Here's a simple way to make your own hot sauce. This chipotle sauce is hot but not super hot, smoky, and quite good. You can store a bottle in the refrigerator for a long time.

Step 1: Ingredients

Grab a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. It should be in the Mexican food aisle of your grocery store. If not, find a better grocery store. Get some of your favorite vinegar. I like to use balsamic or cider vinegar, but any will work. White distilled vinegar might be a little strong, but you can water it down to your liking. The vinegar adds flavor and helps prevent the sauce from spoiling.

Ingredients:
7 oz can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1/2 cup of a nice vinegar more or less.

Step 2: Blend and Bottle

Add the Chipotle peppers to a blender with the vinegar and puree. I fill the empty can with the vinegar to get the rest of the adobo sauce out and in the blender. If you like, now is your chance to be creative. Feel free to add roasted garlic or onions, herbs, or add more spice like cayenne or black pepper. There's no need to go crazy though it's fine on it's own.

Use a funnel to pour into a bottle. I reuse a bottle of Frank's Red Hot. Optionally you can strain the sauce to remove the seed bits, this gives you a very smooth sauce, but it's unnecessary in my opinion.

Step 3: Enjoy

Use this sauce just like any other hot sauce. I add it to soups, chili, nachos, burgers, hot dogs, and anything with a tortilla.

To make a dip just stir in with sour cream or warmed cream cheese until it has a nice kick.

To make a Pico De Gallo salsa add the sauce to chopped tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and a dash of lime juice.

Excelsior!