Spring has sprung here on the farm and the rhubarb is popping up confirming that beautiful springtime has finally arrived. I love it when the gorgeous red stalked rhubarb comes in because that means all sorts of ways to use it such as in my rhubarb coffee cake, rhubarb jam, and this great recipe: Homemade Rhubarb BBQ Sauce. I love to serve it on chicken, beef, or in this case, I served it on baby back ribs for the photo. Here’s how to make it:
Start with 1 cup of chopped rhubarb about 3-4 stalks. Make sure not to use the leaves because they are poisonous. Place the chopped rhubarb into a non stick pot along with 1 small chopped onion, 1 clove of chopped garlic, and 1 Tbl. of butter.
Sauté the vegetables in the butter over medium heat until tender. Next, add in 1- 6 oz. can tomato paste, 3 Tbl. packed brown sugar, 2 tsp. chili powder, 1 tsp. liquid smoke (optional), 1 tsp. lemon zest, 1/2 tsp. sea salt, 1/8 tsp. chipotle pepper powder, 3 Tbl. apple cider vinegar, and 1/2 cup of water.
Bring it all to a boil stirring often until well combined. Once boiling, reduce the heat and cook on low heat for 15 minutes or until rhubarb is very soft.
Allow the sauce to cool enough to handle and process the sauce in a food processor or with an emulsion blender until smooth.
This recipe makes about 1 1/2 cups of sauce. The recipe can easily be doubled if more sauce is needed.
Sauce can be served with chicken, beef, rice, corn on the cob, or baby back ribs, as shown above. Enjoy and happy cooking!
Prep Time: 15 min.
Cooking Time: About 30 min. total
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: Makes about 1 1/2 cups of sauce
Ingredients:
1 cup chopped rhubarb (3-4 stalks)
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 Tbl. butter
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
3 Tbl. packed brown sugar
3 Tbl. apple cider vinegar
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. liquid smoke (optional)
1 tsp. lemon zest
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/8 tsp. chipotle chili powder
1/2 cup water