My 9 year old has become a self proclaimed BBQ sauce expert. We don’t even have it around all that often but he would dip everything and anything in BBQ sauce if we did. So when he saw me making my own BBQ sauce to use for our dinner rather than his favorite pre-made, he was quite skeptical. But then I told him it was his job to help me get it right, and he jumped right on board with the plan. With his tasting spoon in hand, his comments went a little something like this: “Mom, it needs just a little more spice...Mom, I think you need to add some salt…Mom, just cook it a little more...Ok mom, it’s really good!”. His developing palate and interest in cooking couldn’t make me prouder.
You can substitute frozen cherries if you don’t have any fresh on hand. Adjust the amount of adobo sauce to your desired spice level, throwing in one of the chipotle peppers if you want a spicier sauce. Another tip: I always hate opening a new can of chipotles just to use the adobo sauce or a single pepper, so I freeze individual chipotles with some sauce in ice cube trays, transfer to a freezer safe bag, then keep for the next recipe I need it for.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small to medium sized onion, chopped
- 2 large cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 2 cups dark cherries, pitted
- 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chipotle adobo sauce*
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- n a medium to large sauce pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, about 5 minutes until softened. Add garlic and continue to cook another minute until fragrant. Add cherries and stir, cooking until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add tomato paste and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add in water, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, smoked paprika, and adobo sauce. Stir to combine, remove from heat, and blend until smooth using an immersion blender (or regular blender if you don’t have an immersion blender).
- Return mixture back to a low heat. Simmer, stirring often, until sauce is thick and flavors are well developed, about 20-30 minutes. Spice level can also be adjusted as needed. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
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