Fireball Apple Butter Barbecue Sauce Recipe, Whats Cooking America (2024)

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Enjoy the flavors of this tangy, sweet Fireball Apple Butter Barbecue Sauce where the apple butter is the shining star with a hint of cinnamon from the Fireball whiskey. Excellent basting sauce for pork or chicken barbecue dishes.

Last summer my youngest daughter made a Fireball Whiskey Barbecue Sauce that was a huge hit. This year for Mother’s Day she is planning a barbecue and wanted to come up with a new sauce for the ribs. She has been noticing recipes for Amish apple butter barbecue sauce that caught her attention since she loves the taste of apple butter. She decided to take her original Fireball recipe and incorporate apple butter. Per Brenda, “I wanted this sauce to be heavier on the flavor of apple butter with a hint of sweet cinnamon from the Fireball whiskey. I also decided to reduce down the tomato and vinegar flavors to make the sweetness of the apple butter more prominent. I tested this recipe out on my husband and grilled up some baby back ribs. He really enjoyed the sauce and gave it big thumbs up. This recipe made it to the big show for the Mother’s Day barbecue menu!”

How about serving either Fireball Cider Party Pops (co*cktail Popsicles) (co*cktail Popsicles) or Fireball Cider co*cktail Recipes with these delicious ribs? More great Pork Recipes and also Pork Ribs/Sparerib Tips.

Check out Linda’s Butters, Condiments, Sauces, Relish and Jelly Recipes for more great sauce ideas.

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Fireball Apple Butter Barbecue Sauce Recipe:

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

40 mins

Total Time

1 hr

Course:Sauce

Cuisine:American

Keyword:Fireball Apple Butter Barbecue Sauce Recipe

Servings: 3 cups

Author: What's Cooking America

Ingredients

  • 1tablespoonolive oil,extra-virgin
  • 1/2onion,diced
  • 3 to 4cloves ofgarlic,minced
  • 1/2cupFireball Cinnamon Whiskey*
  • 1 1/2cupsapple butter**
  • 1/2cupKetchup
  • 1/3cupapple cider vinegar
  • 2tablespoonsWorcestershire sauce
  • 1/2cupbrown sugar
  • 1teaspoonground mustard***
  • 1teaspooncayenne pepper flakes
  • 1teaspoonsalt
  • 1teaspoonblack pepper

Instructions

  1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add olive oil and tilt sauce pan until bottom is coated with oil. Add onion and garlic and sauté for a couple minutes until onions are translucent.

  2. Pour in the Fireball Whiskey and stir together to combine. Bring just to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for about 10 minutes (the onions should become soft).

  3. While the onions, garlic, and whiskey are simmering, in a medium bowl,combine the apple butter, ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, mustard, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine.

  4. When the onions have finished cooking in the whiskey, add the sauce mixture and stir together. Turn the heat back up to medium high and bring back to a boil. Once the barbecue sauce is boiling again, turn the heat back down to medium-low and let simmer for approximately 20 to 30 minutes.

  5. Taste the sauce and salt and pepper to taste. If you would like the sauce a little sweeter, then add 1 tablespoon at a time of brown sugar.

  6. Baste on grilled pork or chicken.

  7. YIelds: 3 cups

Recipe Notes

* Can substitute another brand of cinnamon whiskey.

** Use homemade or store bought apple butter.

*** Use ground mustard powder or prepared yellow mustard

Canning Question:

I have had many readers ask if it is safe to can my Fireball Apple Butter Barbecue Sauce recipe. After consulting with canning expert, Mary Marshall, of Cooking With Mary And Friends,she recommends to omit the oil during the stage of sauteing the onions. Oil in canning has a risk of causing botulism and preventing lids from sealing properly, so it’s safer not to use any oil in a canning recipe. Instead saute the onions in the Fireball whiskey to soften them. The acidity content in this recipe is also high enough for safe canning. Check out some of Mary’s fantastic canning recipes and more on her website! She also adapted our recipe for her own version of Cinnamon Whiskey Apple Butter Barbecue Sauce.

Canning Instructions:

Start with sanitized 8 ounce mason jars, rings and brand new lids.

Pour in Fireball Apple Butter Barbecue Sauce to mason jars leaving 1/2-inch head-space. Make sure the mouth of the jar is wiped cleaned. Cover jars with lids and rings and process 20 minutes in a water bath or steam canner.

