Apricot BBQ Sauce
This Apricot BBQ Sauce recipe is an easy, delicious way to preserve the flavors of the summer. It can be canned or frozen for longer storage.
This barbecue sauce is a versatile sauce that is great on chicken, pork chops, pork ribs and grilled fish. It’s easy to do and is a great project for winter canning. Just freeze apricot purée when fruit is in season.
Canning in the winter is a great way to free up freezer space but also a great way to heat up your house.
If you have an apricot tree, you know that you get an abundance of apricots ripe at the same time. See tips below for how to preserve them.
Ingredients you need
- apricot purée or fresh fruit
- molasses – use blackstrap molasses
- Worcestershire sauce
- apple cider vinegar
- onion
- garlic cloves
- brown sugar
- honey or maple syrup
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- dry mustard
- a teaspoon cayenne pepper or chili powder- optional but adds a hint of heat if you want a spicier sauce
How to make apricot BBQ sauce
To prepare fruit
- Halve apricots with a sharp paring knife. Remove pits.
- Rough chop them into pieces.
For sauce
- Chop onion and garlic.
- Add all ingredients. (if using fresh fruits so tips section below.)
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to medium heat or even low heat. (It will just take longer to cook down but you’ll have to stir it less.) Simmer about one hour until the mixture is a barbecue sauce consistency.
- Use an immersion blender to make sauce smooth. Or process in batches in stand up blender or food processor. (be careful of burns!)
How to preserve it
Store in an airtight container for about a month.
Canning jars work great for this. This apricot sauce can also be frozen in airtight containers or water bath canned. To can the sauce;
Wash jars and lids. Warm jars. I use the water bath canning pot, since that is on anyway. Let them sit in hot water until ready to use.
Heat lids in simmering water. Do not boil. Let them sit in hot water until ready to use.
- Fill hot jars leaving a half-inch of head space.
- Wipe rims with a damp paper towel to remove any residue.
- Cover with hot lids
- Add bands and tighten bands fingertip tight.
- Process the jars of sauce for 15 minutes (adjust for altitude, see recipe below). Allow them to sit in the canning pot for 5 additional minutes. Remove jars and let them cool.
After 12-24 hours, check lids to make sure they have sealed. (If they don’t pop when pressed in the middle of the lid, they are sealed). Any that don’t seal should be refrigerated and used first.
Pro tips for your success
- If using fresh fruit, add a few tablespoons of water to a small saucepan. Halve and pit apricots. Place in pan and simmer until soft. About 15 minutes. Once soft, mash with a potato masher. Use an immersion blender to make the fruit a smooth consistency. (This will save you from peeling them).
- You can also make apricot purée with fresh fruit. Just halve and pit the apricots. Place them in a food processor container and process until you have a uniform consistency.
- This recipe can be scaled up or down if you would like. If you scale up, it will take longer to thicken.
How to use this homemade sauce
- chicken wings
- chicken thighs
- classic bbq ribs
- pork chops
- grilled or broiled fish, especially salmon
- chicken tenders or chicken nuggets
- burgers, especially turkey burgers and venison burgers.
This apricot BBQ sauce is a versatile sauce that is great on with so many things. It’s perfect for glazes for grilling since the grill will add a bit of smoky flavor.
More apricot recipes
- apricot jam
- apricot pie
- Ischler– Austrian cookie filled with apricot preserves.
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Please ask any questions or share your comments in the comments section below. We’d love to hear from you.
I hope you enjoyed the recipe today.
Enjoy. And have fun cooking!
Apricot BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 cups apricots see notes below
- 2 cups chopped Onion
- 1/4 cup garlic, chopped
- 2 cups cider vinegar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup molasses
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or chili powder
Instructions
- Mix vinegar, honey, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, molasses and spices in a large saucepan.2 cups cider vinegar, ½ cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce, 2 teaspoons dry mustard, 1 teaspoon Salt, ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or chili powder, ½ cup molasses
- Wash and halve apricots. Add to vinegar mixture as you go so that they don’t brown.12 cups apricots
- Rough chop vegetables and garlic.2 cups chopped Onion, 1/4 cup garlic, chopped
- Add to the pot with the apricots and vinegar.
- Bring pot to a boil then reduce heat to a high simmer. Simmer for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally to thicken and develop flavors.
- Use an immersion blender to make the sauce smooth. (If you don’t have an immersion blender, place batches in a stand blender or food processor. Be careful not to burn yourself!) If it is not quite thick enough to your liking, reduce heat to low and cook it down to desired consistency.
To can sauce
- Wash jars and lids. Warm jars. I use the water bath canning pot, since that is on anyway. Let them sit in hot water until ready to use.
- Heat lids in simmering water. Do not boil. Let them sit in hot water until ready to use.
- Fill hot jars leaving a half inch of head space. Wipe rims with a damp paper towel. Cover with hot lids and tighten bands fingertip tight.
- Process the jars of sauce for 15 minutes (adjust for altitude, see below). Allow them to sit in the canning pot for 5 additional minutes. Remove jars and let them cool. Check lids to make sure they have sealed after 12-24 hours. (If they don’t pop when pressed in the middle of the lid, they are sealed). Any that don’t seal should be refrigerated and used first.
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In your picture of ingredients, it shows molasses. In your recipe, the molasses isn’t listed. Is there molasses in this recipe or not and if there is, how much?
If you don’t have molasses, you can use all brown sugar, or substitute honey. Molasses will make your sauce darker but gives it that nice smooth sweetness. The ingredients have been edited.
Hi! Tried this last night, thank you for publishing the recipe! I had the same issue with the molasses, so it’s listed in the ingredients but is missing when to put in the directions. I even did a word search on this page to make sure. Since I was already in the thick of making this, I assumed that the molasses go in when the brown sugar and honey did – I hope that’s correct? My batch made only four and a half pints after simmering for 2 hours and we are excited to try them!
We hope you like it! Thanks for letting us know. The recipe card has been corrected now!
I’m very excited to try your recipe, but also slightly nervous. Have you had the Ph of your sauce tested? I’ve read that if the Ph isn’t in the right range, processing won’t kill all the nasties.
Yes, I’ve tested the pH. The vinegar adds the required acidity for safe canning. Thanks Tanya.