Rhubarb BBQ Sauce

While I love delicious Rhubarb Muffins, cakes, and other rhubarb desserts, this savory Rhubarb BBQ Sauce – or Rhu-B-Que Sauce as it’s known in our house – is one of the first things I make when rhubarb season comes around!

There are just a few ingredients needed for this sauce… Nothing too crazy.

What you’ll need to make Rhubarb BBQ Sauce

Rhubarb – fresh or frozen
Strawberries
Olive oil
Onion
Brown sugar
Tomato paste
Red wine vinegar
Bourbon or brandy
Soy sauce (reduced sodium)
Worcestershire sauce
Smoked paprika
Garlic powder
Red pepper flakes
Black pepper
Bay leaves

This Rhu-B-Que Rhubarb BBQ Sauce recipe is our take on Tasting Table’s Rhubarbecue recipe. We couldn’t stop tasting the sauce portion of the recipe while making it because we liked it so much. And, while the finished dish was delicious, we missed the vibrant flavors that we enjoyed in the sauce before cooking down it with the rich country style ribs. So we made the sauce again and again. We probably made it a half dozen times that year. And we kept tweaking ingredients until we came up with… This!

Rhu-B-Que Rhubarb BBQ Sauce recipe - BaconFatte.com

Grilled Pork Loin Chops with Rhu-B-Que Rhubarb BBQ Sauce

What Does Rhu-B-Que Rhubarb BBQ Sauce Taste Like?

If you like lighter, brighter flavors, you’ll love this Rhubarb BBQ Sauce! It has all the fresh, tart flavor of rhubarb… with everything else mixed in. There are no heavy, molasses, sugar-y, or overly spicy notes. In fact, if you probably wouldn’t know this was a rhubarb-based sauce at all by taste alone!

But you will definitely note that it’s a “unique” sauce… A pleasant surprise for your palate, and an absolutely wonderful addition to all of your summertime grilling menus.

Grilled Bone-In Pork Chops and Sweet Potato Rounds with Rhu-B-Que Rhubarb BBQ Sauce

How To Serve Rhubarb BBQ Sauce?

Serve this sauce any way you would other BBQ Sauces. We love it with pork, chicken and hearty grilled fish such as Swordfish and Cobia. It’s also wonderful with grilled vegetables. Slather it on wings or ribs, spread it on sandwiches, and spoon it on tacos. This sauce is wonderful with cheeses! Include a dish of this sauce on your charcuterie boards, and use it to take grilled cheese sandwiches to the next level.

Unlike “normal” BBQ sauces – and I love them all – I feel like this one is more flexible because of the lighter, brighter flavor profile. I hope you try it and let me know what you enjoyed it with!

Pulled Pork Sliders with Rhu-B-Que Rhubarb BBQ Sauce recipe

True Story: We served this Rhu-B-Que Rhubarb BBQ Sauce at a neighborhood gathering that we hosted several years ago. My husband smoked an 8-pound pork shoulder until it was perfectly tender. We pulled the pork and served it from a crock pot to keep it warm, along with fresh bakery buns and this sauce.

Our neighbors liked the sauce so much, I gave out the recipe at least a dozen times that night. And in the weeks following our neighborhood get-together, bags of fresh, beautiful rhubarb kept showing up on our doorstep with notes suggesting that I make more sauce… And that small jars of sauce would gladly be accepted in exchange for the fresh rhubarb.

A lot more sauce happened that spring, and I was more than happy to share with my generous neighbors.

I hope you have the opportunity to make this sauce soon, too. It keeps well in the refrigerator for a week or so, and it can be frozen for several months. Rhu-B-Que Rhubarb BBQ Sauce is best enjoyed – and shared – during rhubarb season! And after you make it once, I promise you’ll look forward to making it again each spring.

ENJOY!

Rhubarb BBQ Sauce ("Rhu-B-Cue")

A fresh, vibrant sauce for chicken, pork, and vegetables. Spoon over grilled meat, or drizzle on tacos.

Servings 4 cups

Author Michele Phillips, BaconFatte.com

Ingredients

3 - 4 cups rhubarb - fresh or frozen
1-1/2 cups strawberries
1 medium onion, chopped (about 2 – 3 cups)
2 - 3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 6 oz. can tomato paste (about ¾ cup)
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup bourbon or brandy
1/4 cup soy sauce (reduced sodium)
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1-1/2 tsp. teaspoons smoked paprika
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp. ground black pepper
2 dried bay leaves

Instructions

In a large covered sauce pan, add chopped rhubarb, strawberries, onions, and olive oil, and sauté until tender – about 15 minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients, and stir well to combine. Cover and simmer over low heat for about an hour, stirring often.
Turn off the heat, and allow sauce to cool (covered) to room temperature. Remove bay leaves. Blend if needed. Pour cooled sauce into glass jar or bowl. Cover and refrigerate up to 1 week.

Recipe Notes

This is a great recipe to use up larger, heavier rhubarb stalks because they’ll all be chopped up. Save sweeter, more delicate stalks for baking.

If you want a smoother sauce, run an immersion blender through it while simmering. Or, let the sauce cool completely and pour it into a food processor or blender.

MAKING THIS RHUBARB BBQ SAUCE (“RHU-B-QUE”) RECIPE?

I’d love to know! Please leave a note here on the blog in the comments below, and share your creations on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter!

Use the hashtag #baconfatte and tag @baconfatte in your social media posts — I’d love to see them!