The Ultimate Apple Butter BBQ Sauce

Mix up your BBQ game with this deliciously rich and fruity apple butter sauce.

Eve tempted Adam with apples, and if you want a great Kansas City style BBQ sauce with a twist, use apple butter to sweeten it and people will sin to get your ribs. This sauce would have Adam eating out of Eve’s palm, and sucking on her fingers.

Yes, it has lumps. Strain it if you must. I say leave ’em in.

Apple Butter BBQ Sauce Recipe

3.15 from 34 votes

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Take your smoked ribs over the top with this recipe for apple butter enhanced Kansas City-style BBQ sauce.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Servings: 2 cups

Course: Sauces and Condiments

Cuisine: American

Difficulty: Moderate

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

 

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• 1 tablespoon of butter or margarine
• 1 medium onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 cup ketchup
• 3/4 cup apple butter
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 3 tablespoons steak sauce
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 ounce unsweetened chocolate
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger dissolved in a few teaspoons of water
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons Morton Coarse Kosher Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
• 2 teaspoons Chipotle Tabasco sauce (less if you don't like heat; more if you do)

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Method

 

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1. Prep. Chop the onion and mince the garlic.
2. Heat. Melt the butter over low to medium heat.
3. Cook the onion and garlic until translucent, being careful not to brown the garlic.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer on low for ten minutes. I like to make two batches, one mild, one hot.
5. Serve. Serve the sauce immediately or refrigerate for for future use.

Notes

About the salt. Remember, kosher salt is half the concentration of table salt so if you use table salt, use half as much. Click here to read more about salt and how it works.

About the Tabasco. I love the Chipotle version, but feel free to use the regular Tabasco or your favorite hot sauce and the amount you like. Just go easy unless you know everybody likes the heat.

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