Karen’s All Natural Smokey Apricot-Tomato Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons safflower oil*, or neutral non GMO oil
• 1 ¼ cup sweet onions, peeled, chopped 1/4" dice
• ⅔ cup fresh apricots, pitted, chopped (or can use 1/2 cup dried)
• 5 cloves fresh garlic, peeled, chopped (2 T.)
• ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
• ⅓ cup coconut palm sugar, ot light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons dark molasses, organic if possible
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon dried Pasilla chile, soaked, seeded and chopped
• ¼ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
• ½ teaspoon italian seasoning, crumbled
• ¼ cup strong coffee
• 1 teaspoons liquid aminos (Bragg) or tamari sauce 
• ½ can tomato paste, 3 oz
• 14.5 ounces fire roasted chopped tomatoes, canned, organic 
• ½ teaspoon sea salt, or to taste

Instructions

1. In a heavy two quart non reactive pot, sauté onion until translucent in oil over low heat for 5 minutes. Add garlic, raise heat to medium. Cook 10 minutes until lightly colored. Add the next 13 ingredients (fresh apricots through fire roasted tomatoes) one by one and give a big stir.
2. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, uncovered - stirring from time to time (to prevent scorching on the bottom of the pot.)
3. Add water when needed, when becomes too thick 1/4 cup at a time, up to 3/4 cup for the right consistency. Taste and season with sea salt. Cool slightly - pulse in a food processor for a finer barbecue sauce (I do this.)
4. Add a tablespoon of good whisky if you like to the finished sauce.
5. Serve warm - it's nice that way, or refrigerate in a glass air- tight container. Will say fresh for up to one month - yes, you can freeze some - or "can" in ball jars for longer shelf stable storage.

When to apply sauce?

The best time to sauce a grilled (BBQ) chicken is when it's nearly cooked - after it's cooked, but wait until it is no more than a few minutes away from being done before you sauce it. You're not trying to cook the sauce, and it takes no more than a few minutes to get the sauce to bind to the skin and form a sort of glaze and gather up some quick smoky flavor.

Use as a "mopping" sauce to baste the meat while it was cooking (in the late stage) and as a dipping sauce when it is served.

 

See BLOG for more photos, instructions and how-tos.

* with concerns about gmo’s and processing of oils, use a vegetable oil which has not been chemically treated, this is called “expeller pressed”.

This recipe may not be reproduced without the consent of its author, Karen Sheer.