Working over a wood fire obviously lends itself to making barbecue, and there are as many different interpretations of barbecue as there are cultures and communities around the world... More on this later.
This is our take on barbecue sauce using what is currently in season in central New York. We used snapdragon apples from Fowler Farm in Wolcott, NY, onions from Williams Farm in Marion, NY, and New York State bourbon to make our take on a seasonally inspired barbecue sauce.
Yield: 6 cups
Ingredients:
9 Snap Dragon Apples
1 Yellow Onion
1 small bag Apple Wood Chips
2 oz Bourbon
1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1 cup Brown Sugar
2 tbsp Oil
1 1/2 tbsp Paprika
1 1/2 tbsp Cumin
1 1/2 tbsp Coriander
1 1/2 tbsp Black Pepper
3 cups Water
Instructions:
1) Smoke apples and onion over coals with apple wood chips. You can do this is a webber kettle grill with briquettes and wood chips, or anywhere you can safely light a fire to create coals. We cooked the apples and onions for about an hour over medium heat.
2) Dice onions and apples in roughly 1 inch cubes. Discard the apple cores and onion skin.
3) Warm a 3 quart sauce pot over medium heat and add oil. Once the oil is hot add onion and apples and cook sweat them for 3 - 5 minutes, stirring to keep them from sticking to the bottom of the pot, until cooked through.
4) Remove pan from heat (This step is important because the bourbon may catch fire when you begin cooking it), add bourbon and cook until the alcohol is cooked off, an additional 2 minutes.
5) Add apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, and water to your the pot along with paprika, cumin, corriander, and black pepper. Cook until the liquid is reduced by 1/2, 7 to 10 minutes.
6) Once mixture is reduced, puree in blender until smooth.
7) Enjoy on your favorite barbecue dish!