don’t forget to check out my other Colorado recipes. Pick the one that sounds best and get to it. Once you’ve tried this recipe, please come back and tell me how it went for you, and what you used it for. And don’t forget…

Play with your food!

Lane

Related Recipes:

Authentic Chili Colorado

Trashpot Chili

Slow Cooker Chili Colorado

Mexican Rice

Did you like this recipe? What recipes would you like to learn? Leave me a comment and tell me your thoughts! (And don’t forget to LIKE this post!) Share it using the tiles below.

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