Say goodbye to store-bought ketchup and barbecue sauce. Whether you’re serving it alongside crispy fries, slathering it atop juicy burgers, brushing it onto grilled chicken or shrimp, or even using it as a zesty pizza sauce, this sweet, slightly spicy, thick, rich, and flavorful cherry condiment will enhance even the simplest of summer meals.
Everyone has their favorite condiment that they just can’t seem to live without. For some, it’s mayonnaise, for others it’s ketchup, and as I talked about earlier this week, when sharing this Creamy Ranch Corn & Cucumber Salad with Dill, for some it’s ranch dressing. For me, though, without a doubt, it’s definitely mustard. In my opinion, mustard is practically its very own food group and there’s pretty much nothing that can’t be improved with a dollop or smear of it. For sure, I have never shared that same love, or should I say addiction, to ketchup. To me, ketchup has always just been a big ol’ meh. That is until I made this homemade sauce with fresh sour cherries. I originally intended for this recipe to be a barbecue sauce, however, after sampling it in several different ways, I decided that it also needed to be labeled as a ketchup recipe. No matter which way I used this ketchup and barbecue sauce, either as a dip for fries, a topping for burgers, a sauce for barbecue pizza, or as a barbecue sauce to brush on grilled chicken, I just couldn’t get enough of it. I am straight-up proclaiming that this sauce could definitely be the ketchup and barbeque sauce that turns me into a ketchup fanatic. Sorry mustard, I promise you’re still my number one condiment bestie, but you may have a little bit of competition now.
Ingredients:
- 3 Cups Sour Cherries, Pitted (Approximately 1 pound)
- 1 Cup Ketchup
- 2/3 Cup Light Brown Sugar, Packed
- 1/3 Cup Molasses
- 1/3 Cup Jack Daniels Whiskey
- 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
Directions:
- Place all ingredients into a medium stainless steel or non-reactive metal saucepan over high heat. Cook, stirring often, until the mixture comes to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and cook for 20 minutes stirring often. Constantly stir the sauce for the last 5 minutes.
- Blend the sauce until smooth in a traditional blender, or use an immersion blender to blend the sauce inside the saucepan.
- Pour the sauce into a heat-safe glass jar, container, or bowl.
- Allow the sauce to cool completely before placing a lid on the glass jar, container, or bowl. Refrigerate.
Suggestions:
- I used sour cherries for this recipe, however, you could also use traditional cherries in this recipe. The sauce will be a bit sweeter if you choose to use traditional cherries.
- Want to use frozen cherries for this recipe? Go for it. It will take the cherry mixture a longer time to come to a boil and you may have to add on a few minutes of cooking time due to a higher cherry moisture content.
- Usually, when I use a blender to blend hot mixtures, I do it in small batches, to prevent steam build-up and possible explosions. I didn’t have to do this for this recipe because the amount of sauce didn’t overfill the blender.
- This ketchup and barbecue sauce tastes better as it sets. Give it a day or two to sit in the refrigerator before use. If you use it right away, it will still take lovely, however, it will have a grittier texture. This texture will go away as the sauce sits.
- You can use this sauce either as ketchup or barbecue sauce. Try using it on burgers, fries, grilled chicken, or even as a sauce for a grilled barbecue pizza.
- This recipe yields a decent amount of sauce, which will last for up to two weeks if refrigerated. If you don’t think you can use all of the sauce in that amount of time, I suggest freezing some in small containers for future use.
Improvements:
- Want more whiskey flavor? Stir additional Jack Daniels Whiskey into the ketchup and barbecue sauce after removing it from the heat.
- Add a finely diced jalapeño to the sauce.
- If you want to increase the onion or garlic flavor in this recipe, double the amount of onion powder or garlic powder.
- Use this sauce to make these 5 Ingredient Barbecue Deviled Eggs.
Ingredients:
- 3 Cups Sour Cherries, Pitted (Approximately 1 pound)
- 1 Cup Ketchup
- 2/3 Cup Light Brown Sugar, Packed
- 1/3 Cup Molasses
- 1/3 Cup Jack Daniels Whiskey
- 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
Directions:
- Place all ingredients into a medium stainless steel or non-reactive metal saucepan over high heat. Cook, stirring often, until the mixture comes to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and cook for 20 minutes stirring often. Constantly stir the sauce for the last 5 minutes.
- Blend the sauce until smooth in a traditional blender, or use an immersion blender to blend the sauce inside the saucepan.
- Pour the sauce into a heat-safe glass jar, container, or bowl.
- Allow the sauce to cool completely before placing a lid on the glass jar, container, or bowl. Refrigerate.
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Make sure to check out all of the other great Farmer’s Market Week recipes below. A huge thanks to Jolene’s Recipe Journal for hosting this event.
- Basil Pesto Hummus by The Spiffy Cookie
- Caramelized Onion Quiche by Art of Natural Living
- Citrus Rainbow Carrots by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
- Dolly Parton’s Coleslaw by Palatable Pastime
- Easy Tomato Tart by Our Good Life
- Fresh Mango Salsa by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Honey Butter Skillet Corn by Cheese Curd In Paradise
- Instant Pot Applesauce by Blogghetti
- Pearl Fruit Platter by Magical Ingredients
- Black Forest Icebox Cake by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Spinach and Feta Frittata by Our Crafty Mom
- Summer Cherry Ketchup & Barbecue Sauce by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
- Thai Basil Chicken by A Day in the Life on the Farm
