Sweet and Smokey Apple BBQ Sauce

Dan    Appetizers & Co., Recipes     apples, bbq, grilling, marinade, quick and easy, sauce, summer

What you’ll need…

1 yellow onion (chopped)

4 cloves garlic (chopped)

2 fuji apples (cored, chopped)

1 cup white wine vinegar

1 cup ketchup

1/4 cup molasses

1 cup brown sugar

1 TSP cayenne pepper

1 TBSP lapsang souchong tea (crushed…also optional if this freaks you out!)

salt and pepper

olive oil

Over the past couple summers, I’ve become slightly addicted to creating my own BBQ sauces (see espresso or root beer versions) simply because they’re quick to make, and much more pat-on-the-back appropriate than anything that you can buy out of a bottle. This apple BBQ sauce is awesome as a marinade for anything you’re wanting to pop on the grill, except for apples…with apple BBQ sauce? That would be inappropriate, too much apple. Anyway if you’re unfamiliar with lapsang souchong tea, it is a strong black leaf that has a nice hickory-esque flavour to it. Throwing a tablespoon of this dried black tea into the mix will give it an awesome smokey taste. Trust me!

Alright, start things off by cooking down the onions and garlic in a large pan with some olive oil on medium-high heat. Once the onions have softened, about 5 minutes, toss in the apple chunks. Season with some salt and pepper and let cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Now, add in all remaining ingredients and stir until the brown sugar has dissolved.

Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce to low heat and let simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Place contents of pan in a blender and puree until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste. The cayenne should give the sauce enough of a kick, so I’d lay off on adding a pile of pepper.

This BBQ sauce should last up to three weeks in a covered container in your refrigerator. Slather on whatever you please, and enjoy!

Yields 3 cups of sauce

Total cook time…35 min

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