Apple Cider Barbecue Sauce

Like we said, why just drink cider when you can cook with it too? Pop open a couple bottles of apple cider, and make a batch of this Apple Cider Barbecue Sauce; it’s awesome on chicken, but goes great with pork, too. Cue stomach grumbling… Now, it’s time to get cooking with your cider. We are full supporters of the “one sip for me, one for the recipe” method, and we highly suggest trying out a locally made cider. After all, an apple a day keeps the doctor away, right? Surely that applies to cider, too…
 
Apple Cider Barbecue Sauce Makes about 2 – 2 ½ cups  

Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns (we used a 4-peppercorn blend from the Silk Road Spice Merchant)
- 1 teaspoon dried chili flakes
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1-155ml can tomato paste
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 bottle hard cider (we used Big Rock’s Rock Creek Cider)
- 2 ½ cups apple cider vinegar
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled

Instructions:  
Assemble your Ingredients
Step 1: Assemble your ingredients.
Place the peppercorns, chili flakes, cinnamon, and salt in a medium-sized saucepan and whisk.
Step 2: Place the peppercorns, chili flakes, cinnamon, and salt in a medium-sized saucepan and whisk. 
Add the tomato paste and molasses
Step 3: Add the tomato paste and molasses. 
Whisk the mixture until it’s nice and smooth. Ohhhh yeah
Step 4: Whisk the mixture until it’s nice and smooth. Ohhhh yeah.
Now add the brown sugar and whisk until smooth.
Step 5: Now add the brown sugar and whisk until smooth. See a trend here? We don’t want clumps. 
Pour in the cider and the vinegar, while gently whisking to incorporate.
Step 6: Pour in the cider and the vinegar, while gently whisking to incorporate. 
Grate the garlic into the mixture and stir.
Step 7: Grate the garlic into the mixture and stir. No whisking required. 
Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat. Once it comes to a boil, reduce heat to low.
Step 8:  Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat. Once it comes to a boil, reduce heat to low. 
Cook for about 2 – 2 ½ hours, stirring often, until the sauce has reduced by almost half
Step 9: Cook for about  2 – 2 ½ hours, stirring often, until the sauce has reduced by almost half, or until the desired consistency is reached. This is where all that good flavour comes from. 
Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve.
Step 10: Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve. You can omit this step if you’d rather gnaw on peppercorns (hey, to each his own…). 

Pour the sauce into a jar and let it cool to room temperature before closing the lid and storing in the refrigerator for about a month.
Step 11: Pour the sauce into a jar and let it cool to room temperature before closing the lid and storing in the refrigerator for about a month. 
Home Made Apple Cider Barbecue Sauce on Chicken
Step 12: Use as desired (and we desire it on chicken).

 

Good on you for making your own barbecue sauce! When dealing with homemade goods, it can be tough to figure out an expiry date – after all, without preservatives and other additives, the shelf-life can be much shorter than the store-bought variety. If your sauce was made with vinegar, tomato, and other acidic ingredients, was cooked for a while on the stove, and has been stored in the fridge in an air-tight container, it’s good to go. In fact, it should be good for over a month.  
If you notice a change in colour or smell, or if there’s mold anywhere in the container, it’s time to chuck the sauce
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