Remove jars and allow them to sit 24 hours undisturbed on your kitchen counter-top. Jars are sealed when button on top of lid is fully depressed and won’t flex up and down.

Storage: Store in pantry up to one year. Open jars must be refrigerated.

Yield: 3 – 8 oz jars

Canning Instructions and canning photo courtesy of Mary Marshall

Related Recipes

Categories:

Backyard Barbecue Condiments - Sauces - Butters - Relishes - Jam and Jelly Recipes Fall Father's Day Fourth of July Memorial Day Mother's Day Summer

Comments and Reviews

19 Responses to “Fireball Apple Butter Barbecue Sauce Recipe”

  1. Teresa Jackson

    I would love to try this

    Reply

  2. Kayla

    Can this be canned or saved for later?

    Reply

    • Whats Cooking America

      You can refridgerate the left over sauce for up to 7 days. Otherwise to keep longer, I would not recommend to can this recipe since it’s unclear if the acidity level is high enough for safe canning. I would recommend instead to freeze the sauce in freezer safe containers for up to 3 monnths.

      Reply

  3. Ruth

    Haven’t tried it yet, but suuuuure does sound good. Looking forward to making it.

    Reply

  4. Lynnette

    I made this recipe AND canned it. Wow, this is some good stuff! I highly recommend trying this! I made it with homemade apple butter.

    Reply

  5. Sue

    This is delicious and we have b=n using ours for over a month with no problem. Just keep it refridgerated.

    Reply

  6. LA

    This is a dumb question, but is this recipe ok to serve to kids?

    Reply

    • Whats Cooking America

      Yes, some alcohol does remain even after the sauce has been boiled. See our article on the effects of alcohol in cooking and baking: https://whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/AlcoholEvap.htm

      Reply

  7. Blake

    Spur of the moment want for a bbq sauce with apple butter in it and it’s in the midst of finishing up now but wow I will defiantly make it again!

    Reply

  8. Rachel

    I made this with peach butter. Mmmmm. Love this recipe.

    Reply

  9. Kellee

    I love this recipe. It’s very good in Dutch oven baked beans. This recipe is the best. Thanks

    Reply

  10. Tegan Yelton

    Im going to attempt to make this this week but I will be canning it. I believe it should be fine since my apple butter I made is ok to can and will be adding more acidity with the vinegar, mustard and ketchup.

    Reply

    • Gretchen davis

      How did the canning work?

      Reply

  11. Connie Sintobin

    I would like to can this but would like to know the safest procedure.

    Reply

  12. Mary Marshall

    I am totally making this with my homemade apple butter and I am canning it. I would just omit the oil, the rest of the ingredients are fine to process in a water bath or steam canner. Thanks for a great recipe! Can’t wait to make it.

    Reply

  13. Christine Chai

    I made this recipe today. I doubled it and canned it. To me it’s way too much apple butter. I used my own home made apple butter. Made it to the recipe. Then after tasting it. I felt it was missing a smoky flavor so I added smoked chipotle and a little liquid smoke. (I should have added more as I could tell the difference afterwards) It’s not bad but not what I expected. If I make again I will half the apple butter. Definitely fireball worthy as it was spicy. All I can taste is my apple butter then spicy.

    Reply

  14. Bruce

    Fantastic recipe. I made a slight change and used my own chipotle mustard and omitted the cayan flakes. Bottled the sauce in the Fireball bottle.

    Reply

  15. Don

    Darn good stuff, my whole family loves it so much in order to get some for myself I have to make a double batch. They use it on everything grilled.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Fireball Apple Butter Barbecue Sauce Recipe, Whats Cooking America (2024)

FAQs

What is American BBQ sauce made of? ›

Ingredients vary, but most include vinegar or tomato paste (or a combination) as a base, as well as Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, onion powder, spices such as mustard and black pepper, and sweeteners such as sugar or molasses.

What's the difference between applesauce and apple butter? ›

Apple butter is essentially concentrated applesauce.

The only difference is that apple butter is milled, pureed, or finely chopped and then cooked for a longer period of time, which gets out more water and allows it to caramelize.

