This recipe is part of a five-part series devoted to chipotles–those many varieties of smoked chiles. You can go here to start reading–and cooking with–chipotles of all kinds.

Ingredients

½ pound dried chipotle chiles, stems removed

Water to rehydrate

1 quart vinegar

1 head garlic, peeled and crushed

½ cup piloncillo, or ½ cup packed brown sugar

1 cup roasted and peeled green chile, such as poblano or New Mexican

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

6 black peppercorns

3 bay leaves

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt to taste

Instructions

Soak the chipotles in water until they rehydrate, at least one hour, then drain.

In a saucepan, add ½ of the vinegar, ½ of the garlic and the brown sugar. Cook this mixture for about 20 minutes, then add the chipotles.

In another pan, combine the green chile, tomato, remaining garlic, peppercorns, bay leaves, cumin, remaining vinegar, and salt to taste. Cook for about 30 minutes, covered, over a medium heat. Add the chipotle chile mixture, stir well, and store in sterilized jars.

Ingredients

12 reconstituted chipotle chiles
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, sliced
3 cups water
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup tomato sauce
Salt to taste
2 cups white distilled vinegar (or more or less)

Instructions

Place all the ingredients except the white vinegar in a saucepan, cover and simmer over low heat for about an hour or until the liquid is reduced to about 1 1/2 cups. Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender and puree.

Combine the puree and the white vinegar in a bowl and mix thoroughly to the desired consistency. Strain the sauce through a sieve and discard the solids. Bottle in sterilized jars.