Peach Barbecue Sauce + A Slow Cooker Dinner
I have purposefully had peaches coming out of my ears this summer :). Being our first one in the south where they just taste sooo good, I made sure we have had a weekly trip to our local orchard to fill our counters. (Also picked oodles in NC.)
So far we have made some peach preserves, fermented peaches in kombucha, froze a big bagful of peach slices, eaten plenty fresh, and then finally put cupfuls into barbecue sauce. I originally wrote a peach barbecue recipe years ago and put it in my spring and summer eBook - but isn’t super smoky. It leans more sweet. When I wrote this recipe above I wanted it to have a flavor profile that landed somewhere between smoky and sweet. I also wanted to pulse the sauce smoother to have a more even flavor. Both these changes I think were amazing! You could add cayenne for spice too, but Riley is sensitive to spicy foods so I omitted it below.
My favorite way to use this sauce is in the slow cooker with a chuck roast. I have also marinated a brisket in this sauce as well before slow cooking and it was phenomenal. I do recommend holding back about 1/3 of the sauce when using it for cooking. Because the juices from the meat will dilute the sauce, it’s nice to have extra when serving to spoon over each portion (I even like to heat the sauce up beforehand). You could also use this anyway you’d use a store bought sauce, even heating a pot of beans up with this sauce too.
I hope if you make this recipe you love it as well. Happy peach season!
Ps. I use nectarines in this cake recipe but peaches can be swapped in, in case you’re looking for dessert. Or look here for a healthy peach chia shake snack.
x Jessie
PEACH BARBEQUE SAUCE
Makes 4 cups.
3 cups of diced peaches (stones removed but skins are okay)
1 cup diced yellow onion
1 1/2 tablespoons garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 cup water
Add all above ingredients to a large, heavy bottomed pot on the stove.
Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cover to cook for 10 minutes.
Give the sauce a good stir, then place the lid back on cracked and let simmer another 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat an let cool for 15 minutes before using an immersion blender to pulse to desired sauce consistency.
Use right away in a recipe, as a marinade (outlined below) or once cooled on the counter place in the fridge and use within one week.
SLOW COOKER MEAL
If using this with a chuck roast, I recommend adding 2/3 of the sauce recipe above to a slow cooker with the chuck roast in the morning. (Salt additionally if needed depending on your taste preference.) Let cook for 8 to 10 hours on low. Shred the meat with two forks before serving with some of the cooking liquid. In a small saucepan, heat the remaining 1/3 portion of barbecue sauce and serve spooned over each portion as desired. Above we serve this meal over a corn tortillas with fresh corn, steamed green beans, and tomato slices.
If using this with a brisket, I recommend thawing the brisket a day before you need to cook. Trim excess fat from the brisket and place in a large plastic bag with 2/3 of the sauce above. Let marinate for 12-24 hours, flipping once to evenly cover with sauce. Place the brisket and all of the marinade in the bag into a slow cooker the morning of the day you wish to serve the meal. (Salt additionally if needed depending on your taste preference.) Let slow cook for 8-10 hours on low. Shred the meat with two forks or remove the brisket and place onto a cutting board, slicing how you’d like to serve, before plating with some of the cooking liquid. In a small saucepan, heat the remaining 1/3 portion of barbecue sauce and serve spooned over each portion as desired. We also serve this version of the meal over a corn tortilla with fresh corn, steamed green beans, and tomato slices.
