Step 1

Thoroughly wash the chipotle peppers, remove the stems and place them in a bowl. Cover them with boiling water and weigh them down with a small lid or plate. Let them soak for 20 minutes.

Step 2

Remove 4 soaked chipotles, leaving the rest in the soaking liquid, and place them in a food processor or blender. Add the ketchup (or tomato puree with the sweetener) and half cup water. Blend until you have a uniform paste.

Step 3

Add the blended chipotles and tomatoes into the pot with the remaining chipotles soaked in water.

Step 4

Add the onions, garlic, salt, peppercorns and vinegar to the pan. Mix well.

Step 5

Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and allow chipotles to simmer for about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Check them at one hour. If the sauce has dried too much, add extra water as needed.

Step 6

Place the chipotles and adobo in sterilized freezer safe containers. Hint - keep the containers small - most recipes only call for 2 peppers and a small amount of sauce. You can also puree and freeze them in ice cube trays for future use. Once you open your jar - be sure to use it within a month.