Plum and Jalapeno Barbecue Sauce

Tangy and acidic, slightly sweet and a bit of heat ~ this barbecue sauce is bursting with flavor and makes pork or chicken mouth-watering good!

The creative process of a developing a recipe like a barbecue sauce is incredibly fun. I have been mulling over what the ingredients in this sauce would be for two days. This morning I had what I felt would be great components to the sauce and decided to do some trial runs in the kitchen.
Plums can be so delicious on their own and this stone fruit seemed like it might be the right component for a barbecue sauce. After all, they use cherries in barbecue sauce, right? To my utter delight I put this together and nailed it on the first shot!

• 3 cups plums - pit removed and medium dice (roughly 1 lb., about 6 plums)
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 brown sugar
• 1 jalapeno or hot cherry pepper - diced small (roughly 1 tbsp.)
• 3 tbsp. onion - diced small
• 2 tsp. olive oil (regular) or canola
• 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp. minced garlic
• 1/4 tsp. salt

1. Prepare the plums by chopping them with skins on and removing the pits (stone).
2. Dice up the onion, garlic and jalapeno or cherry pepper - all small dice.
3. Place a medium sauce pot over medium low heat. Add the olive oil, onion and garlic and jalapeno. Stir and cook for about 2 minutes.
4. To the sauce pot add in the cider vinegar, salt and plums, ketchup, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce. Give a good stir.
5. Cook on a simmer over low to low heat for about 25 minutes. Stir occasionally.
   
6. When that has cooked, transfer it to a blender. Use your setting for smoothies and puree for about 1 1/2 - 2 minutes until it is smooth.

Your sauce can be cooled down then stored in a mason jar in the refrigerator. This makes about 3/4 of a quart.

I am so over the moon excited and happy with the outcome of this sauce and can't wait to slather it on some chicken or pork this evening.

Ever since we have been married, and it's close to twenty-five years, my husband has been the grill person for barbecue chicken. He loves it and my confession is that I have never been a huge fan of barbecued chicken.I think that all the BBQ Pit Masters shows he watches have finally paid off because we have had barbecued chicken twice in a week and I have grown to really like it. What made the chicken so delicious (in addition to being perfectly grilled and caramelized), and the meat still moist and tender, was the sauce.

For my other fantastic barbecue sauce recipe here on the blog ~ Great Northern Barbecue Sauce, just follow the link.