Raspberry Barbecue Sauce

Makes 1 1/2 cups of sauce

Raspberries are the perfect fruit for a BBQ sauce. Subtly sweet, they mesh perfectly with brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, molasses, and red pepper flakes to produce a delightful sauce that works for any number of BBQ recipes.

Tips and Tricks

You can easily adapt this recipe by reducing or adding amounts of the below ingredients. Everyone likes their BBQ sauces differently, so feel free to play around and explore what works for you.

I call for an immersion blender in this recipe. If you don’t have one, you can use a regular blender. If you don’t have either, I’d suggest replacing the onion and garlic with onion powder and garlic powder, and just use a potato masher to make sure the mixture is smooth.

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil

  • 4 large cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 cup onion, chopped

  • 2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries

  • 4 tbsp brown sugar

  • 1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

  • 1 tbsp molasses

  • 1 tbsp light corn syrup

  • 1 tbsp lemon juice

  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes

  • 1 tsp kosher salt

  • 1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:

In a small sauce pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and let cook for a couple minutes.

Add the rest of the ingredients, starting with the brown sugar. Once everything is in the pan, stir around so everything is mixed together. The mixture will become more liquid as the raspberries break down. Let boil over medium heat for a couple of minutes before lowering the heat down to low. Let simmer for about 12 - 15 minutes, or until the mixture starts to thicken slightly, stirring occasionally.

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Take off the heat and let sit for a couple of minutes. Either keeping the mixture in your sauce pan, or moving it to a smaller tin, take an immersion blender and blend everything until it’s thick and everything is perfectly smooth.

Place in a bowl or another container. Refrigerate until ready to use.