I use home made ancho chile powder in soups, chili, rubs, etc. Dried Ancho chiles are easily found in Mexican tiendas and a coffee grinder will make quick work of them. Make sure to remove the stem, vain, and seeds first. Cut them into manageable sized bits before grinding in the coffee grinder.
Ancho chiles are not terribly spicy. They do add a considerable amount of depth and richness to whatever they are used in though, and are certainly a kick ass addition to any BBQ sauce one might make. When making sauces, I prefer to make up an Ancho chile paste first. I toast them quickly under the broiler and then boil them until tender in a sauce pan. Again, the chiles need to be de-vained and all that first. Toss the tender chiles into your blender and add a small amount of reserved water from the sauce pan before blending, as the resulting paste can be quite thick. Add the paste to your sauce, soup, marinade, or whatever you like.
Yeah! My first post! :biggrin:
