Published: · Modified: by Trish Bozeman · This post may contain affiliate links · 30 Comments
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Smoky rhubarb bbq sauce recipe! Tangy, sweet, and savory bbq sauce made with fresh rhubarb and chipotle peppers.
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Happy Sunday friends! Know what today is? The PERFECT day to get your bbq on. The sun is shining, the temps are high, the beer is being guzzled. Le sigh....... life is good. It's also rhubarb season, and even you newbie readers should know how much that rules my world (because, blog name!). So, let's make some smoky rhubarb barbecue sauce mmmmmkay?
I've been really wanting to unlock the savory side of rhubarb this year. Every year I go for the sweet approach, using WAY too much refined sugar to mask the extreme tartness of the rhubarb. Here's the thing though..... I love that tartness. It's bitter without being sour, bright without being acidic, and breaks down in a sauce so beautifully, you'll wonder why you aren't using it in ERRRRRYTHING. This vegetable, cut down into little comma (or apostrophe) shaped tart bombs, should be your next foodie obsession.
More sauce recipes to try:
- Peanut butter chocolate sauce
- Grapefruit vinaigrette recipe
- Easy recipes with cranberry sauce
- Whole berry cranberry sauce recipe
Did you make this recipe? Leave us a review and star rating in the comments below! We read every single review and appreciate your feedback.
Recipe
Rhubarb bbq sauce recipe
Trish Bozeman
Smoky rhubarb bbq sauce recipe! Tangy, sweet, and savory bbq sauce made with fresh rhubarb and chipotle peppers.
4.50 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 30 minutes mins
Course Sauce
Cuisine American
Servings 3 cups
Calories 232 kcal
Ingredients
- 5 cups 1" pieces of rhubarb About 4 medium stalks
- 4 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons maple syrup
- ½ cup ketchup
- 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon vegan worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 2-3 medium chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, finely chopped About 1- 1½ heaping Tablespoons, depending on how smoky you prefer
- 1 Tablespoon finely minced garlic
- 1 Tablespoon finely minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Combine all of the ingredients except the salt in a large saucepan. Stir well to combine.
5 cups 1" pieces of rhubarb, 4 Tablespoons brown sugar, 3 Tablespoons maple syrup, ½ cup ketchup, 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 2 Tablespoons soy sauce, 1 Tablespoon vegan worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon dijon mustard, 2-3 medium chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, finely chopped, 1 Tablespoon finely minced garlic, 1 Tablespoon finely minced ginger
Heat the pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until bubbling.
Reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the rhubarb is broken down and very soft, stirring often, about 15 minutes.
Remove the sauce from the heat and puree the sauce with an immersion blender, or in a regular blender.
Stir the salt into the sauce. Taste and add more salt if desired. Let the sauce cool completely.
1 teaspoon salt
Once cooled, store the sauce in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator for up to a month, or freeze or can.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupCalories: 232kcalCarbohydrates: 56gProtein: 4gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 1918mgPotassium: 870mgFiber: 5gSugar: 41gVitamin A: 419IUVitamin C: 20mgCalcium: 234mgIron: 2mg
Keyword barbecue sauce, vegan, vegetarian
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Jan
Could you use frozen packaged rhubarb for this recipe instead of fresh?
Reply
Trish Bozeman
Absolutely!
Reply
Lamb
I just made this sauce, and I dig it:). I didn’t have chipotle in adobo, but rather, on hand I had dehydrated chipotles, which I soaked overnight (2), and chopped from there:). I also added a touch of fresh lemon juice, maybe half a lemon, to tone the heat a touch, not because it was too kicky for me, but I’m not the only human in the house;).
My only question - what should the consistency be? It seems a little jammy, but DELICIOUS, don’t get me wrong!:)
Thanks for this! (Also, I found a no-sugar version if you’re interested:))
Reply
Patricia Bozeman
Hey there! The consistency shouldn't really be jammy. It should be like normal bbq sauce, so should slowly pour from a spoon. Hmmm... did you use really large rhubarb stalks?
Reply
Elli
Do you use sweet cecily with your rhubarb? Really cuts the need for sugar down.
