Slow Cooker Cornelian Cherry BBQ Sauce
This Cornelian Cherry BBQ Sauce is a rich, glossy condiment with a jammy tang from cornelian cherries, sweetness from maple syrup, and depth from smoked paprika. Made in the slow cooker, it’s simple and hands off.
Ingredients
- 330 g tomato ketchup
- 200 g cornelian cherries pitted
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 60 ml apple vinegar
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp mustard powder or Dijon mustard
- ½ black pepper
- pinch chili flakes optional
Instructions
- Wash and pit the cornelian cherries. Finely chop the onion and crush the garlic.
- Either in a pan or with Instant Pot set to SAUTE, heat 1 tbsp oil. Sweat the onion for 8–10 minutes until translucent. Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Stir in smoked paprika and bloom for 30 seconds.
- Transfer onion mixture to the slow cooker. Add cornelian cherries, ketchup, vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, Worcestershire, black pepper, salt, and chili flakes. Stir well.
- Switch Instant Pot to SLOW setting. Cover and cook on LOW for 4–5 hours (or HIGH for 2–3 hours), until cherries soften and flavours meld. Keep valve closed to avoid losing moisture.
- Optional Step* Blend smooth with a stick blender. Strain if you want a silky finish.
- Taste and adjust seasoning — add more maple for sweetness, vinegar for tang, or chili for heat. If it is too thick, add a little water to get desired consistency.
- Cool and pour into a sterilised jar.
Notes
If you prefer, you can use honey, agave, or even soft brown sugar as the sweetener — each adds a slightly different flavour. For more heat, add chipotle powder or a fresh chili to the slow cooker. If using chipotle, I would reduce the smoked paprika because chipotles are very smokey on their own.