Rhubarb is one of my favorite seasonal items to experiment with. Most commonly rhubarb is used in sweet recipes, but without too much poking around you will see that sweet recipes are not my thing. I prefer to use it in more savory applications, like this homemade rhubarb barbecue sauce recipe.
Rhubarb is out of season here, but I was able to get some while it was in season, and luckily it freezes very well. If you can’t find fresh rhubarb any more this season, look for it frozen, it will be just as good.
As far as barbecue goes, this sauce is on the sweet side for me. However, the sweetness balances the tart and tangy rhubarb so the flavor is balanced. I added sriracha to tame the sweetness with just a touch of heat. I also tried this recipe with louisiana-style hot sauce and the sriracha is the better choice.
After experimenting with different vinegars as well, balsamic is really the way to go. I tried apple cider vinegar and white balsamic and always added some of the red balsamic because the flavor is just better!
Ways to use this Homemade Rhubarb Barbecue Sauce recipe:
- I am not a meat-eater, but I image it would be delicious on grilled and smoked meats.
- Vegan Option: Try it on these Classic BBQ Jackfruit Sandwiches.
- BBQ Grilled Shrimp is going to be the next way that I use this sweet and tangy sauce.
- BBQ Meatballs are a classic thinking-outisde-the-box idea for BBQ sauce. Here is my vegetarian meatball recipe if you would like 🙂
- BBQ tacos anyone? You could try shrimp tacos, jackfruit tacos, tofu or tempeh tacos, or any other protein you enjoy.
- Spread it on top of a meatloaf or my lentil loaf recipe.
Homemade Rhubarb Barbecue Sauce
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 2 cups sauce
- Category: Condiment
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- ½ cup diced onion
- Splash olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups diced rhubarb
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup each: ketchup and brown sugar
- 2 TBS balsamic vinegar
- 1 TBS sriracha
- 1 TBS Dijon mustard
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Saute onion in olive oil until it starts to turn translucent. Stir in garlic and rhubarb and cook covered until the rhubarb is soft, about 5 minutes.
- Mix in water, ketchup, brown sugar, balsamic and sriracha. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Mix in Dijon and salt. Taste test adding more sriracha if necessary. Blend until smooth with an immersion blender.
I made this recipe and was able to can it!
Add 1 tsp canning salt for quart jars and 1/2 teaspoon for pint jars.
Process in a canning bath for 20 minutes and leave 1/2 inch headspace.
Iowa State Blue Ribbon Winner
Thanks for providing the canning information, Jacqueline. Congrats on the ribbon!
Wow,i made this and took it on a car club run where we had a bbq at the end of the day and there wasnt a one person that tryed it that didnt enjoy it.Awesome ,i will try freezing it.
Thank you Darryl! It makes me happy to hear 🙂
How long will it keep in the fridge?
Hi Amanda! It should keep for about 2 weeks, give or take.
Looks good! Can you can this in a water bath?
Thank you for your question, Erin. I have not tried canning the sauce, nor am I a master food preserver, so I cannot say for certain if it is safe. I know the recipe does freeze well.