Blueberry BBQ Sauce
Such a great way to preserve the flavors of summer! This Blueberry BBQ Sauce is great on chicken and pork! Sweet, tangy and smoky!
So, you know that I love to try preserve as much of the flavors of Summer that I possibly can! It is such a long, dark, cold, damp winter here in Upstate NY (I could totally come up with more adjectives for our winters here, but I’ll refrain!) 😂 Suffice it say, I am not a huge fan of our winters!
Ingredients you need
- roasted sweet peppers, any color, chopped
- red onions
- can of chipotles in adobo (freeze any unused portion of the can for later use.) (you can substitute chili powder but the chipotle adds the smokiness.)
- blueberries, fresh or frozen
- cloves garlic
- molasses – use blackstrap molasses
- apple cider vinegar
- Worcestershire sauce
- dry adobo seasoning
- kosher Salt
- black pepper
- honey – use local honey (you can substitute brown sugar or white sugar for the honey)
How to make it
- Roast peppers directly on gas flames of stove, in a high grill, or under the broiler until skins are very black. Remove to plastic bowl and cover with lid or plastic wrap until cool enough to handle. With a paper towel, slip off blackened skin.
- Place all of the ingredients in a large saucepan. Stir well, heat to boiling. Mash blueberries with a potato masher. Reduce heat to quick simmer on medium-low heat. Simmer for 30 minutes to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally until desired thickness is achieved.
For a smooth sauce use an immersion blender, stand up blender or a food processor to blend it into a smooth sauce. Cover the food processor or blender with a kitchen towel to avoid burns. Process in batches. If you would like chunks, it’s fine to leave the berries crushed too.
Sauce can be frozen in freezer containers or water bath canned.
How to can it in water bath
- Fill hot jars with hot sauce, leaving a half inch of head space.
- Wipe rims with a damp paper towel.
- Cover with hot lids and tighten bands fingertip tight. Add to canning pot.
- Process the jars of sauce for 20 minutes (adjust for altitude, see below).
- Allow them to sit in the canning pot for 5 additional minutes.
Remove jars and let them cool for 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.
How long will the sauce last?
If you freeze the sauce it will last about 8 months.
If you water bath can it, it will last at least 12 months.
Unopened jars will last in the refrigerator for about 3-4 months.
Use any opened jars within 2 months.
Pro tips for your success
- Use fresh or frozen, thawed blueberries for this recipe.
- Can be water bath canned to make it shelf stable.
- The yield will depend on how thick you want the sauce. A very thick bbq sauce will yield less than a thinner sauce.
- You can leave the sauce chunky or process with an immersion blender or blender.
Ways to use blueberry barbecue sauce
Use this sauce on grilled, fried or roasted meats for extra flavor.
- chicken wings
- chicken thighs or breasts
- chicken tenders
- pork chops
- pork tenderloin
- pork ribs
- pulled pork
Other BBQ sauce recipes
More blueberry recipes
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The sweetness of the berries and honey combined with the smokiness of the chipotle peppers are an irresistible combination. Try eating this blueberry BBQ sauce is the middle of winter. It will give you a taste of summer.
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I hope you enjoyed the recipe today.
Enjoy. And have fun cooking!
Blueberry BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup roasted sweet peppers, any color, chopped
- 1 cup red onions, heaping, finely chopped
- 2 Tablespoons chipotle juice plus 2 chipotle peppers from can of chipotle in adobo freeze any unused portion of the can for later use.
- 12 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
- 4 Tablespoons molasses
- 4 Tablespoons cider vinegar
- 4 Tablespoons worchestershire sauce
- 2 Tablespoons dry adobo seasoning
- 1 Tablespoons Salt
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Roast peppers directly on gas flames of stove, in a high grill, or under the broiler until skins are very black. Remove to plastic bowl and cover with lid or plastic wrap until cool enough to handle. With a paper towel, slip off blackened skin.1 cup roasted sweet peppers, any color, chopped
- Place all of the ingredients in a large pot. Stir well, heat to boiling.1 cup red onions, heaping, finely chopped, 2 Tablespoons chipotle juice plus 2 chipotle peppers from can of chipotle in adobo, 12 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen, 4 Tablespoons molasses, 4 Tablespoons cider vinegar, 4 Tablespoons worchestershire sauce, 2 Tablespoons dry adobo seasoning, 1 Tablespoons Salt, 1/4 cup honey, 2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
- Mash blueberries with a potato masher.
- Reduce heat to quick simmer on medium-low heat. Simmer for 30 minutes to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally until desired thickness is achieved.
- For a smooth sauce use an immersion blender or stand up blender or a food to blend it into a smooth sauce. Cover the food processor or blender with a kitchen towels to avoid burns. Process in batches. If you would like chunks, it's fine to leave the berries crushed too. Sauce can be frozen in freezer containers or water bath canned.
- Sauce can be stored for about a week in the fridge or frozen in freezer containers. It also can be water bath canned. See below.
To can sauce
- Fill hot jars with hot sauce, leaving a half inch of head space.
- Wipe rims with a damp paper towel.
- Cover with hot lids and tighten bands fingertip tight. Add to canning pot.
- Process the jars of sauce for 20 minutes (adjust for altitude, see below). Allow them to sit in the canning pot for 5 additional minutes.
- Remove jars and let them cool for 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.
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Nutrition
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Originally published September 4, 2018. Updated February 23,2022.
Can I substitute huckleberries in stead of blueberries? I want to water bath can this also but don’t have a ph meter. Do you recommend adding citric acid to assure acidity level is safe? How much? Thanks for the help and super anxious to try this out.
Hi Jim. You can substitute huckleberries. The recipe is at the bottom of the page. There is vinegar and Worcestershire sauce in the BBQ. These will be your acid to make it acidic enough to can.
Can I make this in 1/2 pints and can a half batch be made by dividing the recipe in two?
Yes to both questions. Half pints and half batches are fine to make.
I am going to can your bbq sauce. How many pints will this make?
It makes 128 tablespoons or 4 pints.
I just had a long discussion with a frind of mine about freezing as many summer flavors as possible. Great sauce that will fit so many meat recipes any time of the year!
I freeze everything that I can! It is so great to go to the freezer in February and make something that tastes like summer! Thank you Jacqui!
Oh, my! Blueberry BBQ sauce… yes, please! It looks so thick and perfectly sticky the way a good BBQ sauce should be… can’r wait to try this.
It really is thick and sticky! Great way to explain it! Thanks Catherine!