Fruit and spice always pair well in a barbeque sauce. For ribs, chicken breasts, turkey, and crispy wings, this strawberry jalapeno barbeque sauce is always a favorite. Tanginess from the vinegar, heat from the jalapenos, and sweet fruit are a perfect marriage. This sauce is easy to make and has little prep time. It can be enjoyed for up to two weeks if refrigerated in an airtight container or mason jar.
How to make barbeque sauce
Barbeque sauce is not only easy to make, but gives you the chance to customize the flavor to suit your own tastes. Preparation time is typically very short, and the cook time is generally less than 15-20 minutes. Whether tomato or vinegar based you have total control.
One of the keys is to taste is at every step and add more or less of some ingredients until you find your perfect balance of flavors. If it’s too vinegary, add more ketchup or sugar. If it’s too bland, add more spices. The biggest tip I can give you is to cook your barbeque sauce over low heat. Most BBG sauce has sugar which can burn if cooked over high heat.
What are the basic components of barbeque sauce
In it’s simplest form, most barbeque sauces contain vinegar, ketchup, mustard, sugar, and some heat. Barbeque sauce can be pretty regionalized. For example St Louis, Kansas City, Memphis, and the Carolinas all have their own “must have” flavors. Some of these are tomato based, vinegar based, add mustard, have no mustard, the variations are endless.
The recipe I am providing today is probably closer to a St Louis or Kansas city style. But all are equally delicious and you should feel free to research these variations. Wikipedia has an article here.
Is white vinegar or apple cider vinegar better for BBQ sauce?
My strawberry jalapeno barbeque sauce uses balsamic vinegar, but it could also be made with apple cider vinegar. Balsamic vinegar is a little more “fruity”, and I feel works best. If you don’t have balsamic on hand, feel free to make it with apple cider vinegar. I have never tried to make it with white vinegar, but that is because I don’t feel it would work.
Smoke em if you got em!
Smoked jalapenos are the bomb! I’m junkie when it comes to firing up my smoker, and I go out of my way to find a reason to use it. Since it’s already up and running, I try to maximize it’s use. I cannot stress enough how much smoking jalapenos enhance their flavor. In case you weren’t aware, dried chipotles shown on almost episode of Beat Bobby Flay start as smoked jalapenos!
Now I’m not suggesting you go through all this effort for a jalapeno or two. But if the coals are already going, and you want the best strawberry jalapeno barbeque sauce, give it a shot. Smoking your peppers over indirect heat until slightly charred will change your culinary life! Smoked jalapenos will add another element to your finished sauce.
Finishing thoughts
As previously mentioned, this barbeque sauce, when properly stored, lasts for up to two weeks. This gives you multiple opportunity to mix it into several upcoming meals. I have included a few recipes below that this pairs well with. As I find more I’ll be glad to share them in the future. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do. if you’ve made this, please feel free to leave a comment below!
