601 chile sauce recipes

Texas-style basting sauce with butter, bacon drippings, lemon juice, Worcestershire, and chili powder. Makes 3.5 cups, enough to mop a whole 5-pound brisket through a long, slow smoke.

Pit-style smoked pork shoulder grilled over hickory wood chips with a tangy mustard-vinegar barbecue sauce. Low and slow for 3 hours until fall-apart tender.

The sauce here is no kin whatsoever to the ketchupy stuff that too often swamps cold seafood; it's a good bet with cold shrimp or crabmeat, too.

Thai stir-fried salted beef with chili: shredded beef cured in salt and fish sauce, fried until crispy, then tossed with hot chilies, celery, and Thai seasoning. A spicy, salty Bangkok street food classic.

Hot-sauce chili simmers cubed beef chuck with green chilies, hot pepper sauce, chili powder, and cumin into a no-bean Texas-style chili. Two-stage cook for fork-tender beef.

Szechuan princess chicken stir-fried with dried chili peppers, Szechuan peppercorns, ginger, and roasted peanuts in a soy-sherry seasoning sauce. Spicy, numbing, and bold.

Vietnamese grilled dried beef marinated in lemongrass, chili, fish sauce, and soy sauce, then sun-dried 12 hours and grilled until crisp. Serve with glutinous rice. A traditional thit bo kho worth the wait.

Easy Coney sauce: a smooth, no-bean meat sauce simmered with tomato, mustard, and a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg. The classic Coney dog topping that turns a plain hot dog Detroit-style.

Classic Crab Louis salad with chilled crab meat on shredded lettuce topped with a tangy Louis sauce of cream, chili sauce, lemon, and Worcestershire. A no-cook West Coast classic.

The original General Tso's chicken from Chef Peng: crisp-fried dark-meat chicken tossed in a tangy soy-and-vinegar sauce fired up with dried chilies. Savory and hot, not the sticky-sweet takeout version, and gluten-free with tamari.

Thai Panang curry with sliced chicken breast in rich coconut milk, red curry paste, fish sauce, and green peas. Fragrant, creamy, and ready in 25 minutes.

Soft steamed buns filled with mushrooms, water chestnuts, bell pepper, and hoisin sauce, served with a soy-chili dipping sauce. Homemade Chinese bao that freeze beautifully for later.

Hot Mexican blender salsa with canned tomatoes, green chilies, fresh cilantro, garlic, and cayenne. Chunky, spicy, and ready in 5 minutes flat.

Thai-style stir-fried eggplant with ground pork, garlic, green chili, fish sauce, and fresh basil. Fast, punchy weeknight wok cooking in under 20 minutes.

Loaded beef tacos with a twist: lean ground beef, green chiles, and garlic topped with Italian dressing-marinated tomatoes and mozzarella. A lighter, flavor-forward taco in 30 minutes.

Slow cooker chili-cheese meatloaf made with ground beef, cheese crackers, and chili sauce. A hands-off crockpot meatloaf that cooks tender in 6 to 8 hours on low.