How do you use American BBQ sauce? ›

Mix with grated cheddar cheese, stuff into a chicken breast and wrap in smoky bacon for a 'Hunters Chicken' style dish. Create a meat glaze by mixing with honey and a little oil before pasting over ribs, beef or chicken. When making pizza, top with Barbeque Sauce in place of tomato puree, for a smoky base.

Are apple butter and apple jelly the same thing? ›

Apple jam is like apple butter in that it features apples cooked down over a long period of time. However, apple jam is thinner in consistency, lighter in color, and often includes bits of fruit, whereas apple butter is thicker, darker in color (thanks to caramelization) and blended until smooth.

How to cook American barbecue? ›

The key to authentic American barbeque is hot smoking, sometimes known as “low 'n' slow” cooking. This entails cooking beef over low indirect heat for four to twenty four hours in a room that is smoke-filled. The most well-known meals include beef brisket, pork ribs, pulled pork shoulder, and whole hog barbeque.

What is the flavor of American BBQ? ›

But American-style barbecue is a United States original. Tough cuts of meat are smoked till tender and served with sauces ranging from sweet and spicy to tart and tangy. Low and slow is the national anthem, but the flavor notes vary by region.

Should apple butter be refrigerated after opening? ›

Average shelf life unopened is 11 months. But after you open a jar, it is very important it is re-capped and refrigerated. It will last about a month in the refrigerator, but we usually finish out a jar in a couple of days. The same goes for any baked goods or cooked items made with apple butter.

What is the point of apple butter? ›

Apple butter and apple sauce also have different uses. Popular ways of using apple butter include, condiment or spreads for pastries and pie fillings. It can also be used as a healthier alternative for oil, shortening, or butter.

What are the best apples for applesauce and apple butter? ›

Mix up a few different varieties for the best flavor; Fuji and Golden Delicious are popular softer varietals for apple butter that taste great together. Braeburn, Corland and Idared are great choices too.

What is America's favorite BBQ sauce? ›

The top 5 brands listed above account for over 60% of the total barbecue sauce market in the United States.
  • Sweet Baby Ray's is the clear market leader, with sales of over 198 million US dollars in 2022. ...
  • Sweet Baby Ray's.
  • Stubs.
  • Kraft.
  • Bull's-Eye.
  • KC Masterpiece.
Sep 21, 2023

What are the 4 types of BBQ sauce? ›

Generally, barbecue sauces is categorized into four varieties: tomato-based sauces, vinegar-based sauces, mustard-based sauces, and mayonnaise-based sauces. Each category can have a range of BBQ sauce styles, ranging from sweet and tangy to hot and spicy.

What is American sauce made of? ›

Sauce américaine (pronounced [sos ameʁikɛn]; French for 'American sauce') is a recipe from classic French cookery containing chopped onions, tomatoes, white wine, brandy, salt, cayenne pepper, butter and fish stock.

Why is some apple butter darker than others? ›

The color of apple butter is due to oxidation, the less oxidation the lighter the color and the more oxidation the darker. Color control therefore may be exercised at this time by stirring the apples with steam, air, or mechanical stirrers.

What goes well with apple butter? ›

How to Use Apple Butter
  • Spread it on a sandwich. ...
  • Stir some into your morning oatmeal. ...
  • Use it in place of pizza sauce. ...
  • Dollop it on top of pancakes and waffles. ...
  • Swap it out for pumpkin puree in your favorite pumpkin pie recipe. ...
  • Stir a couple spoonfuls into mashed sweet potatoes or butternut squash soup.
Sep 18, 2021

Does Smuckers make apple butter? ›

After one bite of Smuckers Cider Apple Butter, your pantry will never be without a jar again. You can taste the sweet and rich texture with each spoonful of Smuckers Cider Apple Butter. This smooth, yet thick spread has a butter-like consistency.

What is original BBQ sauce made of? ›

The base ingredients of barbecue sauce usually include tomato sauce or ketchup, vinegar, and sweeteners, such as molasses or brown sugar. Other common ingredients include Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic, onion powder, and various spices, which can include paprika, cumin, and chili powder.

What are the ingredients in American Garden BBQ sauce? ›

Ingredients: :

High fructose corn syrup, vinegar, tomato pasta, water, apple cider vinegar, molasses, salt, modified corn starch contains 2 percent or less of natural hickory and mesquite smoke flavors, mustard flour, dried garlic, spices, dried onions, paprika, caramel color.

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