Here’s the Super Secret Glaze
for those
All-American Independence Day Ribs
Hopefully you’ve been following the Fourth of July Holiday Adventures of Lyndi at NWAFoodie, Lela at LelaDavidson and me while we laughed, teased, and “smacked” one another while offering up some delicious smoked turkey, beef and pork for your holiday tables. We’ve had a good time enjoying one another and getting our husbands, friends, families and readers involved. But…we really do have lives outside of this little competition of ours (#virtual #smokeoff). Honestly we do. Thanks for joining in our fun.
So who won the First Annual #Virtual #Smokeoff? You can find the answer to that HERE.
(There may have been some jelly bean bribery, unrecognizable voter registrations, and hanging chads involved.) And while you are at NWAFoodie, enter for a chance to win that electric smoker that Masterbuilt and NWAFoodie are giving away. You have until midnight Monday, July 8 to enter.
This Spicy Blackberry Chipotle Glaze is a grilling and smoking favorite of ours. It goes so well with just about any type of meat. I’ve even had a neighbor tell me that she spreads it on her grilled veggies! Love that idea as well.
You can vary the heat with the amount of chipotles that you add. I suggest that you start with 2 – 3 and give it a taste test. We think it gets milder after it is canned which is somewhat surprising. I really do not know why. Just a heads up.
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 cups diced onion
- 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
- 3-5 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped (leave seeds for heat)
- 2 quarts fresh blackberries, washed and dried (frozen berries may be used – thaw first)
- 1 1/2 cups good quality balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 2 Tablespoons liquid smoke
- 1/2 – 1” piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated (suit your tastes)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- Several sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 7 – 8 inch spring fresh rosemary
- In a large saucepan, cook onions in the olive oil over medium-high heat until they are soft, approximately 4 –5 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook about one minute. Reduce heat to medium.
- Add chipotles, blackberries, balsamic vinegar, both sugars, molasses, liquid smoke, ginger and salt. Stir to combine. Using the back of a large spoon, a fork or a potato masher, slightly mash the blackberries as they soften. Tie the thyme and rosemary together with cooking twine and add to the blackberry mixture. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently.
- Add in the thyme and rosemary bundle. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 35 – 40 minutes until the liquid is reduced and thickened.
- Remove the glaze from the heat and, using an immersion blender, puree until smooth. Alternately, you can process the mixture in a blender or food processor. Strain to remove any remaining seeds. (The immersion blender makes this an easy task.)
- Return to the heat and reduce for another 10-15 minutes.
- Prepare the jars during the cooking time by sterilizing them in boiling water or a hot oven. Heat the canning lids and rings in very warm, not boiling water.
- Ladle the glaze into the dry, sterilized jars leaving a headspace of about 1/2 – 1/4 inch. Wipe the rims and position the lids and rings into place. Do not excessively tighten
- the rings.
- Process the jars in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes at a full boil. Allow to cool completely before tightening the canning rings.
- Hubby thinks it is best used as a finishing glaze for grilled or smoked items. Just brush on your meat (or veggies) after cooking while your dish is still warm. I don’t think I would use it during the cooking as the sugar in it might cause your food to burn. I use it on baked ham and roasted chicken by glazing during the last twenty minutes of cooking time.
