Source: Jeff Thompson's Open Recipes
Rehydrate the chiles in hot water to soften them and leach their flavour into the liquid — this is your dried-chiles base and it matters more than the chiles themselves. Trim the stems and shake out the seeds from the guajillos, anchos, and arbol. Pour 4 cups of hot water over them, cover the bowl, and leave for 20 minutes. The chiles will soften and the water will darken to a deep rust-brown; this isn't decoration, it's carrying the pigment compounds and capsaicinoids you need for depth.
Fish the rehydrated chiles out of the water and into a blender. Reserve the soaking liquid — it's built flavour that you cannot replicate by adding fresh water. Add 240ml of this chile water to the blender along with 120ml fresh water. The ratio matters: too much chile water and the sauce becomes muddy and one-note; too much fresh water and it becomes thin and bitter. Add the garlic, salt, cocoa, and sugar. The cocoa and sugar aren't sweetness — they're flavour-building ballast. The cocoa powder rounds the heat and adds earthiness; the sugar buffers capsaicin burn and lifts the middle notes without making the sauce taste dessert-like.
Blend on high until completely smooth. This takes 2–3 minutes with a standard blender. You're looking for a sauce that coats the back of a spoon and has no grit when you rub it between your tongue and palate. If it's thicker than heavy cream, add chile water by the tablespoon; if it separates or looks grainy, you've added too much fresh water and the sauce-making has failed — the emulsion has broken. Pour through a fine sieve if you're being precise, though this step isn't essential if your blender is powerful enough.
Use the sauce immediately, or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to two weeks. It will thicken slightly as it cools because the fat suspends less efficiently at rest — stir in hot water to return it to pourable consistency before using.
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