Peach BBQ Sauce – Gluten Free!
Peach BBQ Sauce is a sweet and savory sauce that is perfect for ribs and chicken, made with peach preserves blended with classic barbecue flavors!
I am all about finding the perfect BBQ sauce, because there’s nothing better than smothering BBQ Chicken Drumsticks with a classic sauce like my Sweet & Spicy Gluten Free BBQ Sauce or Honey BBQ Sauce!
Peach BBQ Sauce Recipe
Peach BBQ Sauce is sweet and savory, and the perfect addition to any BBQ ribs recipe! This sauce also goes great on chicken or other pork recipes like my BBQ Slow Cooker Pork Loin. Plus you can be sure this BBQ sauce is gluten free because it’s homemade, and you can make a big batch at once and freeze it for later! This has definitely become a family favorite in my house. We also make this by swapping out the preserves for different flavors, like raspberry, blueberry, or apricot.
What is BBQ sauce made of?
BBQ sauce usually starts with a base of ketchup, tomato paste, and spices. Then you can add some smokey flavor with Worcestershire sauce and liquid smoke (make sure both of these are labeled gluten free if you need it). I like to add some vinegar, rum, or tequila for flavor, too. And to balance it out, some brown sugar or honey. In this case, we used fruit preserves to sweeten the BBQ sauce.
Once you have a base you like, you can change the spices around to suite your favorite flavors!
How to Make peach BBQ Sauce From Scratch
Peach BBQ sauce is so easy to make from scratch that you’ll wonder why you never did it before!
- Start by caramelizing some onions in butter in a saucepan over medium heat. This is going to add some really nice flavors to your sauce. Deglaze the onions with rum or tequila (or your favorite hard liquor), then stir in your spices.
- Whisk in everything else and bring your sauce to a boil, then lower it to a simmer. Keep whisking periodically, so nothing burns to the bottom of the pan.
- Here’s where you have a choice. You can either discard the onions by fishing them out with a slotted spoon, or you can use a blender to puree them into the sauce. This is really a personal choice, do you want more or less onion flavor? I usually fish them out, because I don’t want to deal with the blender.
What can I add to peach BBQ sauce?
- If you don’t want to add hard liquor, you can add apple juice or apple cider!
- Try extracts for flavor, like a teaspoon of maple extract.
- Add brown sugar, molasses, or honey for sweetness.
- Add cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes for heat. If it gets too spicy, add more sugar to balance it out.
- Add a dash of soy sauce for a salty flavor.
Tips for Making Peach BBQ Sauce
- One of the most frustrating things about making sauces is when they burn to the bottom of the pan when you’re cooking. You can prevent this by using a good quality metal pan, which will distribute the heat more evenly. You also want to watch it really closely and keep stirring. If you’re getting a lot of bubbles, lower the heat!
- I like to use apple cider vinegar because of the flavor it brings to the dish. But you can use white vinegar if that’s what you have.
- Swap the peach preserves for any other flavor preserve that you think would be good. I like apricot or raspberry preserves, but it’s up to your personal preference.
- Add some cayenne, Tabasco sauce, red pepper flakes, or sriracha to add heat to your peach bbq sauce.
- You can also bring the heat up a significant notch by adding some chopped fresh habanero peppers with the onions in the beginning. I would definitely fish these out at the end, unless you want this to be more like hot sauce.
- You can use fresh peaches if you want to, just cook them down in a saucepan with a few tablespoons of water and a pinch of sugar until they make a sauce. Then replace the peach preserves in this recipe with them.
How do I thin out BBQ Sauce?
If your sauce turns out too thick, it was probably cooked for too long and some of the water that’s naturally in the ingredients cooked off. You can thin it out again by adding some extra vinegar.
How long will peach BBQ sauce last?
Homemade peach BBQ sauce will last in the refrigerator for about a week. Personally, I wouldn’t eat it past this time because unlike the store-bought brands, we are not processing it to certain temperatures for safety. You can also try canning your BBQ sauce to extend the shelf life.
How do you cut sweetness in peach BBQ sauce?
You can cut the sweetness in peach BBQ sauce by adding some more of the savory ingredients that are already in the sauce. In this case, I’d add some more vinegar. You can also add tomato paste, but it’ll thicken the sauce up a bit.
Side Dishes To Bring To A BBQ
Peach BBQ Sauce Recipe - Gluten Free!
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion, quartered
- 1 6oz can tomato paste
- 2 cups ketchup
- 3/4 cup dark rum , or tequila
- 3/4 cup peach preserves
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 tbsp gluten free Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp gluten free liquid smoke
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, optional
Instructions
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat and add onion. Soften for 5 minutes. Add rum and spices and cook an additional 5 minutes.
- Add all other ingredients and whisk together until combined. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn't burn.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove onions, or use an immersion blender to puree them into the sauce. Allow to cool and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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