Name: Ancho-Orange Barbecue Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 20
Ingredients: 2 dried ancho chiles ((rinsed, stemmed, and seeded-then soaked in warm water)); 2 Tablespoons olive oil; 1/2 cup chopped white onion; 2 large cloves garlic ((chopped)); 1/2 cup tomato paste; 1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice ((possibly more to thin the sauce if needed)); 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar; 2 Tablespoons fish sauce ((I used Red Boat)); 1 Tablespoon chili powder; 1 teaspoon paprika; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano; 1/4 teaspoon allspice

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One of my favorite condiments is barbecue sauce, and ranch dressing, okay maybe it’s a tie between the two. I already switched up my Homemade Ranch Dressing to be Whole 30 and Paleo, this past weekend I came up with an Ancho-Orange Barbecue Sauce the is sugar-free, healthy, and still loaded with flavor to pour all over my Instant Pot Barbecue Ribs…..

Deep down I know that Whole 30 is supposed to change your feelings towards food, and help you to make better choices…but I like what I like, and some modifications are what’s keeping me sane, lol

I have lost 16 pounds so far, so I must be doing something right. Yes, I could have lost more if I ate like a rabbit, but I would rather enjoy myself and not feel deprived. I mean look at those ribs, they are totally delicious and this Ancho-Orange Barbecue Sauce contains no molasses or brown sugar…or alcohol. Lisa is a happy camper. 🙂

How do you make Ancho-Orange Barbecue Sauce?

We are going to start by removing the stems and seeds from two ancho chiles {the dried kind}. Rinse them and place them in a bowl of some type. Cover them with warm water and allow them to soak for 10 to 15 minutes…..

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the onions and cook until softened, stirring occasionally to keep them from burning…..

Add the garlic and heat for one minute…..

Pour in the orange juice, add the tomato paste and stir to combine…..

Add the vinegar, fish sauce, chili powder, paprika, cumin, and allspice…..

Stir to combine. Allow to simmer for 25 minutes, lowering the temperature if it starts to boil.

Remove the chiles from the soaking water and place them in a blender. Pour the sauce on top of the chiles…..

and puree until smooth. Serve immediately or store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a week…..

This recipe took some crazy twists and turns as I was preparing it. I made Shredded Pork with an Ancho-Orange Sauce a couple of weeks ago, and thought the sauce would make an awesome barbecue sauce. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to add the whole chiles, maybe chili powder would be enough…Nope! I kept adding…and adding ingredients until it was perfect. 🙂

Notes:

This Ancho-Orange Barbecue Sauce is really thick, kind of like a paste if you will. If you would like a thinner consistency, add more orange juice or water.
This sauce is not spicy at all. If you would like to amp up the heat, add chipotle, or sriracha.

I used this sauce on my barbecue ribs, shown above, chicken, and shredded pork. It has a completely different taste than I am used to, but you don’t miss the sugar at all.

More traditional barbecue sauce recipes for you to try:

Hawaiian Barbecue Sauce

Pineapple Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

Cherry Chipotle Barbecue Sauce

Guinness Barbecue Sauce

Bourbon Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce

Enjoy!!