My Latest Favorite Thing

My new favorite thing to add to everything is chipotle in adobo sauce. It’s spicy and smoky and just adds extra depth to just about any dish. I’ve been adding it to fresh salsa and BBQ sauces, and of course I’ve used it to make this delicious dressing. Today we grilled a delicious tri-tip that was marinated overnight in a chipotle marinade. The beef was nicely spiced, but not too spicy for Sonny, who devoured his share.

Grilled Chipotle-marinated Tri-tip

• 1-2 tbs chipotle in adobo sauce (more to taste)
• 5 anchovy filets, minced
• 1 tbs worchestershire
• 1 tbs soy sauce
• 2 tbs honey
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• juice of 1 lime
• handful of cilantro, finely chopped
• 2-4 tbs oil
• 1 ¼ to 1 ¾ lb tri tip (or flank steak)
• ¼ to 1/3 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce

Combine all the marinade ingredients together in a medium bowl, except the oil, and whisk until you get a uniform mixture. Slowly add the oil, while whisking, until you get a semi-thick liquid. Add the marinade along with the beef into a large Ziploc bag and marinate overnight in the fridge. An hour before grilling the steak, take it out of the fridge to take the chill off (reserve the marinade). Make sure you generously season the steak with salt before grilling. Don’t be shy, as a lot of it will drip off, so you want to be sure something will be left on there.

To make a basting or dipping sauce, combine about ½ to 2/3 cup of the reserved marinade with ¼ to 1/3 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce. Heat over low heat until heated through and bubbly. An alternative is to combine the BBQ sauce with the reserved marinade in a microwavable bowl and blast it for two or three minutes. If you do this, give it a stir after each minute. Cool to room temperature if using as s dipping sauce.