A simple homemade Cherry BBQ Sauce that uses fresh cherries. Tart with a touch of sweetness and a hint of heat, this BBQ sauce complements rotisserie chicken and smoked ribs.
We make this BBQ sauce recipe during the summer when cherries are in season. Usually, we will make a large batch of this sauce to last throughout the fall and into the winter.
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Ingredients For Cherry BBQ Sauce
The recipe for this BBQ has the following ingredients:
- Yellow onion.
- Garlic.
- Avocado or Olive oil.
- Ketchup.
- Honey.
- Dark brown sugar.
- Fresh Cherries.
- Apple cider vinegar.
- Worcestershire Sauce.
- Smoked paprika.
- Cumin.
- Cayenne pepper.
- Sea salt.
- Black pepper.
Substitutions and Add-ins
There are only a few substitutions that can be made without altering the flavour of this BBQ sauce.
- Light or yellow brown sugar can be used in place of the dark brown sugar. If making this substitution, we recommend adding a tsp of molasses to give the sauce a similar flavour.
- Regular paprika can be used instead of smoked if that is what you have on hand.
If you would like to give the BBQ sauce more heat, you can add a diced jalapeno, habanero, or any other chilli pepper.
For this sauce, we have made the recipe using both homemade and store-bought ketchup. The recipe uses store-bought ketchup. When we use our homemade ketchup, we have to adjust the sugar because our ketchup recipe uses less sugar than commercial brands.
Equipment For Making This BBQ Sauce
When making this sauce, we use a heavy-bottomed pot, usually our PC enamelled cast-iron Dutch oven.
To make the sauce smooth, we use an immersion blender. This will break down the cherries in the sauce so that you get a thick, smooth sauce. You can use a blender as well, but we have found that some blenders make the sauce watery and thin.
How To Use Cherry BBQ Sauce
Cherry BBQ Sauce can be used just like any other BBQ sauce. We use it for basting ribs, rotisserie chicken, and smoked pork loins.
To use it for basting ribs, we like to thin it out a little using 1-2 Tablespoons of either cherry juice or apple juice per cup of sauce.
We also use this sauce for dipping. It makes a great dip for BBQ chicken and even chicken strips.
The flavours in this sauce are also great for grilled turkey burgers.
Storing Cherry BBQ Sauce
To store this sauce, we like to keep it in a mason jar. It should be kept in the fridge, and can last up to three weeks.
If you would like to can this BBQ sauce, it can be done using canning methods for high-acid foods. You can find a great step-by-step process for canning on Bernardin’s website.
We would love to hear from you if you’ve tried this recipe. Leave us a comment below to let us know what you think.
Cherry BBQ Sauce
Equipment
- heavy-bottomed pot
- immersion blender
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil or extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup diced yellow onion
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 cup ketchup
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
- 3 Tbsp smoked paprika
- 2 Tbsp cumin
- 1 Tbsp cayenne pepper
- 2 Tbsp sea salt
- 1 Tbsp black pepper
- 2 cups fresh cherries, pitted and halved
Instructions
- In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat the oil over medium heat.
- Add the diced onion and garlic, cooking until fragrant and softened.
- Add the remaining ingredients except the cherries, stirring to combine the spices.
- Bring to a simmer, and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the cherries and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat and, using an immersion blender, pulse the sauce until smooth and all the cherries have been broken down.
- Place the sauce back on the heat and simmer until thickened, about 10-15 minutes.
- Once thickened, remove from heat and let cool before pouring into a covered container or mason jar and storing in the fridge.
