It’s peach season. Why not preserve the fresh fruit flavour in a a sweet and tangy BBQ sauce with a splash of mellow bourbon?
This has been the summer that I’ve gotten my canning on. I decided to venture out, experiment with new recipes and ingredients, and learn something new. Happily, so far everything has been pretty successful! So if you’re a novice canner and preserver like me, don’t be intimidated. Sometimes the recipes are time consuming but it’s all worth it. Especially in mid-winter when you haven’t shopped or cooked but you can grab something amazing off your shelf, or when you need a last-minute gift.
That’s exactly what this Peach Bourbon BBQ Sauce will be. It has similar flavours to chutney, so while it’s meant to be spread onto grilled meats in the last minutes of cooking, so far I’ve been eating it spread on crackers. And I can’t wait to try it on a Baked Brie. Beautifully packaged, a jar of Peach Bourbon BBQ Sauce will make a great gift on it’s own or as part of a foodie basket.
One batch made four one-pint jars, plus an eight ounce jar, plus a little bit extra (for the aforementioned spreading on crackers). You should definitely get yourself out to the market and grab a basket of peaches while they’re still in season.
And I’ll give you a little personal tip… if peaches are not happening when you read this. I happened to leave my peach basket sitting around for too many days and several of them got eaten. Eaten! And so I didn’t have enough peaches to finish the recipe, and I had to substitute a good amount of frozen mango we happened to have in the freezer. So I think if you decided to use mangoes instead of peaches it would still be amazing. Mango Bourbon BBQ Sauce also has a nice ring to it.
I hope you try this one. Let me know how it works out for you!
xo
andrea
Ingredients:
10-12 medium sized peaches, blanched, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 large sweet onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup bourbon
1 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 tbsp chili powder
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 large sweet onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup bourbon
1 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 tbsp chili powder
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Method:
1. Clean your jars and lids. Keep jars hot in a 250° oven. Keep snap lids in a pot of boiled water.
2. Combine peaches and lemon juice in a very large bowl.
3. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened. Add garlic and cook one more minute. Stir in peaches, sugar, vinegar and bourbon. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
4. Using an immersion blender, puree the peach mixture until smooth. Add the Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, ginger and chill powder. Bring to a boil again, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for ten minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper.
5. Ladle the hot sauce into the jars, leaving 1/4 inch space to the top of the jar. Wipe the rims clean and seal tightly with lids.
6. In a very large or canning pot, bring water enough water to boil to cover the jars. Immerse the filled jars in the water. Cover the pot and continue boiling for 15 minutes. Carefully remove the jars. You should hear the snap lids *pop* to complete the seal. Store in a cool dark place up to one year. (If the lids do not pop, and there is give when you press down on the snap lid, store the jar in the fridge up to two weeks.)