Qdoba Ancho Chili BBQ Pork


 

Jason Allen

New member
Hey All,

I'm very fond of Qdoba's Ancho Chili BBQ Burrito...the meat on this thing is to die for.

Here's their description:

"Our newest signature burrito features slow roasted pork that's been simmered slowly in a blend of tangy tomatillos, jalapenos, garlic, and fresh lime juice, then topped with our sweet, mexican style BBQ sauce peppered with hints of dried chilies, hickory, and smoked mesquite"

I'm thinking something like this could be mimicked coming off the smoker...maybe a good rub and then a light simmer of the meat after it's pulled?

Would be interested if anyone has any ideas on this?

Jason
 
'...sweet, Mexican style BBQ sauce...'? Who are they kidding?


Never had it but from the description and what you are looking to do I would go a different route.

I'd make an ancho-based rub with garlic and onion and pepper and just a little light brown sugar, and apply after salting the meat. (I'd use a butterflied boneless butt.) Smoke with hickory or pecan (I'd skip the mesquite myself) then, when the meat nears 160 or so, prep a large piece of foil thus:

Slice several onion, and smash 5 or 6 cloves of garlic. Halve 4-6 tomatillos and chop a couple or three jals. Halve 2 limes. Place half the onions, garlic, tomatillos and jals on the foil, top with the meat, then cover the meat with the remainders. Squeze the limes over the meat and put the spent halves in the foil. Wrap and crimp well, leaving some space around the meat and some headspace. Return to the cooker and cook till very tender.

Remove the meat to rest, capture and defat the juices. Make a typical tomato-based Q sauce but add a couple reconstituted anchos to the pot. Purée well, reduce, then add some of the saved juices. Adjust smokiness and heat with smoked paprika and/or chipotle. Add a little fresh lime juice for brightness and to balance the sweet.
 
Do that.

Again, I've no idea what Qdoba is doing but you should be able to come up with something good. A sauce like this, with an reconstituted ancho or two*, or, if unavailable, a couple tablespoons of ground ancho added in would work nicely, imo. I'd replace the celery seed with 1/2 whole bay leaf. I'd cut the molasses to 1 Tbls and up the light brown sugar to 3-4 Tbls. I'd also add 1/2 tsp oregano when the sugar is added. If you don't have Aleppo, skip it.


* If using whole anchos, reconsitute by placing in a bowl and covering with very hot tap water. Place a plate or smaller bowl on top so that they stay submerged. Soak 45-60 min then drain, reserving 2-3 Tbls of the water. Split the chilies and remove the seeds; remove the stems but otherwise leave the chilies as intact as possible. Add them to the pot when you add the vinegar, tomatoes, etc.

When you get to the point of puréeing the sauce do this first: Fish the anchos out of the sauce and place in a blender with the few tablespoons of reserved soaking water and 2 or so tablespoons of the sauce. Purée very well then force through a sieve back into the saucepot. This will eliminate little pieces of tough ancho skin. Rinse the blender then purée all the sauce, returning it to the pot and finishing as noted in the recipe.

If using ground ancho simply add with the vinegar.
 
here's some more suggestions:

this recipe is not quite like your description but I makes a great taco, and I'll bet its as good or better than anything qdobo makes

or try this sauce which sounds similar to your description. I like to use the rub and sauce on flank steak that gets sliced across the grain after grilling, and served on a tortilla.
 

 

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