Southwestern Barbecue Sauce

Use this sauce for beef, pork, poultry, or as a condiment.

Ingredients

• Pinch of pepper, or to taste
• 6 dried red New Mexican chiles
• 1/2 cup commercial bottled chili sauce
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons bacon drippings or vegetable oil
• 1 cup ketchup
• 5 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons Liquid Smoke

Instructions

1. Cover chiles with hot water and let them sit for 20 minutes until soft.
2. Place chiles in a blender with 1 cup of the water they were soaked in and puree until smooth.
3. Sauté onion and garlic in oil until soft, then add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Puree the sauce in a blender until smooth.

To Barbecue: Start fire with a lot of charcoal. When it has burned down to coals, place a drip pan in the center of the coals and fill it with water. Place a 3- to 4-pound beef brisket over the pan with the fat side down. Cover the barbecue and adjust to a slow heat. After one hour, baste meat with the sauce. Repeat basting and turn the meat to cook it evenly. The process should bake about 4 to 5 hours.

Soak mesquite wood or beans in water for an hour. Spread a couple of cups over the coals, cover, and smoke for 45 minutes.

Remove, carve, and serve with extra sauce.