BBQ & Thai ~ Oh My!

Today's venture involved two new recipes for canning.

The first, a Zesty Peach BBQ Sauce.

Now, when I mentioned this to people over the last week I got a few different responses. From "ooh that sounds so good" to "ew, I've never heard of such a thing". I had to remind people that it is probably similar to a honey or other sweet and savory BBQ sauce.

So, my adventure began with this sweet and tangy sauce this morning. First, the ingredients:

6 cups finely chopped pitted peeled peaches (about 3 lb or 9 medium)  1 cup finely chopped seeded red bell pepper (about 1 large)  1 cup finely chopped onion (about 1 large)  3 Tbsp finely chopped garlic (about 14 cloves)  1-1/4 cups honey  3/4 cup cider vinegar  1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce  2 tsp hot pepper flakes  2 tsp dry mustard  2 tsp salt  8 (8 oz) half pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands

I think I may have been short on the peaches, as I bought 3 pounds of peaches. I think it may have been 3 pounds of the "meat" of the peach - not the weight at the store......

Peaches, Red Bell Pepper and my lovely Assistant Regan

A change I made is that this sauce didn't cook down into a sauce. Even when cooked longer than recommended it still looked like a chunky fruit salsa. So, I put it in my food processor when it was done and made it into an actual sauce.

Peaches, Red Bell Peppers, Onion & Garlic

Directions:
1.) PREPARE boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside. 2.) COMBINE all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens to the consistency of a thin commercial barbeque sauce, about 25 minutes. 3.) LADLE hot sauce into hot jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center hot lid on jar. Apply band and adjust until fit is fingertip tight. 4.) PROCESS in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.


I am not certain if it was because I didn't use enough peaches or because I processed the sauce, but unlike the recipe, I got a little less than 5 half pint jars from this recipe. I really think it is the lack of peaches, since this is a semi spicy sauce also. So if you make this, be sure to get about 5 or 6 pounds of peaches total! And I guess the texture of your sauce will depend on how you like it!

This sauce actually tastes really good! It has a tangy, sweet & spicy flavor. It definitely has a kick to it! I cannot wait to put this sauce on some meatballs!


I do think I will attempt this sauce again. I think it is definitely worthy for gift giving!!


The 2nd recipe (sorry no pictures!), was quite quick and easy! Definitely an easy starter recipe for new canners!

It is a Thai Hot & Sweet Dipping Sauce. I was excited to make this because I thought it was this sauce:

My husband loves this sauce. But this Thai sauce is more of a sweet vinegar sauce with pepper flakes and garlic.

It is a very good sauce, just more liquid-y than I expected!

Here is what you'll need:

1/2 cup finely chopped garlic (about 36 cloves)
 1 Tbsp salt
 6 cups cider vinegar
 6 cups sugar
 1/2 cup hot pepper flakes

Basically you get your vinegar to a boil, then add your sugar and simmer until it is dissolved. Then add your garlic and pepper flakes and salt. Done!

I actually halved this recipe, which was quite easy (because I didn't buy a large enough bottle of wine vinegar).

It is a pretty sauce with a kick to it and I think it will definitely be a hit. Especially since not only can I make this sauce, I can make some pretty awesome spring rolls to go along with them! :o)