BBQ Sauce is one of our family’s favorite condiments, so why not make it from homegrown summer produce, and smoke it?? This Smoked BBQ Sauce turned out as good as it sounds, and we’ll gladly be dipping and slathering it for many meals to come.

The idea for this recipe was ignited during a conversation with my husband as we critiqued a store-bought bottle of BBQ Sauce. He suggested I make a Smoked BBQ Sauce, which was one of his many awesome ideas. So, I was off to the races to explore 20+ recipes, and as usual, made up my own.

The recipe below is available to Garden to Kitchen subscribers:

4 cups tomatoes

4 cups ground cherries

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 onion, chopped

6 medium spice peppers (or to your preferred spiciness), chopped

1.5 cups Apple Cider Vinegar

Salt

Ignite your smoker, preferred temp is 170-230 degrees F. Put all the produce on a sheet tray, sprinkle with 1-2t salt, and smoke for 1.5 hours. Pour smoked produce into a large pot, add ACV, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about an hour. Let cool and pass through a fine food mill and then pour the remaining mixture back into the pot. Taste the mixture and add salt to your taste (I added 2-3 more teaspoons salt, because remember, this is a sauce, it should be bold in flavor!). Simmer again until it reaches your desired consistency (for me, it was about an hour). Enjoy fresh within 2 weeks or freeze for future enjoyment!