The best peach or nectarine BBQ sauce recipe

I was recently gifted about 50 pounds of nectarines and wanted to come up with several items to make.  One of the items was a nectarine/peach BBQ sauce.  I've made it in the past with peaches, but truth be told, I wasn't crazy about it, so I knew some major changes were needed.

Nectarines and peaches are interchangeable in most recipes.  The main difference is that peaches have skins that are usually peeled and nectarine peels are usually not removed.

I also wanted to be able to can this, but if you do not know how to can, you can keep it in the fridge for a week or so, or even freeze it.  This version is so delicious, and would make a perfect sauce for chicken or pork and I am sure it will not last long in your home. 

The recipe I initially saw that gave me the idea, used canned baby food, but I already had nectarine puree made so I used that instead.  If you do not have nectarine puree, it's easy to make.  Just cook down nectarines in either a crockpot or on the stovetop.  Nectarines do not have to be peeled...peaches do.  You can see exactly how I put mine into a crockpot.  All I had to do was wash them.  I leave the pits in and just strain them out when the fruit is cooked down.  It will not be pretty, but it has many uses.  I personally left my puree a little chunky as you can see.  Then, for recipes where I wanted it smooth, I just blended it until it became smooth.  This works in recipes sort of like using mashed bananas does.  Only it's not as sweet.

Whole nectarines put in a crockpot

Nectarine puree -- still chunky

We already posted a recipe for nectarine cake/bread using this puree, but now on to the BBQ sauce recipe.

Nectarine (or peach) BBQ Sauce

Makes about 4 pints

 

·       2 tbsp vegetable oil

·       1 large onion, such diced

·       8 large garlic cloves, minced

·       4 cups nectarine or peaches puree

·       ¼ cup + 1 tbsp bottled lemon juice

·       1 ½ cups firmly packed brown sugar

·       ¼ cup dark Karo syrup (optional)

·       1 cup apple cider vinegar

·       ½ cup water

·       1 cup Worcestershire sauce

·       ¼ cup tomato paste

·       2 tbsp peeled and grated fresh ginger

·       3 tbsp chili powder

·       1 tsp smoked paprika

·       2 tsp onion powder

·       1 ½ tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)

·       Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste  

Prepare 4 one pint canning jars and lids, if canning this recipe. 

Add oil to a large nonreactive Dutch oven and heat over medium heat. When oil shimmers, add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until tender.  This will take about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.  

Stir in the nectarine or peach puree, lemon juice, brown sugar, Karo syrup, if using, vinegar and water. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.  Note: If your nectarines are not sweet, you can add some additional sugar.  I even added some Stevia in one batch to keep the calories down a little; however, one batch did not need any additional sweetener. 

 

Finished BBQ sauce

Working in batches, transfer the nectarine/peach mixture to a blender, food processor  or vitamix and puree until smooth. Pour back into the same saucepan.  Add the Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, ginger, chili powder, smoked paprika, onion powder and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring often, until hot, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.  This is what it looks like when its ready.  It's thick and I left an itty bitty amount of chunkiness in mine.  You can make yours completely smooth if you desire.

If canning, fill jars leaving ¼” headspace.  Remove air pockets from the jars, wipe rims, add fresh lids and place rings fingertip tight.  Process in a waterbath canner for 10 minutes at sea level and adjust for altitude.  I have been using a steam canner lately and love it.  They work exactly the same as a waterbath, so if you have a steam canner, feel free to use it. 

If you are not familiar with how to do waterbath canning, please see http://www.freshpreserving.com/canning-101-getting-started.html .  The instructions given here assume you already know how to can.  Not following exact instructions can cause you to become very ill or even kill you.

 

If you choose not to can this, put it in small containers in either the fridge or freezer to use as desired.

 

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did. 

 

Oh, do not throw out the pits once the fruit is removed.  It makes a great peach pit liqueur, peach vinegar or even peach extract.