Peach Bourbon BBQ Sauce for Canning
This Peach BBQ Sauce is a delicious way to preserve your peaches. It has a sweetness from the peaches and a mellow note from the bourbon.

I love making my own BBQ Sauce! It is so easy and so much tastier than store bought!
As with jams and salsas, I love experimenting with new BBQ sauces! In the summer and fall, I have so many fresh ingredients to use up!
I don’t like the way peaches freeze. Having tried to freeze peaches on many occasions, with lots of different methods, I give up! They always brown. No matter what I do! Brown peaches are just not appetizing to me!
So to preserve peaches, which I have an abundance of, I make jam, different salsas, pie filling and lots of BBQ sauce! All of the fruits I grow are organic. No fertilizers, herbicides or fungicides, so I feel like I am doing my family a great service, making delicious foods with them!

I’ve made peach BBQ for many years but adding bourbon really adds to the flavor.
What you need
- peaches – use fresh, ripe peaches for the best flavor. Although, you can certainly use frozen peaches or even frozen peach purée.
- onion – use white or yellow onion
- bell pepper- for best results use red, orange or yellow. Green peppers will give the sauce a weird flavor.
- garlic – fresh is best but you can substitute granulated or garlic powdered if you don’t have fresh.
- brown sugar – light and dark brown sugar are both good.
- vinegar – apple cider vinegar is preferred.
- bourbon – any bourbon you have on hand will work.
- Worcestershire sauce
- cumin or adobo seasoning that contains cumin – store bought or homemade.
- dry mustard
- salt – just a bit to counteract the sweetness of the peaches.

Peach BBQ Sauce is something I have made many times. It was one of my first posts in 2014! We really love it! It really pairs nicely with chicken and pork!
How to make peach bourbon BBQ sauce
- Mix vinegar, bourbon, brown sugar, and spices in a large saucepan.
- Wash, peel and cut peaches into chunks. They don’t have to be uniform. (Blanch them for 1 minute if you have a variety that is hard to peel). Add to vinegar mixture as you go so that they don’t brown.
- Rough chop vegetables and garlic.
- Add to the pot with the peaches and vinegar.
- Bring pot to a boil then reduce heat to a high simmer. Simmer for at least 2 hours 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 existence.

How to can the sauce
If you would like to can this sauce, Wash jars and lids. Heat jars so that they are not cold. Get water bath canning pot heating. This can take up to one hour.
- Ladle hot BBQ sauce into hot jars.
- Remove any air bubbles with a chopstick or similar tool.
- Wipe rims with damp towel to clean any debris.
- Center lids on jars.
- Attach band and tighten fingertip tight.

Process jars in boiling water bath canning pot for 15 minutes for pints. After processing remove from heat. Allow jars to sit in the hot water for at least 5 minutes before removing them to a kitchen towel placed on the counter.
After 12 to 24 hours, check the jars to make sure that they are sealed. Press the lid in the center. If it flexes the jar has not sealed and should be refrigerated used up first.

How to use this sauce
This peach bourbon BBQ sauce is delicious on chicken and pork.
Want to learn how to grow your own peaches? If you love growing your own produce, these articles are packed full of information about how to get that big harvest by the end of the season! Don’t miss How to Start a Garden Series! The first part is Planning Your Garden!
Second is Preparing the Garden Site. The third is Choosing Plants and Planting Your Garden. The fourth is Garden Maintenance, and the last is Harvesting a Garden and Preserving the Harvest, this post has over 100 FREE recipes for preserving your harvest!

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I hope you enjoyed the recipe today!
Enjoy. And have fun cooking!


