The middle of the summer hits and I am on the lookout for cherries!! Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, they were plentiful and we used to sit on the porch with bowls of the fresh fruit! I am so excited this year as the price of cherries went down to $2.99/lb. How sad is that? I remember growing up when we picked them for FREE! Since the price was reasonable this year, we made our Cherry Bourbon BBQ Sauce and are excited to share it with you!!
Easy Cherry Bourbon BBQ Sauce Steps
Let’s start by pitting some cherries! A cherry pitter is only a couple bucks and well worth the money and makes the job much easier! You will need 3-4 cups of pitted cherries.
Add them to a pan on the stovetop along with your honey, brown sugar…….rest of ingredients! And bring to a boil. People often wonder why you need to boil sauces like this. Boiling will smooth out the sugars and will stop your sauce from being gritty. Trust me, I’m one to cut corners as much as I can but spending the extra time to bring it to a boil is a must. Sorry!!
Once the sauce is boiling, pour it into a blender and allow to cool. DO NOT PUT LID ON WHEN IT IS HOT! I wait about 15-30 minutes for it to cool and then blended it. A food processor will work as well.
You can use the sauce immediately or store it in the fridge for up to 1 week. Letting it refrigerate will thicken the sauce.
What about the bourbon?
We added just ¼ cup of KO Distillery Bar Knuckle bourbon as we boiled the sauce. It will burn off the alcohol and add an additional sweet taste that complements the cherries.
Alternatively, this sauce is just as good (don’t tell Jason) without the bourbon! Taste it before you add the bourbon and then see if you want to add it.
Easy Homemade Cherry Bourbon Barbecue Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup diced onions
- 2-3 tbs of olive oil
- 3-4 garlic cloves
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 c bourbon
- 3 cups of sweet cherries pitted
Instructions
- Heat oil in pan and saute onions and garlic until translucent.
- Add honey, brown sugar and ketchup and heat to a boil.
- Add bourbon slowly.
- Add cherries and cook for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and allow to fully cool. Sauce will thicken as it cools.
- Blend the sauce in a blender and mix well. Don't mix when hot as it will explode.
- Can store in refrigerator for 1 week or freeze.