Plum BBQ Sauce

close up of bbq sauce in a pot next to plums and open bottle of sauce

This Homemade Plum BBQ Sauce will become your new favourite condiment. Its deep rich flavour is tangy, and fruity with a spiced and smoky undercurrent. An incredibly versatile sauce which can be used as a dipping sauce, to accompany grilled meats or for basting and marinades. Soy free, gluten-free, vegan and no tomatoes.

Prep Time30

Cook Time2

Total Time2 30

Course: Condiment

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 48kcal

Author: Georgina Hartley

Ingredients

2 kg plums
2 celery sticks diced
400 g onions peeled and diced
6 garlic cloves peeled and crushed
1 bulb fennel remove core and dice
1 orange zest and juice
100 g maple syrup
2 teaspoons coffee powder
1½ teaspoons sea salt
½ teaspoon ground white pepper
1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika
1½ teaspoons red chilli flakes
1½ teaspoons mustard powder
1 tablespoon ground mixed spice see notes
1 teaspoons ground cumin
600 ml cider vinegar
550 g soft light brown sugar

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Quarter the plums and destone them.
Place the plums with the rest of the ingredients in a large stainless steel preserving pan. Stir together well.
Turn the heat on and bring to a boil. Turn to a gentle simmer for 1 hour.
Blend the sauce with either a stand blender or immersion blender.
Bring up to a gentle boil again and cook for 1 more hour until the sauce has thickened and reduced slightly.
Blend for a final time for an ultra smooth sauce.
Decant the sauce into sterilised bottles. You can choose at this point to process in a water bath canner. Store in a cool dark place for up to 1 year.

Notes

Makes 8 x 250g bottles.
If you can't get hold of ground mixed spice then use my Homemade British Mixed Spice recipe.
This recipe makes a double batch, you can half the recipe if you don’t have as many plums to use up. Although any extra jars I recommend giving away as gifts.
This recipe can be made with unripe green plums but you will need to add a little more sugar if you want to maintain the same sweetness. See the main body of the post for more details.

How to sterilise the jars

To sterilise the jars place the very clean jars you would like to use in an oven pre-heated to 160°C/ 140°C for 20 minutes. Sterilise the lids by dropping them into a saucepan of boiling water for 10 minutes with a splash of vinegar. I don’t sterilise my lids in the oven as they tend to ruin.

How to store

This Plum Barbecue Sauce can be stored in a cool dark place for up to 1 year, as long as the jars have been properly sterilised and sealed.

As soon as the sauce has been opened then store in the fridge for up to 1 month.

Water bath canning

Follow the instructions in the main body of the post for processing in a water bath for canning.

US customary measurements for the ingredients provided are based on a conversion calculator. This recipe was tested with metric measurements and I recommend using a digital scale to weigh ingredients for the most accurate results. READ MORE >>> Why you should always weigh vs measuring with cups

Nutrition information

Please note that the nutrition information provided below is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients you use. Please seek a professional nutritionist’s advice for further clarification.

Nutrition