Apple Butter Barbecue Sauce

John J. O'Sullivan™'s Note:

I saw jars of apple butter BBQ sauce at an apple orchard a few weeks ago. I thought this was a splendid idea—especially for ribs. I've scoured the Internet, and this recipe looks like the best bet. It's originally from Smuckers, (featuring their apple butter). That said, I made a large batch of apple butter (Crock Pot Apple Butter), so I'm using homemade. Again, use what you can get.

• Total Time: 20 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 3 cups

• 1 cup smucker's cider apple butter (or your own)
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3 teaspoons liquid smoke
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

Directions:

1. Add everything together. Well, that's where their recipe ends. I think that's silly. So, let's continue.
2. Sauté the onion in a frying pan with a little bit of olive oil, medium heat. Cook till translucent.
3. Add the garlic, cook for about a minute.
4. Put everything into a sauce pot on medium heat, stir everything together.
5. Before a boil begins, drop the heat to low and simmer for 15-20 min., stirring frequently.
6. Take it off heat, let it cool for 30 minute (unless you're canning, of course).
7. Store it however you wish. It should keep in the fridge for 30 days, in a freezer for longer, or just can it.

Reviews

[Chef #1346772]

Awesome BBQ sauce. I made pulled pork and got rave reviews. Just like Montana's BBQ sauce.

[campagnes]

I hate to leave a negative review, but as written, I feel a two-star review is generous. The recipe is EXTREMELY sweet, and believe me, I love a good, sticky, sweet barbecue sauce - this is really more of a chutney than a barbecue sauce. It didn't taste BAD (although it is quite onion-heavy), but it isn't reminiscent of barbecue sauce at all, so I found the title misleading. The yield is also off - you won't get more than 1 1/2 cups of sauce/chutney from the recipe as written. I loved that the apple flavor really came through, though, and will likely use this again, but with the variations I used today in order to turn it into a truer barbecue sauce: omit the brown sugar (the apple butter is plenty sweet), add 4 ounces tomato paste, 6 ounces water, additional salt to taste, and at least another 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar. You could probably also omit the ketchup to further reduce the sweetness, since the apple butter already carries many of the same spices.