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!
- 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
- 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 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.
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.
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Sarah Bates says
This looks phenomenal! I love using fruit in savory dishes too and recently made a peach barbecue sauce that turned out amazing. I actually have cherries in my fridge right now and I’ve been wondering what to make. Cherry Barbecue Sauce it is!
Kelly @ Nosh and Nourish says
75 pounds?!?!? Oh my starzies. Would that even fit in the fridge?!? I love the sound and look of this bbq sauce. I bet it would be sooooooooo good on a yummy burger!
Erin @ The Speckled Palate says
75 POUNDS of cherries? Oh my WORD, that’s insane! And this barbecue sauce? Equally insane! Loving the tart-sweet cherry addition!
Dorothy Reinhold says
I am a sucker for a sweet and spicy sauce. I’ve never thought of using cherries in a BBQ sauce! So creative!
Jen says
I love making cherry fruit leather with my cherries! But this looks like such a creative recipe. Can’t wait to try it!
carrie @ frugal foodie mama says
I just love fruit in my BBQ sauces! And I love that this can be canned. :)
eat good 4 life says
I could probably use this sauce for a multiple of recipes. I love cherries and now that they are in season it is perfect!
Kelly - A Side of Sweet says
Yum! Love the idea of combinging BBQ and cherry! So good!
Colleen says
What a robust sauce! Cherries in any for are great! This sauce sounds delicious!
Suev says
Canning cherries one of my favorites, maraschino, pie filling, brandied. Wish we could get them by the 25 pound box, must be a lot cheaper. I do a chocolate cherry barbeque sauce, but this one looks good. Those cherries look wonderful by the way.
Natalie Loftus says
Made this Wednesday and let it sit for 3 days. Just tried it – LOVE IT!! Will make a double batch next for canning.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Natalie, thank you!
Amy @ Two Healthy Kitchens says
I looove summery cherry recipes! Can’t believe you were able to go through 75 pounds … but I totally would everything you’re mentioned making! I love the idea of using cherries in a savory sauce – I bet they add such a unique zing!
Adina says
Such a detailed post again, lovely! We have a huge cherry tree and most years more cherries than the entire neighborhood can eat. My favorite way of using them in large quantities is to make cherry butter or can them. However, this year there is not one cherry in the tree, this happens every 3-4 years or so… I will pin this delicious sauce for next year.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Cherry butter, now why didn’t I think of that?? I make apple butter, pear butter, peach butter and plum butter…I’ve got to add some cherry to the mix! Thanks for the idea, Adina! :)
Cathy @ Lemon Tree Dwelling says
I love a sweet bbq sauce! This looks amazing!
Lara @ Tiny Quality Homes says
This bbq sauce looks amazing. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Suzanne says
I live in the sub-tropics and cherries aren’t one of our crops….sadly. I love cherries. Oh that my Mother-in-law was still alive and we were at her place in Germany. She had two large cherry trees in her backyard and they were the most delicious cherries I have ever tasted. I can’t even recall seeing frozen cherries in the supermarkets….must check that out. Even when the cherries are in season around Christmas time they are expensive as they come up from the southern parts of Australia. Maybe I could make a little bit one time. It sounds so good…..
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Suzanne, there are a number of other fruits I think would substitute very nicely in this – apricots, peaches, plums, blackberries, etc. In fact, I think I’m going to have to give some of those a try myself! :)
Suzanne says
Really? hummmm, well, now you have me thinking. Plums are cheap enough when in season. Blackberries, apricots and peaches are still quite expensive even when in season but I’ll have to give it a go with plums. It would be great with all our summer BBQs. Thanks Kimberly
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I think plums would be a terrific choice, Suzanne. They pair well with savory ingredients. We have plum trees in our garden and one of the things I use them for is to make Asian plum sauce and it’s delicious. I’ll be posting that recipe this summer as well. Happy cooking and BBQ-ing! :)
Jessica | The Novice Chef says
I’m craving this right now! Got some ribs that this would be amazing on!
Celeste Bayer says
Finger-licking good! I made a double batch, one to can and one to use over the next couple of weeks. Delicious, thank you!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad to hear that, Celeste, thank you!
Maritta says
Hello Kimberly, thank you for an amazing recipe! I preserve black cherries, bing cherries and sour cherries together, I mix sour cherries with rum and sugar and leave them in the sun to make a drink and use them in my “BACHELOR’S JAM”!!! By accident I found your post while I was looking for a cherry and damson chutney and now I have an amazing BBQ sauce!!! even though the season is at an end, I might find some more to make another batch this week before we move to peaches, someone has promised me 2 kilos of wild sour cherries to mix with cherries, see if she comes through. The only thing I changed from your recipe when I tripled it is that I put in the pot 2 parts cherries and one part sour cherries. Like I said, amazing, thank you very much!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Maritta, I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
Maritta says
Hi Kimberly, got the wild sour cherries and mixed them with some black cherries and few red plums and the BBQ sauce was so good!!! your recipe is a keeper and I am sorry that I found it at the end of the season… until next year, thank you
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Maritta, I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
RicRocs says
Made this last week exactly as your recipe stated and it was delish! It was so good and cherries were on sale so I made a gallon more of it with a slight change, added a little pure maple syrup, a couple of different chili powders, as I like a little more kick. Canned it and passed some around to friends and they want more, so I now need to get some more cherries and get busy, good thing there’s still cherries around for a little while. Thanks!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic! I’m so glad it was a hit and YES, this sauce really makes a great gift. Thanks for the feedback!
Nikki from Tikkido says
The cherry BBQ sauce from American spoon Foods is one of my favorite things EVER! I can’t wait to try this so I don’t have to order it from Michigan!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hey Nikki, I haven’t tried that one but I hope you enjoy this recipe! Thanks for stopping by!