Roasted Peach Barbecue Sauce with Chipotle and Whiskey [Recipe]

Peaches have a natural sweetness that make a great base for a barbecue sauce. Making your own barbecue sauce (BBQ) with fresh fruit is a fine alternative to using store-bought sauce, which is often full of high fructose corn syrup.

About this Peach Barbecue Sauce Recipe (BBQ)

In this peach barbecue sauce recipe, the addition of chipotle lends a delicious smokiness and subtle spice to the sauce that pairs perfectly with the sweetness of the peaches. Apple cider vinegar adds a punchy flavor that cuts through the sweetness. Adding whiskey gives the barbecue sauce an incredible oaky taste that ties all the other flavors together.

By slowly roasting the peaches, you caramelize the sugars, developing dark and rich flavors. All of these ingredients combine to make a sweet, smoky, spicy, tangy and deeply flavorful sauce that will make your mouth water.

Making homemade barbecue sauce can take time, but when you try this roasted peach barbecue sauce it’ll be worth it. This peach barbecue sauce is excellent with grilled chicken, pork chops, ribs, shrimp, brisket or any other meat you would normally put barbecue sauce on.

This sauce will keep for about a week in the refrigerator, but it can also be frozen to preserve its life.

This sauce is much better if made the day before. Letting it sit overnight to allow all the flavors to blend together and develop will make it much tastier.

Ingredients

• 4 fresh peaches, pitted and diced into large pieces
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 ounces (115 grams) butter
• 1 large white onion, diced
• 6 cloves of garlic, whole
• 2 teaspoons salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• ½ teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 3 tablespoons whiskey
• 2 tablespoons canned chipotle in adobo sauce, minced
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 (60 ml) cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 (120 ml) cup water
• 8 sprigs fresh thyme, tied up with a little twine
• 1 bay leaf

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
2. Toss the peaches with the olive oil. Place the peaches on a sheet tray lined with foil and roast in the oven for 20 minutes.
3. Heat the butter over medium heat in a large pot. Add the onions, garlic and spices and sauté for 5 minutes.
4. Add the whiskey and cook for 2 minutes to allow the alcohol to burn off.
5. Stir in the tomato paste and chipotles in adobo, cook for 2 minutes to caramelize the tomato.
6. Remove the peaches from the oven and add to the pot. Be sure to get any residual peach juice off of the bottom of the sheet tray.
7. Add the mustard, Worcestershire, sugar, vinegar, water, thyme and bay leaf.
8. Bring the sauce to a boil then simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the thyme and bay leaf.
9. Remove the sauce from the heat and blend in batches in a blender or food processor.
10. Return the sauce to the pot and cook for another 15 minutes or until it reaches a thick, barbecue sauce consistency.
11. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning if necessary. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
12. Serve with your favorite barbecued meat!

JARED KENT has been cooking professionally for seven years. After attending Johnson & Wales University’s culinary arts program, he has worked in a fine dining restaurant run by world-renowned chef Marcus Samuelsson, worked as a culinary teaching assistant, managed an upscale food truck, cooked in a Southeast Asian restaurant and worked as a sous chef in a tapas restaurant.

image: Manfred Steger