Beef Burgers With Peanut-Chipotle Barbecue Sauce

Since I had 4 hamburger buns laying around, we are having burgers again tonight.  I did not use the entire can of chipotles.  I pureed the entire can and put two heaping spoonfuls of that puree, and it was pretty hot.  I figured we can always add heat but you can't take it away.  The end result was really good and I am not a fan of barbecue sauce.  The recipe for the sauce makes way more than you need for just 4 burgers.  Oh and I did add a bit more peanut butter because it was a little hot on it's own, but once on the burger with the cheese and all it was not too spicy.  My husband's take on it was that it was really good but not so good it was worth the effort of the sauce.  We did make our own ancho chile powder by grinding our own chiles which took some time and the sauce took 3 times as long as it took to make the rest of the burger, but I think it's worth it.

Beef Burgers With Peanut-Chipotle Barbecue Sauce

1 T  vegetable oil,plus more for brushing
1    onion,finely chopped
2 T  minced fresh ginger
2    garlic cloves,minced
1 c  tomato puree
2 T  ketchup
1 T  red wine vinegar
1 T  Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 T  Dijon mustard
2 T  honey
2 T  molasses
3 T  pure ancho chile powder
1 cn chipotle in adobo,minced
1/2 c  water
2 T  creamy peanut butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4    hamburger buns,split
1 1/2 lb ground beef chuck
1/2 c  shredded cheddar (3 ounces)
1    scallion,finely chopped
Lettuce and tomato slices for serving

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the onion
and ginger and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until
softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute,
stirring. Add the tomato puree, ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce,
mustard, honey, molasses, ancho chile powder, chipotle and water. Bring
to a simmer and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until
thickened, about 30 minutes. Transfer the sauce to a blender. Add the
peanut butter and puree until smooth. Season the barbecue sauce with
salt and pepper.
2. Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. Brush the cut sides of the
buns with oil and grill until toasted, about 30 seconds. Spread some of
the barbecue sauce on the buns.
3. Form the meat into four 1-inch-thick patties and brush with oil.
Season with salt and pepper and grill over high heat, turning once,
until nearly cooked through, about 5 minutes. Brush the burgers with
some of the sauce and grill until lightly glazed, about 2 minutes. Top
with the cheddar and scallion, close the grill and cook just until the
cheese is completely melted, about 1 minute. Set the burgers on the
buns,   top with lettuce and tomato and serve right away.
Make Ahead The barbecue sauce can be refrigerated for up to 2 months.