A few years ago I posted a recipe for arhubarb barbecue saucethat was a hit at a family reunion. Nobody had thought to use rhubarb to make a zesty sauce for pulled pork. It was delicious served with pulled pork and acilantro lime cole slawon big pretzel buns. I’d made crockpot pulled pork at that time but the other day I had a big container of smoked pulled pork from my sister and her hubby. Time for a new sauce!
Wash, trim and chop fresh rhubarb into small pieces
I used the basic recipe from that rhubarb bbq sauce and added fresh pineapple. I modified a few other ingredients as well. I didn’t want to change the recipe too much, just make it slightly more fruity. I still wanted that zesty “pow!” the original recipe had.
Trim pineapple and chop into small pieces. Mine were a bit too large here and took a long time to puree with the immersion blender
I chopped up 1 cup of fresh pineapple and 2 cups of fresh rhubarb. I put them into a saucepan with 1/2 cup of water and brought them to a boil. I let them bubble away, stirring occasionally.
Add pineapple, rhubarb and 1/2 cup water to a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes, until tender.
I let the fruit simmer for about 10 minutes, until the rhubarb was softened and falling apart. I realized I should have chopped the pineapple finer, it wasn’t softening as fast as the rhubarb.
in a nonstick skillet cook onions in a drizzle of oil until browned around the edges.
While the fruits cooked I used a nonstick skillet with a drizzle of oil to cook the chopped onion until it was translucent and beginning to brown around the edges. I added the garlic and let it cook another minute or so.
In a bowl combine rest of ingredients.
I measured the rest of the ingredients into a bowl and stirred well.
Add onions and contents of bowl to saucepan. Stir well and cook for 10 minutes to thicken.
I poured the onions into the saucepan with the rhubarb and pineapple, along with the bowl I’d mixed.
When pineapple is softened taste test for seasoning
I stirred well and let the mixture cook for another 15 minutes until the mixture was thickened.
Use an immersion blender to reduce to a smooth puree or cool and use a blender.
I used an immersion blender and blended until the sauce was mostly smooth. There will be a few strands of rhubarb that will refuse to puree.
I let the bbq sauce cool until I could pour it into a squirt bottle for storage. You could serve it either hot or cold, depending on your preference.
Pineapple Rhubarb BBQ Sauce
We like to add sauce to portions of leftover pulled pork and heat it in the microwave, then place it on buns. As the previous recipe had suggested, it is also great used as a salad dressing on lettuce.
I liked the addition of pineapple to the sauce. It elevates the sauce just enough to make it a whole new taste. As a cold salad dressing it’s a bit like Western dressing with fruit added!
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard (I used a grainy Dijon)
In a medium saucepan bring the rhubarb, pineapple and water to a boil and reduce to medium low to simmer. Cook for 5-6 minutes until the rhubarb is very soft.
In a nonstick skillet heat a drizzle of oil over medium-high heat and cook the onion for 3-4 minutes, until soft; add the garlic and cook for another minute or two.
Add the contents of the skillet and the remaining ingredients to the saucepan and bring to a bubble. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the mixture thickens.
Puree with an immersion blender or cool and puree in a blender or food processor until smooth.
Use as a barbecue sauce on meats and also great on a salad.
Another fantastic use for rhubarb–my boys will actually eat it in this!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope they do!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your killing me Audrey! This looks so good but I Am at work and can’t get this in my belly. It is going on my list for the weekend.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think you’ll like it!
LikeLike
I don’t think I love like it. I think ill looooooovvvvvveee it. Gotta do my think with it though. 3 cups of sauce is too much for this single lady.
LikeLike
Oh wow, this sounds fantastic! š
LikeLiked by 1 person