BBQ sauce isn’t the only way to bring smoke, heat, and acidity to food headed for the grill. I started mixing chipotles in adobo with lime juice and cumin, and three ingredients create a marinade that works with meat, vegetables, and tofu.
Chipotles bring smoke and heat, lime cuts through the richer flavors, and cumin adds an earthy note. No long ingredient list or bottled BBQ sauce is needed.
Start With Chipotles in Adobo
Canned chipotles in adobo are smoked, dried jalapeños packed in a seasoned tomato-based sauce. Both the peppers and sauce go into the marinade.
Remove a few chipotles from the can and chop them into small pieces, then add some of the adobo sauce. How many peppers you use depends on how much heat you want.
For a smoother marinade, blend the peppers and sauce instead of leaving the chipotles chopped.
Lime and Cumin Finish the Marinade
Squeeze fresh lime juice into the chipotle mixture, then add ground cumin.
Lime brings acidity against the smoky peppers, while cumin adds warmth without introducing another source of heat. Mix everything, taste, and adjust the ratio before adding raw meat.
More adobo increases the smoky chile flavor, while extra lime pushes the marinade toward a sharper citrus taste.
Use It With Chicken, Pork, or Beef
Strong flavors from chipotle and cumin can stand up to beef and pork, but the marinade also works with chicken.
Coat the meat before grilling and keep it refrigerated while it marinates. Discard marinade that has been in contact with raw meat unless it is brought to a safe boil before being used as a sauce.
Keep some of the fresh mixture separate before marinating if you want extra sauce for serving.
Vegetables Can Get the Same Treatment
Meat isn’t required for the combination to work. Brush the marinade over thick slices of zucchini, eggplant, or squash before they go onto the grill.
Corn can take the same smoky lime flavor, while tofu provides another option since all three marinade ingredients are plant-based.
Watch foods as they grill because the adobo sauce can darken over high heat. You’re looking for char from the grill without burning the coating.
Chipotles, lime, and cumin each bring something different, so the marinade doesn’t need much else. Smoke and heat come from one can, acidity comes from the lime, and cumin fills in the savory side.
What would you put in this marinade first: chicken, steak, corn, or grilled vegetables?