Peach Bourbon BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 cups peaches, peeled and chopped
- 2 cups chopped bell peppers, any color
- 2 cups chopped Onion
- 1/4 cup garlic, chopped
- 2 cups cider vinegar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup Wild Turkey Honey
- 2 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoons dry adobo seasoning
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- 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 bands and lids in simmering water. Do not boil. Let them sit in hot water until ready to use.
- Mix vinegar, bourbon, brown sugar, and spices in a large saucepan.2 cups cider vinegar, 1 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup Wild Turkey Honey, 2 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce, 1 tablespoons dry adobo seasoning, 2 teaspoons dry mustard, 1 teaspoon Salt
- Wash, peel and cut peaches into chunks. They don’t have to be uniform. (Blanch them for 1 minute if you have a variety that is hard to peel). Add to vinegar mixture as you go so that they don’t brown.12 cups peaches, peeled and chopped
- Rough chop vegetables and garlic.2 cups chopped bell peppers, any color, 2 cups chopped Onion, 1/4 cup garlic, chopped
- Add to the pot with the peaches and vinegar.
- Bring pot to a boil then reduce heat to a high simmer. Simmer for at least 2 hours 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
- 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 in a hot water bath canner, 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. (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.
Notes
Nutrition
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this can be waterbathed, correct?
Yes. There are instructions in the article and in the recipe card. Did you see them?
Made this today, very disappointed in the taste, tossed it out, a waste of 12 cups peaches, and other ingredients plus my time.
I’m surprised to hear that. This is one of our most popular BBQ sauce recipes!
I made but it’s a bit thick. What should I use to thin a bit. Flavor is good. I didn’t have Adobe but I used Chipotle instead.
Chipotle will work fine. To thin it, just add a bit of water or even peach, apple or white grape juice. Next time, don’t cook it down as much. It thickens as it processes in the canning pot.
I made this sauce last season and it really is amazing. I have since been in to Safe canning recipes, only. Is this sauce based on a tested ‘safe’ recipe? ( PLEASE say yes…)
I will most likely make it anyway, I just need to know .lol
Yes, it is Jackie. All of recipes are based on current safe practices. This recipe is based on a recipe that both Ball and Bernardin have on their sites.
Made this today with only 2 slight changes – added some crushed red pepper flakes and a pinch of ground ginger. Such great flavor! Can’t wait to use this for ribs and chicken. Thanks so much!
Those sound like good additions! I love ginger and a bit of heat! Thanks Sarah.
The picture of ingredients shows cumin but list says adobo seasoning. Which do I use?? I want to make this today
You can use either. If I don’t have cumin, I use adobo seasoning that contains cumin.
I too have a lot of peaches. all of mine are already canned in a light syrup. can I use them to make the BBQ sauce?
Leave out the brown sugar and then try it. The sauce may be sweeter than you might like, but it will work.
I just made this recipe to can. I was wondering if there was a way to cut the tang from the cider vinegar a bit?
Add more brown sugar or add molasses. That should do the trick.
Do you think once youre at the point where it just needs to be cooked down to desired thickness you could do this in a slow cooker with the lid off? Saw a ketchup that was done this way so seems like it would work in theory?
Sure. That would work. It would just take longer to cook down.
I just made this… I added a couple shakes of ground Chipotle and same with dried ginger.. and I just want to hoard it and drink it like a soup. My baby back ribs are grilling so I guess I better share with the family! Ha! Thank you so much for this recipe… I think I have enough peaches to do another half batch. The time to do this is worth it people!!!
Thanks Dawn. I’m so glad you like it. It’s one of our favorites. Especially on ribs or chicken.
This was a real winner with my family! We can’t wait to make it again. Thank you for the delicious recipe! 🙂
I’m so glad that you all liked it Kristen! It is one of our favorites too! Thanks for letting me know.
Love this twist on a traditional BBQ sauce!! We used it on veggie burgers for dinner last night and it added such amazing flavor to our meal!
Thanks for trying it out Anjali. I’m so glad you all liked it!
That sounds heavenly. I love the idea of adding peaches to a BBQ sauce.
It’s one of my family’s favorites. Thanks Jacqueline!
Enjoy the sweet and savory flavor of this peach bourbon bbq sauce all year long!
Thanks so much Sharon! I appreciate that you gave it a try!
Oh yum! This is the perfect way to use up those end of the summer peaches. 🙂
I agree. Thanks so much Carrie for checking out the recipe!
Hi, i have a lot of peaches & want to try this recipe. What size jars are best for this, jelly or pt & how much does this recipe make?? Thinking of giving this in baskets with other homemade goodies for Christmas. Thank you
Hi Karen, sorry for the delayed response. This recipe make 8 pints, or 256 Tbsp. If you are gifting, use half pints, unless you are feeling generous! Lol! I usually use pints for us. It is one of my favorite recipes. All of our friends request it when we have a BBQ in the summer! Let me know how you like it!
Can the recipe be doubled or tripled?
It can certainly be doubled. You will have to cook it down longer for it to get a nice thick consistency. You have to cook it low and slow so the bottom doesn’t scorch so if you tripled it would probably have to cook a lot longer. Maybe 8-10 hours. Don’t forget to stir occasionally. Thanks for checking out the recipe Erin. Let me know how you like it.
This is just what I was looking for. However, not being a drinker, is the wild turkey honey the bourbon? If it truly is honey, how much bourbon do you use? Thx
Oh, Hi Kathryn! Yes. Wild Turkey brand bourbon has a honey flavor, if you can find it. If not, any bourbon will work. That was is just a bit sweeter.
Do you think you could swap the peaches for cherries and make a cherry whiskey BBQ sauce ?
Actually, I think that would be phenominal! Blueberries would work also! I will try it next year when I get some cherries! I have a cherry BBQ sauce here. I did not add the whiskey, though! Just add some whiskey to that and cook it down to the desired thickness! Thank you Stacey! Let me know how you like it, if you try it first!
Love your peach bourbon bbq sauce Beth, I agree with you that it’d be so good on anything, on my arm too, why not LOL!
Haha! Thanks, Patty! I appreciate your comment, my friend!
I would want to put that sauce on everything. I bet it would be great on a burger.
True enough, it would be killer on burger! I’ll let you know, because now I want to try it! Thanks, Danni!
Wow – your Peach Bourbon BBQ Sauce is mouthwatering! Now I want to put it on everything – from veggies to naan! So yum!
Thanks, Shashi! I agree it would be pretty much good on anything! Even your arm!!
I pinned this to my canning board. Love the flavors and use of all those peaches.
Great, Ginny! I hope you enjoy it when you make it! Tag me in a pic!
There’s nothing I love more than homemade bbq sauce; especially when it has a twist! I love different variations too and I MUST make this peach bourbon bbq sauce because it looks and sounds fabulous!
Thank you, Annie! I love making (and eating) homemade BBQ sauce, as well!