Diary of making Honey Rhubarb BBQ Sauce

During last summer’s CSAs and farm visits, I ended up with some rhubarb.  I knew I didn’t want to make cobbler or pie.  So, I decided to freeze it and save it for sauce at a later date.

I washed the rhubarb and cut it into 2 inches chunks.  I froze it in 3 quart bags.

Monday, I decided was the day to make sauce.  I had purchased some ham loaf from Fresh Fork CSA a few weeks back and I thought that honey rhubarb sauce would be good with ham loaf balls.

• 7:30AM get out crock pot, add 3 q.t bags of rhubarb, 2 qt. homemade tomato sauce, turn crock pot on low
• 7:50AM add one cup of chopped onion from the freezer
• 8AM leave for JCC
• 12:30PM stir
• 1PM stir
• 1:15PM add one cup honey from The Gyette Family.  It’s local, but definitely not my favorite kind.  Stirred in 1 cup of cider vinegar
• 3PM used the immersion blender to make the sauce smooth
• 3:05PM added spices 4 t garlic, 2 t mustard powder, 2 t Worcestershire sauce, 2 t salt, 2 t smoked paprika
• 3:10PM left lid off and cooked on high
• 4PM stirred in 2 T molasses
• 4:40PM added 2 cans of tomato paste
• 5PM added 1 t ancho chili pepper
• 6:15PM Stephen comes home from work and says it’s good
• 8:45PM I went to bed and left it on warm
• 7:40AM Tuesday morning, I added 1 t liquid smoke and 1 t mustard
• 8AM covered and turned up to low and left for the JCC again
• 12:00PM tasted it – yum.  turned off crock pot and ladled into jars
• 1PM cooled, topped jars and put in fridge

The entire ingredient list:

• 3 qt. chopped rhubarb
• 2 qt. home made tomato sauce (it was kind of thin)
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup honey
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 4 t garlic
• 3 t mustard powder
• 2 t Worcestershire sauce
• 2 t salt
• 2 t smoked paprika
• 2 T molasses
• 2 cans of tomato paste
• 1 t ancho chili pepper
• 1 t liquid smoke

If I were to make the sauce again, I’d add everything except the liquid smoke at the beginning and I’d only use 1/2 cup of vinegar to start.

The recipe made about 2 1/2 quarts.  It can not be canned per se since I just made this recipe up on the fly and have no idea what the pH values would be.  I’ll probably share some with a friend, freeze some, and use some with the ham loaf.