Up here in the Pacific Northwest it’s June, and that means it’s summer barbecue season. We’ve had some rain, well, a lot of rain for this time of year. When the sun comes out or we get a break from the rain we like to fire up the grill and that means barbecue sauce! Barbecue sauce is used to marinade, to baste, as a condiment, or topping for your favorite meats, vegetables, and sandwiches. Barbecue originally started with lemon or lime juice and some seasoning, and has grown into what it is today; a whole variety of flavors and styles to choose from.
In this blog, I will be sharing my Cherry Barbecue Sauce recipe with you. This sauce can range in flavors and spice levels. You can make it super spicy or sweet. You can make it spicier by increasing the smoked paprika and chili powder. This sauce can be made fresh when you want it, or canned for shelf-stable future use.
Let's Explore Barbecue Sauce
I make a variety of barbecue sauce flavors. I started with a recipe from The Kneady Homesteader. We love this recipe and make it often. Here is a great video she put together on how to make her sauce.
My Cherry Barbecue Sauce recipe uses ketchup. I make my own ketchup using the Living Traditions Homestead recipe. Her ketchup recipe can be found in the YouTube video below. I make a large batch of ketchup and can it to make it shelf-stable.
The Recipe
Cherry Barbecue Sauce
Equipment
- Immersion Blender or Countertop Blender
- Dutch Oven or Large Pan
Ingredients
- 2 T. Avocado Oil
- 2 Onions, chopped
- 6 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 6 c. Cherries, pitted (fresh or thawed from the freezer)
- 2 c. Tomato Sauce
- 2 c. Ketchup
- 2 c. Monk Fruit Sweetener (if canning, use can sugar instead)*1
- ½ c. Apple Cider Vinegar
- 6 T. Molasses
- 2 T. Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 T. Chili Powder
- 2 tsp. Ground Mustard
- 2 tsp. Onion Powder
- 1 T. Garlic
- 2 tsp. Black Pepper
- 1 tsp. Himalayan Sea Salt (if canning, use canning salt)*2
- 1 T. Smoked Paprika
Instructions
- In a Dutch Oven or large pan, add oil, onions, and garlic. Cook until lightly browned.
- Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Using an Immersion Blender, blend until smooth.If using a countertop blender, allow to cool before transferring to the blender.
- Divide evenly among six, pint-size glass canning/mason jars. Label, date, and store in the fridge for up to one month.OR, follow the water bath canning process to make shelf-stable.
Video
Notes
- * At of the time of this recipe creation, Monk Fruit has not been tested for canning, so please use can sugar if you will be canning this sauce.
- * It is important to use Canning Salt in place of Himalayan Sea Salt if you will be canning this sauce.
Nutrition
Making Your Sauce Shelf-Stable
This sauce can be processed by using the Ball Water Bath Canning method.
- Jars need ¼ inch of headspace in jars.
- 15 min processing time for ½ pint or pint size jars.
*As of the time of this post monk fruit has not been tested for canning to make shelf-stable.
Tips for Pitting Your Cherries
Do you have an amazing cherry pitter in your kitchen already? If so, you’re all set! If not, the OXO Cherry Pitter works wonderfully. Before I had a cherry pitter in my kitchen, I used a little trick. This trick is also shared in my new book, ‘I Bought It, Now What? Summer Edition’ which will be available for Presale on June 21, 2022. Take an empty long neck bottle like a root beer bottle, and set the cherry on top where the hole is. Use a metal straw to push the cherry pit into the bottle. The pit should fall in the bottle while the cherry remains sitting on the rim.
Tips to Use Your Homemade Barbeque Sauce
Now that you have your sauce, let’s talk about when to use it. While the sauce can flavor the food and make it wonderful, using it at the wrong time can quickly ruin your meal.
- For Grilling, keep in mind this sauce has a high sugar content which will burn and char. However, applying it too late, will not give the flavor depth or allow the meat to absorb the flavors.
- Grilling rule of thumb: Apply BBQ sauce in thin layers over 10 minutes for smaller cuts, or 30 minutes for larger cuts, before your meat has finished cooking. This will give you the flavor you are searching for while avoiding the char/burn taste.
Smoking is a slow and low heat process using indirect heat which minimizes the chance for sugars to burn or char. For this process, you can marinate your meat in BBQ sauce.
Are you planning to try my Cherry BBQ Sauce this summer barbecue season? If so, how do you plan on trying it? Will you be making it fresh or canning it? Leave a comment below and let me know.
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