Cherry Barbecue Sauce

A deliciously flavorful and fruity barbecue sauce you can enjoy on your grilled meats, chicken, burgers, pulled pork sandwiches, and used in any recipe that calls for barbecue sauce!

What would you do with 75 pounds of cherries?

That’s what I picked up this past weekend: Three 25 lb boxes of plump, luscious bing cherries.

I’ve been busy pitting and canning cherries in light syrup, making jam, making cherry dessert sauce, cherry crisp, fruit leather, and baking Cherry Almond Streusel Cake.

What are some of your favorite ways to use cherries?  Share with us by leaving a comment below!

With still more cherries left I wanted to try something savory.  How about a cherry barbecue sauce?  It sound great to me so I got to work experimenting with small quantities to get the ingredients and ratios right.

The end result:  A deliciously flavorful and fruity barbecue sauce you can enjoy on your grilled meats, chicken, burgers, pulled pork sandwiches, and used in any recipe that calls for barbecue sauce!

The flavor of this cherry barbecue sauce gets better with time, so I recommend waiting at least 3 days before using it to allow the flavors some time to meld.

I’ve also included instructions for canning if you want to make a larger batch for long-term storage, which is what I’m doing (I still have 25 pounds of cherries left to process!)

Let’s get started!

Heat the oil in a medium-sized heavy-bottomed pan and cook the onions and garlic until soft and translucent, 5-7 minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients and bring it to a boil.

NOTE:  Alternatively, at this point you can place everything in a slow cooker and cook on LOW for 3-4 hours.  Once pureed in the blender, return the sauce to the slow cooker and continue to cook uncovered if the sauce needs thickening.

Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.

Transfer the sauce to a blender and puree until smooth.

Pour into airtight jars and store in the refrigerator.  Wait at least 3 days before using to allow the flavors to meld.  Will keep in the fridge for up to a month.

If canning, pour the hot sauce into sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.

Process in a water bath for 15 minutes then carefully remove and let the cans sit undisturbed for 24 hours before moving them to a cool place to store for up to a year.

Enjoy!

Cherry Barbecue Sauce

Kimberly Killebrew

A deliciously flavorful and fruity barbecue sauce you can enjoy on your grilled meats, chicken, burgers, pulled pork sandwiches, and used in any recipe that calls for barbecue sauce!

Print Recipe

4.75 from 12 votes

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 35 mins

Course condiment

Cuisine American

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

• 2 teaspoons oil
• 1 medium yellow onion chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 3 cups pitted cherries fresh or frozen/thawed
• 1 cup plain tomato sauce
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 cup cane sugar, for low sugar alternative use sugar substitute, e.g. Swerve Sweetener, though if canning you'll need to confirm if it's suitable for that purpose)
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons molasses
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dry ground mustard
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1-2 teaspoons liquid smoke optional

Instructions

 

• Heat the oil in a medium-sized heavy-bottomed pot and cook the onions and garlic until soft and translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Transfer the sauce to a blender and puree until smooth.
• Pour the sauce into non-reactive air-tight containers and store in the refrigerator. Wait at least 3 days before using to allow the flavors to meld. Will keep for up to a month.
• If canning for long-term storage, pour the hot barbecue sauce into sterilized half pint or pint sized jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Process in a water bath for 15 minutes. Remove and let the jars sit undisturbed for 24 hours before moving them to a cool place. Will keep for up to a year.

Notes

Slow Cooker Method: Alternatively, after cooking the onions and garlic you can place everything in a slow cooker and cook on LOW for 3-4 hours. Once pureed in the blender, return the sauce to the slow cooker and continue to cook uncovered if the sauce needs thickening. Cook until desired thickness is reached.

Keyword barbecue sauce

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