Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Cherry chipotle BBQ sauce is sweet and spicy perfection! You’ll want to slather this fruity barbecue sauce on chicken, pork, burgers, or bratwurst.
How long it takes: 45 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: small saucepan
Servings: makes 2 ½ cups
Amazing Barbecue Sauce
Luscious black cherries combined with smoky chipotle chiles in adobo sauce make an unforgettable barbecue sauce that you’ll want to slather on everything! I pretty much guarantee that everyone will be licking their fingers, trying to get that last bit of deliciousness.
A couple of weeks ago, I spent hours slow cooking pork roast for pulled pork sandwiches. While the pork was fall apart delicious, my guests raved almost exclusively about the BBQ sauce I served. Yup, you guessed it! Cherry chipotle barbecue sauce! Everyone wanted it know where I had found such fantastic barbecue sauce.
So here it is! I figured you all would love it, too. Don’t let the summer slip by without giving this BBQ sauce a try. Try it on grilled meats or pulled pork or eat it by spoonfuls right out of the jar. Sweet Baby Ray, move on over.
(If you’re not a fan of fruity BBQ sauces, try my original homemade BBQ sauce!)
“Made this last year … and my family loved it. Planning on making more and canning it for the year to come. Thank you for this recipe.”
cherry chipotle BBQ sauce
One of the key ingredients in this BBQ sauce recipe is canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce. If you’re not familiar with this product, go right out to the grocery store and buy some. You can usually locate it alongside canned green chiles and salsas. You’ll love the complex, smoky flavor canned chipotle peppers add to homemade salsa, dips, tacos, refried beans, dressings, and more. (You’ll want to try chipotle salsa and chipotle chicken tacos, too!)
Chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
When jalapeño peppers are dried and smoked, they get a new name, chipotles. Adobo is a tangy red sauce. When the two are combined, you get a spicy hot, tangy, sweet, smoky flavored ingredient!. You can use just the chipotle peppers or just the sauce, or use them together.
If you don’t use the whole can, freeze the remainder for up to three months or more. I just put one chipotle with a little sauce into individual snack bags, and freeze them. They thaw out quickly.
Black cherries (fresh or frozen) add a fruity counterpoint to the spicy chiles. Combined with ketchup, molasses, dark brown sugar, cider vinegar, and a medley of spices, there’s quite a party going on! After the sauce has simmered a half hour or so, all the ingredients of the sauce will be married together for total bliss.
Recipe Variations
- Adjust the spice level. If you have a tender mouth, you may want to start with half a chipotle. This sauce does pack some heat. I usually scrape out the seeds before adding the pepper because the seeds contain a lot of the spiciness.
- Make it sweeter. If you like your BBQ sauce sweeter, increase the amount of brown sugar to ½ cup.
- Try different fruits. If blueberries are in season, you can substitute a cup (or two!) of fresh blueberries for the black cherries. Frozen blueberries work too. For another variation, try citrus chipotle BBQ sauce. Substitute orange marmalade for the cherries, and orange juice for the cider vinegar.
Refrigerate: Store barbecue sauce in a tightly covered container or jar, and refrigerate for up to a week.
Freeze: Cool the chipotle BBQ sauce to room temperature. Freeze in cubes or in freezer bags with the air pressed out. It will keep for up to 3 months or more in the freezer. Thaw in the refrigerator. Stir well before serving.
More Sauce Recipes
Cherry Chipotle BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 chipotle pepper (from 7 ounce can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce)
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from canned chipotle peppers)
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1 cup pitted sweet black cherries (fresh or frozen)
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar (light brown sugar is okay, too)
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons ground mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Remove one chipotle pepper from the canned peppers in adobe sauce (see note). Mince it finely, removing the seeds first if you prefer a less spicy sauce. You'll also need 1 tablespoon of the adobo sauce.
- Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan, mixing well.1 chipotle pepper, 1 tablespoon adobo sauce, 1 cup ketchup, 1 cup pitted sweet black cherries, ⅓ cup dark brown sugar, ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons molasses, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 2 teaspoons ground mustard powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Bring the sauce to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to medium-low; simmer the sauce for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring frequently, until cherries have broken down and sauce is desired consistency. Be careful of hot splatters; I usually partially cover the pan. If cherries remain whole, press them against the sides of the pan with a spoon to break them down.
- The sauce can be served immediately, or cooled to room temperature, and then refrigerated to serve later.
Notes
- Adjust the spice level: For less heat, remove the seeds from chipotle, or use half of the chipotle instead of the whole thing. The peppers vary a lot in size so use your best judgment. If you like a spicy BBQ sauce, feel free to add extra peppers. Once the sauce is cooked, if you taste it and decide you’d like it more spicy, add the desired amount of cayenne pepper.
- Try a different fruit: Blueberries, either fresh or frozen, are a great choice. You could also substitute tart red cherries; in that case, I would increase the amount of brown sugar to ½ cup. Another option to try: substitute orange marmalade for the cherries, and orange juice for the cider vinegar. One of these days, I’m going to try chopped rhubarb!
- Storage/freezing: Refrigerate cooled barbecue sauce in a tightly covered container or jar for up to a week. To freeze, cool the chipotle BBQ sauce to room temperature. Freeze in cubes or in freezer bags with the air pressed out. It will keep for up to 3 months or more in the freezer. Thaw in the refrigerator. Stir well before serving.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
Made this last year from Oregon Cherries and my family loved it. Planning on making more and canning it for the year to come. Thank you for this recipe.
So glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Delicious!!
So much flavor in this one!
sounds fantastic
Thanks Denise! It has so much flavor!