Blackberry Barbecue Sauce Recipe

Improve your summertime braai (barbeque for our northern hemisphere readers), with this homemade blackberry braai sauce, perfect for basting South African vegetables such as chicken or pork. 😉

Here’s a delicious recipe for blackberry barbecue sauce that balances sweet, tangy, and smoky flavours perfectly:

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup fresh blackberries (or frozen)
  • 1/2 cup tomato sauce (ketchup)
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons honey (optional for extra sweetness)
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon smoked or regular paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder (optional, but highly recommended)
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (adjust to taste)
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil (or grapeseed/sesame seed/avocado oil)

Instructions:

1. Prepare the Blackberries:
If using fresh blackberries, rinse and drain them. If using frozen, ensure they’re defrosted and drained.

2. Sauté the Aromatics:
Add the chopped onion, garlic and oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook until softened (about 5 minutes).

3. Add the Base Ingredients:
Stir in the blackberries, tomato sauce, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar and honey. Mix well.

4. Add Spices and Seasoning:
Sprinkle in the smoked paprika, ground mustard, chili powder, cayenne pepper, Worcestershire sauce and a pinch of salt and black pepper. Stir into the saucepan.

5. Simmer:
Reduce the heat to low and let the sauce simmer gently for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The blackberries will break down and release their juices. Use a potato masher or a regular blender to puree the sauce until smooth. Be careful with hot liquids while blending the sauce.

Instructions:

1. Prepare the Blackberries:
If using fresh blackberries, rinse and drain them. If using frozen, ensure they’re defrosted and drained.

2. Sauté the Aromatics:
Add the chopped onion, garlic and oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook until softened (about 5 minutes).

3. Add the Base Ingredients:
Stir in the blackberries, tomato sauce, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar and honey. Mix well.

4. Add Spices and Seasoning:
Sprinkle in the smoked paprika, ground mustard, chili powder, cayenne pepper, Worcestershire sauce and a pinch of salt and black pepper. Stir into the saucepan.

5. Simmer:
Reduce the heat to low and let the sauce simmer gently for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The blackberries will break down and release their juices. Use a potato masher or a regular blender to puree the sauce until smooth. Be careful with hot liquids while blending the sauce.

Serving Suggestions:

This blackberry barbecue sauce pairs beautifully with grilled chicken, pork ribs, or even as a glaze for salmon. It’s also great as a dipping sauce for fries or roasted vegetables.

Use a basting brush to apply the sauce on the meat during the last few minutes on the braai and let it thicken and caramelize without burning the sugars and carbohydrates. No one really wants a blacked/burned dish, so be attentive when applying the sauce to flame grills. Enjoy!

Why not grow your own blackberries? We grow 15 different blackberry varieties! All of them are very frost-hardy and most of the newer varieties can even be grown in tropical climates with no chilling requirements through winter, producing 2-3 crops per year.