cherry bbq sauce
Another BBQ sauce since it is still primetime grilling season! I made this BBQ sauce for some grilled chicken wings this past weekend for my aunt’s 65 birthday and it was a hit! I’ve been seeing a lot of fruit based BBQ sauces lately and decided to give cherries a try since it’s their season! It was sweet, tangy and a tad smokey… f*cking YUM!
Try it below and let me know what you think!
Ingredients
1 cup pitted cherries (I used fresh cherries but you can use frozen, thawed out cherries)
1/2 cup of tart cherry juice (optional, if you can find to further incorporate the cherry flavor)
1 & 1/2 cups ketchup
1-2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 sweet vidalia onion, chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar (I love a sweet & tangy sauce so I used up to 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup or so apple cider vinegar (depending how tangy you want the sauce)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika (smoked is key)
1-2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
salt & pepper to taste
Flavorless oil like grapeseed oil
Directions
In a deep pot on medium heat, sauté the onions in about a one tablespoon of grapeseed oil until soft, about 4-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. You don’t want to burn the garlic.
Add the tomato paste, stir to combine and cook until the paste changes color from a bright to deep red but be careful not to burn the paste, about 1-2 minutes. Continue to stir so the paste doesn’t burn.
Add the cherries, ketchup, brown sugar, chipotle peppers, worcestershire, garlic powder, onion powder & smoked paprika. Bring this to a gentle simmer and taste to adjust seasonings with salt & pepper.
Add the apple cider vinegar and taste to adjust the amount of tangy-ness you want. I am a huge sweet & tangy person so do it to your liking.
Once everything is adjusted to your liking, blend it all together to your desired consistency.