Blueberry Balsamic BBQ Sauce is an aromatic, simple-to-make condiment made from fresh blueberries, sweet and sour balsamic, and robust aromatics. You can produce a gourmet sauce with basic ingredients from your pantry and fridge in only 30 minutes.
What Is Blueberry Balsamic BBQ Sauce?
Blueberry balsamic BBQ sauce is a sauce that you can use as a condiment, marinade, or topping for grilled, roasted, or baked proteins such as pork, beef, chicken, or seafood. The flavors of this BBQ sauce include sharp tanginess from balsamic vinegar, sweet acidity from ripe blueberries, and umami from tomato paste, onions, and garlic. The result is a bold flavoring that will add interest to your favorite entrees.
What Do I Need To Make This Blueberry Balsamic BBQ Sauce?
Blueberry balsamic BBQ sauce is made with fresh blueberries, red onion (purple onion), garlic, olive oil, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, good-quality balsamic vinegar, tomato paste, brown sugar, red pepper (chili) flakes, kosher salt, black pepper, and fresh thyme leaves.
What’s The Difference Between Balsamic and Regular Vinegar?
Unlike white distilled vinegar, made from grain alcohol, balsamic vinegar is made with grape must fermented in barrels of different wood species. This aging process ranges from 4 to 50 years. The longer the vinegar ages, the richer the flavor and the thicker the consistency. A longer-aged balsamic is also more expensive.
You can replace the balsamic in this BBQ sauce with red wine or cider vinegar, but the flavor will be more acidic. Offset the acidity by adding more brown sugar to the recipe or including molasses.
Can I Replace The Blueberries In This Recipe?
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a 3-quart saucepan. Once the oil in the pot begins to shimmer, add the onion and garlic. Sauté the aromatics for 2 minutes or until they become glossy and take on some color.
Next, decrease the temperature to medium and add some of the blueberries to the pot. Sauté the blueberries for 4 minutes, using the back of a spoon to squash them in the pot. Allow the heat to extract the juices from the blueberries.
You can replace the blueberries in this recipe with your favorite berry. Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, or boysenberries are great alternatives to blueberries.
After 4 minutes, add the balsamic vinegar, tomato paste, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon, chili flakes, salt, pepper, and thyme leaves to the pot. Bring the contents of the pot up to a boil and allow the mixture to boil for 1 1/2 minutes.
Reduce the heat to low and allow the sauce to simmer for 10 minutes. Continue to use the back of the spoon to mash the blueberries in the pot as the sauce simmers.
How Do I Make A Thicker Blueberry Balsamic BBQ Sauce?
Add the remaining blueberries to a bowl and strain the thickened BBQ sauce through a fine-mesh sieve over the whole blueberries. After that, allow the BBQ sauce to cool completely. Transfer the sauce to a storage container and store it in the fridge until ready to use.
To thicken the BBQ sauce, you can puree the mixture instead of straining it. This blends the skins and pulp of the blueberries to create a more viscous BBQ sauce without changing the flavor.
How Long Can I Store Homemade BBQ Sauce?
You can store blueberry balsamic BBQ sauce in a covered container in the fridge for 2 months. But be sure to scoop out what you plan to use with a clean utensil to keep germs from infiltrating the sauce.
Can I Freeze It?
To freeze blueberry balsamic BBQ sauce, transfer it to a freezer-safe container and freeze it for up to one year. Thaw the frozen BBQ sauce in the refrigerator, then stir it before using.
What Recipes Can I Use This Blueberry Balsamic BBQ Sauce On?
You can use this blueberry balsamic BBQ sauce to glaze a variety of proteins, like these for example:
Likewise, you can use this as a sauce for chicken wings, hamburgers, or roast pork. There is no limit to how you can incorporate this Blueberry Balsamic BBQ Sauce into your dishes. It will surely add an exciting element of sweet and savory acidity and floral notes to any dish it tops. Be sure to share this recipe with your friends and family, and don’t forget to pin it to your sauces board for easy finding later. Grilling season isn’t complete without this easy, unique BBQ sauce.
Blueberry Balsamic BBQ Sauce
at Sense & EdibilityEquipment
- fine mesh sieve
- immersion blender (for a thicker sauce)
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 small red onion minced (1/4 cup or 30 grams)
- 3 large cloves garlic peeled and minced (1 tablespoon or 15 grams)
- 18 ounces (3 cups or 510 grams) blueberries separated (if using frozen berries, thaw, reserve the liquid)
- 3/4 cups (180 milliliters) balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons (35 grams) tomato paste
- 1/4 cup, packed (55 grams) light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon (15 grams) Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon (6 grams) kosher salt or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon (1 gram) red pepper flakes optional
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves)
Instructions
Prepare the Blueberry Balsamic BBQ Sauce
- Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a 3-quart saucepan. Once the oil in the pot begins to shimmer, add the red onion and garlic. Sauté the aromatics for 2 minutes or until they become glossy and take on some color.
- Decrease the temperature to medium and add 2 cups (340 grams) blueberries to the pot. Sauté the blueberries for 4 minutes, using the back of a spoon to squash them in the pot. Allow the heat to extract the juices from the blueberries.
- After 4 minutes, add the balsamic vinegar, tomato paste, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, kosher salt, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and thyme leaves to the pot. Bring the contents of the pot up to a boil and allow the mixture to boil for 1 1/2 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low and allow the sauce to simmer for 10 minutes. Continue to use the back of the spoon to mash the blueberries in the pot as the sauce simmers.
Strain (Optional), Then Cool The Sauce
- Add the remaining cup (170 grams) of blueberries to a bowl and strain the thickened BBQ sauce through a fine-mesh sieve over the whole blueberries. You can also skip straining the sauce if you're okay with it having more texture.
- Allow the BBQ sauce to cool completely. Transfer the sauce to a storage container and store it in the fridge until ready to use.
Notes
Swaps and Substitutions:
- You can replace the balsamic vinegar in this BBQ sauce with red wine or cider vinegar, but the flavor will be more acidic. Offset the acidity by adding an additional 1-2 tablespoons (15-30 grams) brown sugar to the recipe or 1 tablespoon (15 grams) molasses.
- Replace the blueberries in this recipe with blackberries, boysenberries, raspberries, or chopped strawberries.
Tips and Techniques:
- If you prefer a thicker BBQ sauce, you can puree the mixture with an immersion blender instead of straining it.
Storage Instructions:
- You can store blueberry balsamic BBQ sauce in a covered container in the fridge for 2 months.
- Use a clean utensil to remove the BBQ sauce from its storage jar to keep germs from infiltrating the rest of the sauce.
Freezer Instructions:
- Transfer the cooled blueberry balsamic BBQ sauce to a freezer-safe container.
- Freeze it for up to one year.
- Thaw the frozen BBQ sauce in the refrigerator, then stir it before using.
This is one of the most delicious BBQ sauces I have ever made! Perfectly fruity, a bit of heat, herby and oh so perfect. I basted mine over some baby back ribs and it was so delicious!! I now keep a batch in my fridge always!
We keep some at the ready too, Kaluhi. It’s so versatile!
This blueberry balsamic BBQ sauce is SO easy! And tastes amazing with chicken. We’re going to try it on beef next week since it’s still grilling weather in Texas!
It’s almost always grilling weather in Texas, Jazz!