Cheerwine BBQ Sauce

A Kansas City Style BBQ sauce

Ingredients

2 12oz Cans of Cheerwine

1 14oz Bottle of Ketchup

3/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce (Optional)

1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar

1 large red onion

1-2 Poblano peppers

1 Bell pepper

1 tbsp Salt

1 tbsp ground black pepper

1 tbsp Onion Powder

3 Cloves of Garlic OR 1 tbsp Garlic Powder

2 tsp Spanish Smoked Paprika

1 tsp Ground ginger

1 tsp Ground yellow mustard

1 tsp Ground cumin

1/4 tsp Some sort of ground spicy pepper

Specialized Equipment

Blender, Stick or Carafe, if you are using fresh veggies.

I've been making this for a while now. I think it turns out well. My mom did not make this when I was a kid. I got into BBQ instead of rebuilding cars as an adult.

In case you don't know, Cheerwine is a regional soda based out of North Carolina. I have not tried substituting it for other stuff. It is a cherry flavored cola. I don't know if other cherry flavored colas work, I've never tried, but any cola should work. Good luck, if you don't have Cheerwine. Do NOT use a Diet soda, you need the real sugar based sweetener for chemistry reasons.

This sauce only really NEEDS the Cheerwine, Ketchup, apple cider vinegar, and brown sugar. This is your base. You should put other stuff in, but feel free to swap out for flavors you like. If you want to use Honey or molasses, swap it out for the brown sugar. You can also use regular sugar instead in a pinch.

You don't NEED the fresh pepper and onions, but it adds both a nice flavor and thickness to the sauce. Make sure your pot is big enough for a stick blender if you do it. You also can add other peppers in if you want. I've done some Fresno peppers, some chili peppers from the Asian grocery store that I couldn't tell you which kind it was, and habernos once. Just be aware of the heat that you are adding. Wear gloves if you use these, and only include the seeds and pith (White parts connected to the seeds) if you like the spice. I've done jalapeños too, but they were voted the worst option by my friends.

If you can, toast then grind the cumin, mustard, and pepper. But you don't need to.

I've done a couple things with the dried ground spicy peppers. I've been doing stuff with New Mexico peppers I found in the Mexican section of the grocery store recently and generally liking it (I have to cut it up and grind it, I guess making more paprika?). I also have some nice haberno powder I like, but I use it sparingly since I have a limited spice tolerance. Red pepper flakes are fine too.

Why I like this recipe:

It tastes good. Put it on BBQ things, or dip your chicken nuggets in it. Goes great on pork ribs. It freezes well too.

Instructions

1. Open the cans of Cheerwine about an hour or more ahead of time to let it go flat. Just leave it on the counter too, you'll have to heat it less if its at room temperature. Cheerwine goes flat quickly, but it will still bubble a lot when you add in the brown sugar if you don't.

2. If you are using the the fresh veggies:

   1. Chop the fresh onions and peppers if you are using them. Doesn't need to be a fine dice, though it won't hurt.

   2. In a large enough pot to hold everything with extra room, add the fresh onions and peppers along with a little oil and salt and pepper. Sauté them over medium heat until they soften. A few minutes from when its done, add in the garlic.

3. Add in the Cheerwine, Ketchup, Apple Cider Vinegar, Brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce to the pot. Mix it all together and bring this up to a low boil then reduce heat to a simmer.

4. Add in everything else. You can do this while it comes up to the boil.

5. After about 15-30 minutes, taste your sauce. See if it needs something. If its too sweet, add more apple cider vinegar, etc. If it feels like its flat, try some more salt, but be careful. Let it cook for another 5 minutes then taste again

6. You want to cook this for about an hour total. Take it off the heat and let it cool to just warm to the touch.

7. If you used the fresh veggies, go get your blender. Either use the stick blender in the pot until its smooth, or use the carafe blender if not, same smoothness.

Serving

It's BBQ sauce. I'm sure you'll figure it out.

Freezing

This will keep in the fridge for a while.

For long term storage, it freezes well in a plastic container. Just defrost it ahead of time (you can just leave it out on the counter). I try not to microwave it though. I don't have a good reason, just what my gut tells me.