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Marinades, Sauces, Rubs & Salsas

Jake’s Three C’s Barbecue Sauce

This may be the strangest sauce you’ll ever find in a barbecue book. Cherries? Chocolate? Are we talking barbecue or dessert? Once you get beyond the initial shock, however, the sauce actually makes sense. The great wild game sauces of Europe play the tartness of vinegar or lemon against the sweetness of cherries and Port.


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Jake’s Three C’s Barbecue Sauce

Recipe Notes

  • Yield: 2 cups

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 2 cups pitted Bing cherries, fresh, canned (drained), or frozen
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon pure chili powder (not a blend)
  • 1-1/2 cups Port wine
  • 1/2 cup sherry vinegar
  • 1/2 cup honey, or more to taste
  • 4 teaspoons ketchup
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • 2 canned chipotle chilies, minced, or 2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
  • 1/2 easpoon coarse salt (kosher or sea), or more to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Recipe Steps

Step 1: Melt the butter in a nonreactive saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and cherries and cook until the onion is soft but not brown, 3 minutes.

Step 2: Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer the sauce, uncovered, until reduced to about 2 cups, 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Correct the seasoning, adding salt, lemon juice, or honey; the sauce should be a little sweet, a little sour, and very flavorful. Use right away or transfer to a large jar, cover, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate. The sauce will keep for several weeks.

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