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–+ servings
bourbon bbq sauce in glass jar with figs in foreground

Bourbon BBQ Sauce with Fresh Figs

Course: Sauce
Cuisine: American
Keyword: bourbon bbq sauce, Healthy Homemade BBQ Sauce
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 16
Calories: 93kcal
Author: Cindy Rainey
Made with bourbon whiskey, brown sugar, tomato sauce, spices and seasonings, along with fresh figs, this bbq sauce goes great on grilled items, as a a dip, or sauce.
Print Recipe

Equipment

  • stovetop
  • medium saucepan
  • immersion blender or counter-top blender

Ingredients

  • 1/2 red onion diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 Tablespoons oil can sub broth - see notes
  • 10 figs chopped
  • 1 jalapeno deseeded and chopped - see notes for options
  • 3/4 cup bourbon whiskey
  • 29 ounced tomato sauce
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar packed, can add more - see notes
  • 2 teaspoons Worchestershire sauce vegan
  • 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried mustard powder
  • optional - more sugar, salt, pepper, hot sauce

Instructions

  • Chop the onion and mince the garlic.
  • Add chopped onion and minced garlic to a medium-sized saucepan. Add in about two tablespoons of light-tasting oil. I used avocado oil. Stirring occasionally, saute on med-high for about 5-7 minutes or until onions have softened. (See notes if you want to use broth instead of the oil.)
  • While the onion and garlic are sauteing, prepare the figs by removing the stems and choping.
  • Deseed and chop the jalapeno. If you don't want the heat, you can use less or you can use jarred mild jalapenos.
  • Add the figs, jalapeno, bourbon, tomato sauce, brown sugar, Worchestershire sauce, liquid smoke, and mustard powder to the onion/garlic mixture and stir to combine.
  • Cook on high, stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil.
  • Turn stovetop down to low and simmer uncovered for about 1 hour.
  • With a hand (stick blender), blend until mostly smooth, and the larger fig chunks are gone. If you don't have a hand blender, cool mixture slightly and blend in a blender, two cups at a time.

Notes

  1. If you are eating oil-free, you can substitute in a little veggie broth. Just line the pan with about 1/2 cup and then watch it carefully while sauteing the vegetables so that it doesn't burn.
  2. My family does not like the heat from jalapenos but we like the flavor. I use the mild or tamed jarred jalapenos instead.
  3. Some people like their bbq sauce quite sweet. This sauce is plenty sweet for me as written. Give it a taste while cooking and feel free to add in up to two more Tablespoons of brown sugar.
  4. After the sauce has cooked you can add salt and pepper to taste. If you like it hotter, you can add some hot sauce. 
  5. So the alcohol does not fully cook out in one hour. Keep in mind that a serving will be about 1/4 cup. There are 16 servings in total. That equals about 3/4 of a Tablespoon of bourbon per serving. If this is a concern to you, cook the sauce longer. Put the lid on after an hour and cook for about 3 hours total.
  6. If you'd like to read how I made my harvest bowl and burger mentioned in the blog post, see below the recipe card for more detailed info. 

Nutrition

Calories: 93kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 12mg | Potassium: 93mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 62IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg