Blueberry Apple Barbecue Sauce (with Canning Video)

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This rich, slow cooked barbecue sauce with blueberries, tart apple, and loads of flavor.

Blueberry Apple Barbecue Sauce - This rich, slow cooked barbecue sauce with blueberries, tart apple and loads of flavor.

I have made a lot of barbecue sauces over the years. Cranberry Barbecue Sauce, Blueberry Sriracha, Bourbon Barbecue sauce, and more.

This is the first barbecue sauce that I have shared that is a canning recipe. So you can make this once and enjoy it all year long.

Blueberry Apple Barbecue Sauce - This rich, slow cooked barbecue sauce with blueberries, tart apple and loads of flavor.

I wish I could take all of the credit for this barbecue sauce, but I am not the originator. As I shared the story in the video below, I first saw this recipe on The Kneady Homesteader‘s channel. She in turn had gotten it from Whippoorwill Holler.

Heather (The Kneady Homesteader) made this sauce in a pot on her stove and cooked it that way. Lori (Whippoorwill Holler) made it in the slow cooker while she was at work.

I chose the slow cooker method, altered the seasonings a bit, and cooked it down into a thicker sauce.

Blueberry Apple Barbecue Sauce - This rich, slow cooked barbecue sauce with blueberries, tart apple and loads of flavor.

I think this may be my favorite barbecue sauce of all time.

Thank you, Heather and Lori, for the inspiration!

To Make this Recipe You will Need:

  • Granny Smith apples
  • blueberries
  • apple cider vinegar
  • brown sugar
  • honey
  • granulated onion
  • granulated garlic
  • paprika
  • ground black pepper
  • cumin
  • red pepper flakes
  • smoked paprika
  • chipotle pepper
  • cinnamon stick
  • bay leaf
  • slow cooker
  • wooden spoon
  • hot water bath or steam canner
  • half pint canning jars
  • canning tools
  • white vinegar
  • small dish
  • damp cloth
  • kitchen towels or counter mat
Blueberry Apple Barbecue Sauce - This rich, slow cooked barbecue sauce with blueberries, tart apple and loads of flavor.

Watch me make this canning recipe in the video below:

This recipe is incredibly easy to make, as all of the ingredients are simply combined in a slow cooker.

barbecue sauce ingredients combined

Turn the slow cooker on low and prop the lid open with a wooden spoon laid across the top.

slow cooker with lid propped open by a wooden spoon

If you do not reduce the sauce as much, you will get more sauce, but it will be thinner. It would make a great glaze or marinade for chicken and other meats. All other directions would be the same. You would likely just need a few more jars to can it all.

Cook for 8-10 hours, or until the mixture has reduced by almost half and thickened. (See note) Stir occasionally.

Prepare your canning supplies.

Find and discard the cinnamon stick and bay leaf.

Using and immersion blender or regular blender to purée the sauce until it is smooth.

blending the barbecue sauce with an immersion blender

Ladle the sauce into prepared, hot half pint jars, leaving 1/2 inch of head space.

Remove air bubbles with a bubble wand and adjust the level of butter to maintain the headspace.

removing the bubbles with a wand

Wipe the rim of the jar with a damp cloth that is dipped in white vinegar to remove any residue.

Close the jar with a lid and ring and place it into your canner. Repeat with all of the barbecue sauce.

Process your jars for 35 minutes in a hot water bath or steam canner.

When canning in a hot water bath canner (or steam canner) always make note of the processing time. If the recipe only has one time shown, that is generally for 1-1,000 feet of elevation. Visit this article to learn how to make adjustments to the recipe for YOUR elevation: How to Adjust Canning Recipes for Elevation

After the jars are processed, transfer them to a line surface in a draft-free location.

Allow the jars to cool for 12-24 hours.

Remove the rings, test the seals, label, and store in your pantry.

Enjoy!

Blueberry Apple Barbecue Sauce - This rich, slow cooked barbecue sauce with blueberries, tart apple and loads of flavor.
Blueberry Apple Barbecue Sauce - This rich, slow cooked barbecue sauce with blueberries, tart apple and loads of flavor.

Blueberry Apple Barbecue Sauce

Constance Smith – Cosmopolitan Cornbread
This rich, slow cooked barbecue sauce with blueberries, tart apple, and loads of flavor. This recipe makes 6-7 half pint jars.
4.67 from 3 votes
Prep Time 10 hours
Cook Time 35 minutes
Course Sauces, Dressings and Toppings
Cuisine American
Servings 96
Calories 62 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 5 c Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced
  • 4 c blueberries, fresh or frozen
  • 7 c apple cider vinegar, natural kind, like Bragg's
  • 5 c brown sugar
  • 1/2 c honey
  • 2 Tb granulated onion
  • 2 Tb granulated garlic
  • 2 Tb ground black pepper
  • 2 Tb ground cumin
  • 2 Tb paprika
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon chipotle pepper, dried, ground
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 bay leaf

Instructions
 

  • To begin, combine all of the ingredients in a slow cooker.
  • Turn the slow cooker on low and prop the lid open with a wooden spoon laid across the top.
  • Cook for 8-10 hours, or until the mixture has reduced by almost half and thickened. (See note) Stir occasionally.
  • Prepare your canning supplies.
  • Find and discard the cinnamon stick and bay leaf.
  • Using and immersion blender or regular blender to purée the sauce until it is smooth.
  • Ladle the sauce into prepared, hot half pint jars, leaving 1/2 inch of head space.
  • Remove air bubbles with a bubble wand and adjust the level of butter to maintain the headspace.
  • Wipe the rim of the jar with a damp cloth that is dipped in white vinegar to remove any residue.
  • Close the jar with a lid and ring and place it into your canner. Repeat with all of the barbecue sauce.
  • Process your jars for 35 minutes. (Adjust for Elevation – see article linked above)
  • After the jars are processed, transfer them to a line surface in a draft-free location.
  • Allow the jars to cool for 12-24 hours.
  • Remove the rings, test the seals, label, and store in your pantry.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

If you do not reduce the sauce as much, you will get more sauce, but it will be thinner. It would make a great glaze or marinade for chicken and other meats. All other directions would be the same. You would likely just need a few more jars to can it all.
 
This recipe can also be done on the stove top in a pot, cooking low and slow instead of in a slow cooker.

Nutrition

Calories: 62kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 0.2gFat: 0.1gSaturated Fat: 0.01gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.02gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.02gSodium: 5mgPotassium: 49mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 27IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 14mgIron: 0.3mg

If nutritional values are provided for this recipe, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands of ingredients you use. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste or for serving. If nutritional values are very important to you, I suggest using your favorite nutritional calculating tool with the brands you use.

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1 thought on “Blueberry Apple Barbecue Sauce (with Canning Video)”

  1. You mentioned an ebook on steam canning in the video. Could you send me the link for it? I’m already signed up for your emails. I really want to learn how to steam can, it seems a little less intimidating ;)

    Reply
4.67 from 3 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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