South American Hot Bbq Sauce

Forget the bottled stuff. This South American-inspired BBQ sauce brings real heat and soul to your grill.

Onions, green peppers, and garlic get stir-fried in olive oil until golden, then chili powder blooms in the pan, releasing that deep, earthy warmth.

Tomato puree, red wine vinegar, and dark brown sugar simmer together into a thick, glossy sauce with a sweet-tart backbone and a slow burn from crushed red chili peppers.

Brush it on spareribs, slather it over chicken thighs, or use it as a basting sauce for beef. It clings to meat and caramelizes over high heat into a sticky, charred glaze.

Pro Tips

• Bloom the chili powder in the oil for a full 2 minutes before adding the liquids. This step deepens the spice flavor and removes any raw, dusty taste.
• Dark brown sugar has more molasses than light, which gives the sauce a richer, more complex sweetness. Don’t substitute with white sugar.
• Simmer covered for the full 30 minutes. The sauce thickens and the flavors meld into something much better than what you started with.
• This sauce keeps well in the fridge for up to a week. The flavor actually intensifies after a day or two.