A deliciously flavorful and fruity cherry 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 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!)
Cherry Barbecue Sauce Recipe
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.
How to Can Cherry Barbecue Sauce
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!
For more delicious homemade condiments be sure to try our:
Ultimate BBQ Sauce Big Mac Sauce Tartar Sauce Yum Yum Sauce Sweet Chili Sauce Curry Ketchup Sweet and Sour Sauce Hoisin Sauce Romesco Sauce Teriyaki Sauce Aji Verde Sauce Ponzu Sauce
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