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 the difference between apple sauce and apple butter? ›

But it makes all the difference. Applesauce is a fairly quick process, cooked apples run through a food mill. Apple butter is basically concentrated apple sauce, cooked down even more until it's thicker, silkier, and more intensely apple flavored. Like the difference between tomato sauce and tomato paste, essentially.

How do you use American BBQ sauce? ›

To use American Garden BBQ Sauce Original, generously brush it onto your preferred protein, such as chicken, ribs, or burgers, before grilling or cooking. The rich, savory flavors will infuse your meat with a delicious smokiness as it cooks, creating a mouthwatering caramelized finish.

Is apple butter a Southern thing? ›

Historians do know that apple butter can be traced back to Germany and Belgium during the Middle Ages. The practice was likely brought to Appalachia by the Pennsylvania Dutch, who migrated to Western North Carolina after the American Revolutionary War.

Is apple butter and apple jelly the same thing? ›

Apple jelly is more sugary, and apple butter is a concentrated version of apple sauce. That said, it may work—if I were topping crepes or using in a bowl of oatmeal or something like that, I could do it, but I'd need to know what the recipe was for… then I could adjust.

Which apple makes the best apple sauce? ›

The Best Apples for Applesauce
  • Cortland.
  • Golden Delicious.
  • Gala.
  • McIntosh.
  • Granny Smith.
Nov 18, 2022

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

I recommend using Golden Delicious, McIntosh, Fuji, or Gala. Don't use Granny Smith; they are too tart and firm for this recipe. Weigh your apples before coring and chopping.

Why is American BBQ so sweet? ›

In America, anyway, food processors have come to realize that sugar attracts customers without adding a lot of cost. Most consumers have a sweet tooth. Sugar, often in the form of high fructose corn syrup, is added to many things, including ketchup and barbecue sauce.

What is the oldest BBQ sauce in the United States? ›

Eastern Carolina-Style Vinegar Sauce

Found in the eastern half of both North and South Carolina, Eastern-style vinegar sauce has the unique honor of being the oldest barbecue sauce in the country. Given its origin in the 13 colonies, it's literally where American barbecue was born, at the hands of enslaved chefs.

What is American BBQ sauce? ›

Tomato-Based Sauce

Tomato-based BBQ condiments became the most common in America during the middle 20th century. This type of sauce counterpoints sweet tones with vinegar and often has some sort of pepper. It is used all over the USA but is most prevalent in St. Louis, Memphis, and Kansas City.

What is apple butter in America? ›

What Is Apple Butter? Apple butter is a spreadable preserve made by slow-cooking apples with warming spices such as cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and allspice. The apples are cooked for a long time over low heat, caramelizing them, concentrating their flavor and turning them into a spreadable consistency.

What state is known for apple butter? ›

Apple-Butter in Pennsylvania. One of the most delicious dishes among our Pennsylvania German farmers is apple butter. It is made in the fall of the year, of ripe apples and pure sweet cider.

What does apple butter mean in slang? ›

"Apple butter" means smooth talk or flattery.

Why does my apple butter looks like applesauce? ›

Keep cooking applesauce past the stage where it's, well, saucy, and you'll get apple butter. Continue to cook the sauce and it begins to caramelize and thicken, making it almost jam-like.

Is apple butter made from apple sauce? ›

While we prefer to start from scratch, you can absolutely make apple butter from store-bought applesauce simmered down into a thicker format. Just add more spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, and/or cloves and cook it to your desired flavor and density. Related: 5 Easy Tips for Making the Best Homemade Applesauce.

Does apple butter actually have butter in it? ›

Apple butter is made by slowly cooking pureed apples for over an hour. The sugars in the apples caramelize as the puree cooks, giving the apple butter its rich, sweet flavor and dark color. In contrast to what the name implies, there is no "butter" in apple butter. The name comes from its smooth and buttery texture.

Can I substitute apple butter for applesauce? ›

But when it comes down to it, both applesauce and apple butter can often be exchanged in baking recipes — especially when used as a replacement for some of the butter, oil, or eggs. Try this in our No Butter Choco-Chip Cookies or Yummy Applesauce Bread.

What do you use apple butter for? ›

Here's some ideas you can try:
  1. Gingerbread.
  2. Pumpkin – including pumpkin pie.
  3. Red Cabbage or Sauerkraut (Blame it on my German ancestors!)
  4. On peanut butter stuffed celery.
  5. With Cheese especially Cheddar or Camembert.
  6. Bacon and Cheese Biscuits or Grilled Cheese Deluxe!
  7. Chicken, Goose or Duck – with a splash of orange juice.

Can you replace apple sauce with butter? ›

Applesauce can be used as a direct replacement for oil or melted butter in baking, meaning in a 1:1 ratio. If your recipe calls for 1/2 cup of oil, replace it with 1/2 cup of applesauce.

Why is applesauce healthier than butter? ›

Applesauce Is an Easy Way to Cut Fat and Calories in a Recipe. Save this swap for sweet breads and muffins. “Applesauce lends a natural sweetness, as well as extra moisture,” says Poulson. Compared with butter, applesauce is far lower in calories and has no fat, and it also adds a few grams of fiber and some potassium.

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