Reply
Patricia Bozeman
I've never heard of sweet cecily! Is it a sugar substitute? A plant?
Reply
Elli
It is a herb. The leaves or seeds added to sharp fruit like rhubarb or cooking apples takes away the hard edge of the sharpness. I can half my sugar if i use a tablespoon or two of it. It smells slightly aniseedy but i don't notice that so much (and i am not an aniseed fan).
Reply
Elli
So i made it with half the sugar and 1 tbsp less syrup and a generous helping of sweet cecily. I also used passata not ketchup (because it was open) and smoked paprika as i didn't have the chilli (hard to find in the uk) all worked well except i would use chilli paste next time. The allotment bbq crowd are hard to please and it went down a treat!
Reply
Sherry Brunette
Hi! I finally made a double batch of this yesterday because I've been dyin to make this sauce! We grilled up some chicken tonight seasoned with only the juice of 1 lemon and a little herb de providence. Brushed this beautiful sauce on at the tail end and enjoyed..this sauce is AMAZING!! Perfect amount of tang, smokey chipotle flavor without it being over kill and definitely not to sweet! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe. We think it will go great on baby back ribs! Glad I gave a point to my brother, cant wsit to hear what he thinks!
Reply
Patricia Bozeman
Oh, so glad you loved it! I need to to make myself a batch this year. Thanks for trying out the recipe!
Reply
Holly
Hi!
I grow and sell rhubarb on my farm and am making your sauce right now. I stuck my finger in and it tastes delish, even though I was missing a few things lol.
Question: do you think I could make more and can this? I know there's all those weird things about following special recipes or risk dying ? And I've seen recipes for canning..but just from reading the ingredient list I think that yours sounds better.Reply
Patricia Bozeman
Hi Holly! Honestly, I'm not totally sure about the canning. I'm assuming that if you seal the jars, you should be fine. But, I'm not 100% sure! Let me know if you find out the right answer!
Reply
Kendra N
I just made a double batch of this and I canned/jarred mine. I did a water bath, boiled jars for 15 minutes, remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove jars from water and leave undisturbed for 25 minutes. Refrigerate and use any jars that did not seal or reprocess/reseal jars/
Reply
Patricia Bozeman
Sounds awesome! So glad you liked it! I wish we had some jarred, so we could eat it all year. 🙂
Reply
Quilter
It is safe to water bath can this recipe because of the vinegar and tomato ketchup involved. I teach canning and am familiar with Ball canning safety standards.
Reply
Patricia Bozeman
Hi! I honestly have never tried canning this, so I'd hate to give you advice about food safety. If you're concerned maybe use the boiling method just to be safe.
Reply
Christine
Barbeque sauce freezes really well!
Reply
Patricia Bozeman
So good to know! Thank you!
Reply
Donna
I canned mine in a water bath for 10 minutes and it turned out great.
Reply
Patricia Bozeman
I'm so glad it worked!
Reply
Brad
Hi,
I don't think this is a vegan BBQ sauce due to the fact that anchovy is a key ingredient in Worcestershire sauce.Reply
Patricia Bozeman
You are right! I used vegan worcestershire sauce. Do you have that at your grocery store?
Reply
Danielle P
Excellent sauce! I didn't have enough ketchup so I used only 1/4 cup and added some extra chipotles. But, do they add a kick! I added maybe half a teaspoon of salt... It just needed a bit of salt to finish nicely.
Planning to grill chicken and baste them with the sauce tonight!
Reply
Patricia Bozeman
YUM! So glad it worked out for you! Yeah, you don't need much chipotle to get that kick. ?
Reply
Brenda
want to make a big batch in my instant pot. Do you think it would work?
Reply
Patricia Bozeman
Hi Brenda! I haven't used the instant pot, but I don't see why not! Let me know if you try it and it works! 🙂
Reply
Jenna@recipe-diaries.com
I'm so trying this! Got plenty of rhubarb to use up.
Reply
Patricia Bozeman
YES! Let me know what you think!
Reply
Heather - Butter & Burlap
A rhubarb bbq sauce?? I'm intrigued!
Reply
Patricia Bozeman
YES! Totally delicious stuff!
Reply
