Smoky Mulberry Barbecue Sauce
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Smoky and sweet, this mulberry barbecue sauce brings all of the flavors of summer into one place! With ripe mulberries and a mix of spices, this sauce tastes incredible on chicken, pork, fish, beef, and vegetables. It's a great addition to grilling, and makes a delicious accompaniment to barbecue, sandwiches, steaks, and more.
what are mulberries?
Mulberries, or Morus, are the fruit from the Mulberry Tree in the family Moraceae. Where I live in Iowa, the Red mulberry is the only native variety that grows. However, you can find the White and Black Mulberry trees here, too. These of mulberries are native to China and western Asia, and they were introduced to the U.S. to support the silkworm industry. Did you know that mulberries are the only food that silkworms eat?
Mulberries can be found all across the U.S. and other parts of the world, though they are commonly foraged for and not sold in grocery stores. This is, in part, due to their highly perishable nature. They do not store well, so they have to be used quickly after being harvested.
You can learn more about foraging for mulberries in my Ultimate Cozy Guide to Foraging for Mulberries.
gathering ingredients to make mulberry barbecue sauce:
If you are wanting to try making your own homemade mulberry barbecue sauce, you will need to gather a few key ingredients! Barbecue sauce has a LOT of flavor packed into a small bowl, so make sure you thoroughly check your pantry so that all of your spices are fully stocked.
Mulberries. The mulberries in this recipe can be fresh or frozen, which is great if you have any leftover from last summer or need some extra time before making your sauce. If mulberries are not available to you, you can use blackberries or raspberries instead for a similar flavor and texture.
Stock. For this recipe, I actually recommend using water as I think chicken stock can alter the flavor of this sauce. If you want your sauce more on the savory side, you can use any kind of stock for this such as vegetable, beef, or even a pork based stock.
Tomato Sauce. Tomato sauce is the base of this recipe, which has a classic barbecue flavor.
Brown Sugar. Brown sugar helps to remove tang and any bitterness from the berries and other ingredients.
Balsamic Vinegar. I love the pairing of balsamic vinegar with the mulberries.
Worcestershire Sauce. For a classic barbecue flavor, use Worcestershire sauce!
Lemon Juice. Lemon juice adds more acidity and helps preserve the beautiful color of this sauce.
Molasses. Molasses adds a sweet and smoky depth of flavor to this recipe.
Honey. Honey really gives this sauce a summery flavor!
Spices. For this sauce, you will need chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, dry mustard, salt, and pepper.
how to make mulberry barbecue sauce:
Step One: Begin by washing and patting your mulberries dry. Mulberries do not store well, so use fresh mulberries within 3 days of picking them. In a medium saucepan, combine the berries and water and bring them to a simmer. Continue to simmer the berries for about 7 to 8 minutes, crushing them gently, until they are fully softened.
Step Two: Transfer the berries to a fine mesh sieve set over a bowl to remove the seeds and little stems. With a spatula, press out as much juice and pulp from the mulberries as you can. Then, transfer the juice back into the saucepan and place over medium heat.
Step Three: Add the remaining ingredients and cook the sauce over medium-low heat for a further 5 minutes or so, or until the sauce has reached your desired thickness. This will depend upon how thin or thick your tomato sauce was. If you want a super thick sauce, you may have to cook it for a bit longer.
Step Four: Let your sauce cool down significantly before storing or using with your barbecue!
Substitutions & variations:
This easy mulberry sauce has a few substitutions that can be made if you are not able to obtain certain ingredients or are looking to cut back on things!
If you don’t have access to mulberries you can swap out the berries for blackberries or raspberries. These berries will have a similar flavor and texture to mulberries.
If you don’t have balsamic vinegar you can use another type of vinegar such as apple cider vinegar, distilled white vinegar, red wine vinegar, or white wine vinegar. You can also use pickle juice or lemon juice in its place.
If you don’t have tomato sauce you can always take some tomato paste and add water until it becomes thin, or you can use ketchup in its place. If you decide to use ketchup, add the brown sugar, molasses, and honey to your taste as ketchup is already sweetened.
If you don’t want to use chicken stock then water is perfectly fine. It really doesn’t alter the flavor too much, and I prefer water for this recipe as it’s more sweet than savory. If you don’t want to use chicken stock, I would suggest using vegetable stock instead.
how to serve mulberry barbecue sauce:
There are so many ways to serve your homemade mulberry barbecue sauce! This recipe works well with fish, chicken, pork, beef, and vegetables. Because it leans more towards the sweet side, I think this mulberry sauce pairs perfectly with classic barbecue flavors and also compliments Mexican food.
Try serving this barbecue sauce with these recipes:
final thoughts:
If you love sweeter sauces when you eat barbecue, then you are going to absolutely love this mulberry barbecue sauce! I think it tastes so great as an addition to grilling or just as a dip for french fries. With it’s tanginess and slightly sweet flavor, it’s a wonderful dip or rub for summer grilling. Enjoy making this mulberry barbecue sauce for your next potluck or backyard barbecue!
xoxo Kayla
Smoky Mulberry Barbecue Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups (280 g) fresh or frozen mulberries, thawed and drained
- 1 cup (240 ml) water or chicken stock
- 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup (50 g) brown sugar, packed
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) Worcestershire sauce
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) molasses
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) honey
- 2 tsp (6 g) chili powder
- 2 tsp (6 g) garlic powder
- 1 tsp (3 g) onion powder
- 1/2 tsp dry mustard
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine the mulberries and water. Place the pan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a simmer, lowering the heat and maintaining the simmer for about 7 to 8 minutes. Stir as the berries cook and begin to soften. When they have softened, gently crush the berries with a potato masher or fork as best as you can.
- Remove the pan from heat. Place a fine mesh sieve over a large bowl and transfer the cooked berries to the sieve. Gently press out as much juice and pulp as possible until you have about 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) of mulberry juice and pulp. Return the juice to the saucepan.
- Place the saucepan back on the stove over medium-low heat. Stir in the tomato sauce, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, molasses, and honey. Whisk to combine, about 1 to 2 minutes, and bring the mixture to simmer. Whisk in the chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, mustard, salt, and pepper.
- Simmer the sauce for about 5 minutes or until it has thickened to your liking. The thickness or thinness of your tomato sauce will determine how long you should cook your sauce. If you like a thick sauce, you may have to cook longer.
- Remove the pan from heat and let the sauce cool down in the pan considerably. Then, transfer the sauce to a heat-safe dish, and let it cool to room temperature. If you are cooking that day, you can use the sauce right away. Otherwise, once cool, cover the sauce and store it in the refrigerator until fully chilled. It will keep in the refrigerator for about 6 days.
- To freeze your barbecue sauce, transfer the sauce to a freezer safe container and remove as much air as possible. Label and date the sauce and place into the freezer for about 3 months.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
96Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
