Plum BBQ Sauce

September 25, 2009  •  Condiments, Fruit

Ever on the quest to use up those fabulous plums from my tree, I whipped up some plum barbecue sauce today. I do mean whipped up – just a few ingredients, let it simmer away, puree and jar. Couldn’t be easier, I promise!

Start by sauteing some onion in a little olive oil…

…and while those are getting a bit soft, take the pits out of your plums…

…then give them a rough chop.

Next, as Rachel Ray says, “Everyone into the pool!” In this case that would be plums, tomatoes, ketchup, molasses, brown sugar, balsamic and salt.

Let everything simmer for about an hour without the lid on and it will thicken and reduce and look something like this.

I use a stick blender to puree it right in the pot, but transfer to a traditional blender or food processor if you don’t have a stick blender.

Because of the acid (tomatoes and vinegar) this should keep for 4-6 months in the fridge, but you can freeze it if you want it to last longer. You could always also do traditional canning to preserve it – but you know me, that’s just too much work! Check back and see what I decide to make using this tangy little sauce.
 

Plum BBQ Sauce
Yields 3 cups

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced, about 1 1/2 cups
1 1/4 pounds plums, pitted and chopped
1 large tomato, peeled, seeded and diced, about 1 cup
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium high heat and add onion; cook until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, and simmer, uncovered, for about an hour. Puree using a stick blender and pour into a covered container to store in the refrigerator for up to 4 months. Variation: If you want a pure plum flavor, skip the tomato and ketchup, and add a little mustard and some ginger.

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Comments

13 Comments  •  Comments Feed

  1. gaga says:

    I've never thought of making bbq sauce with plums. How interesting and tasty looking too!

  2. nicole hirvonen says:

    ohhh, that’s very interesting!

  3. Hilary says:

    Delish. The balsamic vinegar was magic here! Overall it tasted like a gourmet Heinz 57 combined with an onion relish. I chose to leave mine chunky.

  4. Paulette says:

    Looks very inviting and easy to make. May I ask if you use it as condiment or do you cook with it?

    • Michele says:

      You can do lots of things with the sauce – drizzle over ice cream, add other ingredients to make a BBQ sauce, spoon over cheese for an appetizer, etc. Enjoy!

  5. Jennifer says:

    Can you do a water bath after to seal so that you don’t have to keep them in the fridge until used?

  6. Lexi says:

    How long would you suggest doing a water bath for this? Sounds delicious! I have a ton of wild plums to use and want to keep it all winter long! 🙂

  7. Janet says:

    How long in the water bath for pints

  8. Carrie says:

    The barbecue sauce turned out wonderful! I have this recipe saved on Pinterest!! Only thing was I didn’t put as much chili powder in it.

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