So I was intrigued by a recipe I saw in passing on food network. It was spicy pop pork, on Pioneer Woman. The pop being soda.
It calls for a can of chipotle in adobe. Problem is, my husband hates chipotle flavor. He loves heat. He loves smoky. But something about the chipotle in adobe doesn’t agree with him.
So what do y’all recommend. I have a jar of pickled jalepenos. I have a jar of pickled banana peppers. I have every vinegar, sauce, spice, etc… What should I put in with the pork and soda to achieve the spicy, sweet flavor?
I’d lean towards a smoked chile powder, like smoked paprika or smoked ancho. You may also be able to buy some smoked, dried chiles at the grocery store (depending on where you live) that you could reconstitute and blend into a paste. Heck, liquid smoke for smokiness and the jar of jalapenos for heat would probably work in a pinch. Between the Dr. Pepper and the brown sugar there seems to be plenty of sweet already.
How about plain old BBQ sauce? If you don’t have any at hand, search for some recipes about making your own, and pull out flavors of those. This might be a good example to start with.
Liquid smoke is always a good option, but go light on that stuff. It really literally is concentrated wood smoke flavor. Start with maybe 1/8 tsp or so.
A more oddball suggestion - if you’re into beer and can find smoked beers like a rauschbier, that may work for you. I made a homemade BBQ sauce that used one as an ingredient specifically because I discovered New Holland Brewing’s Charkoota Rye, a smoked rye beer punning on charcuterie, aka sausages/bacon/etc.
The problem I see is that the adobo sauce is what gives the sauce a little body. You’ll end up with a pretty scanty sauce if you don’t replace it with something. You have the (mild) heat with your peppers, but you don’t just want to dump all that vinegar in there, I don’t think. Maybe a few tablespoons of tomato paste with your peppers?
Do you have any smoked paprika? Paprika’s a large component of many adobo sauces, and smoked paprika will help with the smokey flavor.
Your favorite salsa + liquid smoke. Or smoked paprika, though 1) I’m guessing you don’t have that laying around and 2) it’s not that hot, so you’d have to add something else for heat.
Hey guys… I have liquid smoke, and smoked paprika.
I think I’m gonna do the pickled jalepenos, with a few tbs. of the juice. Some smoked paprika, garlic powder, cumin, coriander, and a touch of chili powder. I think I’m going to avoid the liquid smoke. That shit scares me and can ruin food quickly.