Plum Barbecue Sauce
Ingredients
- 5 pound plums, washed, pitted, cut into quarters
- 4 cup medium-dry red wine
- 2-1/2 cups chopped onions
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Grated peel of 1 lemon
- 2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
- 1-1/2 cups molasses
- 1-1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 Tbsp prepared mustard
- 1/2 cup cider vinegar
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp ground red pepper
- 1 tsp ground ginger
Instructions
In large kettle, combine plums, wine, onions, garlic, and lemon peel, juice and pulp. Cook over medium-high heat until mixture begins to thicken, stirring frequently. Cool slightly. Puree mixture in a food processor or blender or force through a food mill or fine sieve. Return pureed mixture to kettle, add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Simmer about 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until thickened, stirring frequently. Meanwhile, thoroughly wash and scald 8 half-pint jars. Keep hot until needed. Prepare lids as manufacturer directs. Remove sauce from heat. Ladle into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles by running a table knife inside the edge of jar. Wipe jar rims, seal with hot lids and screw bands. Process 20 minutes in a boiling water bath. Makes 6-8 half-pint jars. Recipe creator prefers Satsuma or Santa Rosa plums. Schaller Note: I think I got about 4 pints and 3 half-pint jars. I'll bet this would freeze well if one were not inclined to can it. It should also be noted that, while this was a prize-winning entry at the California State Fair, the judges at the Minnesota State Fair were singularly unimpressed!! Entered in 1989, it did not place in the top 5 of 7 entries. Bah humbug!! ADDED NOTE, 9/5/97: I made some this year, too. I used the plums from the tree in the backyard. No-Name variety, definitely not grocery store material, neither is it a wild plum. I did it all rather bassackwards, too. I pressure-cooked the plums with a bit of water for the purpose of extracting juice for jelly. Having drained the juice, I pitted the plums and put the pitless glop through My Trusty Foley Foodmill. I used 8 cups of plum puree for the recipe (and two 750ml bottles of gamay beaujolais vino) and more or less the measurements of the other ingredients. Let me say this about that: Follow the recipe above, cooking the pitted, raw plums in the wine. I believe the recipe above produces a superior product to what I was fiddling around with over the weekend. What I made this year is pretty good, the above recipe is really good, IMNSHO. Be forewarned: What you will end up with is *not* a traditional hickory flavored sauce.