Victorian Rhubarb BBQ Sauce Recipe | Tangy, Sweet & Smoky Homemade Sauce

brown sugar

🥗Healthier: coconut sugar

💰Cheaper: white sugar

Coconut sugar is lower on the glycemic index.

apple cider vinegar

🥗Healthier: white vinegar

💰Cheaper: red wine vinegar

Red wine vinegar is often more affordable.

Worcestershire sauce

🥗Healthier: soy sauce

💰Cheaper: homemade Worcestershire

Homemade can be cheaper and tailored to taste.

smoked paprika

🥗Healthier: regular paprika

💰Cheaper: sweet paprika

Sweet paprika can provide similar color without the cost.

Welcome to my kitchen. I'm Cla, and we're making Victorian barbecue sauce with rhubarb from my garden.

I have approximately 8 cups of rhubarb, but I'm using 3 and 1/2 cups because that's all I have.

Next, I'm using 3 and 1/2 cups of brown sugar, which seems like a lot but is necessary for a condiment.

For vinegar, I'm adding 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar and 1/4 cup of white vinegar.

I have two small onions instead of one large onion, as that's what I have on hand.

I'm adding 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon of ginger. I'm omitting allspice since I don't have it.

Now, I'm going to bring the mixture to a boil and cook it down until the ingredients soften.

After about 15 minutes, the sauce has thickened up nicely. I'm using an immersion blender to blend it until smooth.

I taste the sauce and find it fruity and tangy but missing a smoky flavor, so I'm adding 1/2 tablespoon of smoked paprika.

I'm going to heat it up again to incorporate the paprika.

Now, I'm preparing to can the sauce using water bath canning. I have a big pot and a trivet to prevent the jars from breaking.

I fill the pot with water, covering the jars by about an inch, and bring it to a rolling boil.

I fill the jars with the sauce, leaving about 2 and 1/2 cm of headspace.

I clean the rims of the jars with a cloth to ensure a good seal.

I use a magnet tool to handle the lids, which I've prepped in boiling water to keep them clean and hot.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens