Peach Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

May is National Barbecue Month and what a great time to celebrate! The weather is warm (or extremely hot if you are in Southern California right now), flowers are blooming and people are spending more time outside. Plus, Memorial Day is only a week away and a great excuse for having a cookout. And, what cookout is complete without a damn good barbecue sauce?

Four Roses Bourbon provided me with some of their delicious bourbon to create a barbecue sauce or marinade in celebration of May’s National Barbecue Month. Of course I chose to make a barbecue sauce. Why? Because you dip things in it, that’s why. Marinades are great and important in their own right but barbecue sauce can also serve as a marinade and then you get to use it as a super-soaker sauce afterwards that you can lick off your fingers. Yeah, I like it messy.

I decided to make my barbecue sauce with peaches, bourbon and vanilla to create a naturally sweet & fruity rich sauce. The bourbon adds depth and richness and I threw in a few red pepper flakes to bring a small amount of heat on the back end. This sauce looks a little different than other barbecue sauces because it is lighter in color from the peaches and I chose not to strain it through mesh to make it totally smooth. If you prefer a completely smooth sauce, you can push it through a mesh strainer with a rubber spatula. I just didn’t feel it was worth the effort.

This sauce was so good I slathered it all over my pork tenderloin. Like all. over. it. I probably ate more than the recommended serving size but hey, I’m pregnant. I gotta get those extra calories from somewhere don’t I?

This sauce gets better with age so I recommend making it a day or more before you use it.

*I was provided with 4 mini bottles of Four Roses Bourbon and a $20 Whole Foods gift card to help me create this recipe. I received no other compensation and all opinions are my own.

Peach Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

www.barbaracooks.com

Servings: 16 • Size: ¼ cup • Weight Watcher Points+: 1

Calories: 63 • Fat: 1g • Carbs: 9g • Fiber: 1g • Protein: 1g

Sugars: 7g • Sodium: 274mg • Cholesterol: 2mg

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 shallot, chopped (about 2 Tablespoons)
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups fresh or frozen rough-chopped peaches, peeled and pitted
• ¼ cup honey
• 1/2 cup Bourbon
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 ½ teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:

Melt the butter in a heavy bottom medium pot over medium heat. Add the shallot, onion, garlic, ginger and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Cover with a lid and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and puree mixture with an immersion blender or transfer to an upright blender in batches and blend until smooth. You may still have a few small bits like smooth applesauce. You can push it through a mesh strainer with a rubber spatula if you want it smoother. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Can also be frozen for up to 3 months.