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.

Plum BBQ Sauce
Yields 3 cups1 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 saltHeat 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.
Comments
13 Comments • Comments Feed
gaga says:
I've never thought of making bbq sauce with plums. How interesting and tasty looking too!
October 11, 2009 at 6:02 pm
nicole hirvonen says:
ohhh, that’s very interesting!
September 21, 2010 at 8:23 am
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.
July 7, 2013 at 3:17 pm
Paulette says:
Looks very inviting and easy to make. May I ask if you use it as condiment or do you cook with it?
September 13, 2017 at 2:25 pm
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!
September 17, 2017 at 9:40 am
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?
September 25, 2017 at 10:17 am
Michele says:
Yes!
September 25, 2017 at 10:20 am
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! 🙂
August 24, 2018 at 7:36 pm
Michele says:
Follow canning guidelines for BBQ sauce and/or applause to get an idea!
September 6, 2018 at 9:30 am
Janet says:
How long in the water bath for pints
August 29, 2018 at 2:09 pm
Michele says:
Janet, I didn’t do traditional canning but since it’s a fruit sauce I’d follow the canning guidelines for something like applesauce or a BBQ sauce.
September 6, 2018 at 9:30 am
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.
September 25, 2019 at 11:01 am