This apple butter barbecue sauce is a quick, homemade substitute for store bought versions. Try it on meatloaf or use it to braise meat in the slow cooker.
Back in the Fall, I did a little project with the folks at All-Clad, in which they sent me the NS1 Chef’s Pan from their their new line of NS1 Nonstick Induction cookware and I used it to make a batch of really delicious batch of Kabocha Squash, Coconut, and Wild Rice Stew.
In March, I did it again. That time, they sent me an NS1 Stock Pot and I make a pot of roasted tomato and basil soup to brighten up a cold winter day.
I always enjoy these cookware challenges because they give me opportunities to play with a really fabulous pans and push myself outside my regular culinary patterns. So, when they got in touch again back in April and asked if I might want to do it again, this time with their d5 Stainless Steel All-In-One Pan, I said yes.
The particular challenge with this piece of cookware was to design a recipe that only used five ingredients, to mimic the five layers of metal that makes up the pan. I decided on building a five ingredient barbecue sauce, using a jar of apple butter as the base.
The result was a tasty, tangy, spicy sauce that is perfect for summer cookouts and slow cooker pulled pork. And it’s always useful to be able to make a sauce like this from scratch with pantry ingredients for those times when you don’t have any ready made in the pantry.
To make the sauce, you combine a pint of apple butter with apple cider vinegar, finely chopped onion, honey, and a couple heaping spoonfuls of gochugang in the pan and cook until it is thick and the onion is tender (also, add some salt and pepper to taste).
I like to scrape the finished sauce into a large measuring cup and zap it with an immersion blender to smooth it out, but that’s totally optional.
As you can see, I also used the pan to roast off some chicken legs that I then painted with my tangy sauce. I’d also use this sauce on top of turkey meatloaf, on grilled burgers, and will happily combine it with some chicken thighs in the slow cooker for pulled chicken sandwiches.
Disclosure: All-Clad sent me the pan you see pictured above and they’re provided a giveaway unit, both at no cost to me. No additional compensation was provided.
Apple Butter Barbecue Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pint apple butter
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 small onion finely chopped (I use a mini food processor)
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2-3 heaping tablespoons gochugaru it’s a fermented Korean chili paste
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine the apple butter, vinegar, chopped onion, honey, and gochugaru in a low, wide pan.
- Set the heat to medium and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring regularly, until onions are soft.
- Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Scrape sauce into a deep measuring cup or bowl and puree it with an immersion blender until smooth.
- Funnel into a jar and refrigerate.
Chicken, definitely would bathe this sauce over chicken and grill it to create a yummy crust. I’d make the sauce in this pan; it appears that it would perform very well for all types of uses. The name all-in-one fits well.
I love the idea of the sauce on a chicken sandwich. It would make leftovers way better.
Depending on the season, the pan would get a good workout at my house. During the spring/summer, I thnk it would be perfect for small batches of jam. During the fall/winter it would be perfect for meatballs or frying ground beef for the start of a casserole.
I think I would try it for reducing fruit preserves.
That pan looks great. I’d use it for small batch jam.
This pan would be perfect for so many dishes we make. Our honey curry chicken is the first thing that comes to mind , and I would love to try it with some of my French jam recipes.
Every year, my kids and I make a spicy peach jam that is to die for. This year, I said, “Let’s use that as a base for some BBQ sauce.” So, that’s what I’d use this pan for!
This sauce sounds amazing! I collect excess apples from the Free Breakfast in the Classroom program at my daughter’s elementary school and make apple butter for the kids. Can’t wait to make this sauce with it! I’m growing potatoes at the school garden and this sauce will go wonderfully with some herb roasted potatoes!
I definitely will be making this sauce to use during the summer, as we grill so much! And definitely soup for the winter!
What a great pan – an heirloom! I’d like to use some of the peach butter I made last summer to make a peach version of the BBQ sauce. Great with some tender grass fed beef.
I make plum chutney with ginger, golden raisins, onion, garlic, vinegar, brown sugar and Italian prune plums (when my trees bear fruit!). A wide shallow pan like this would be perfect–and All-Clad is a great brand. Thanks for all the good recipes and tips!
My son likes bbq sauce on just about anything; it’s hard to keep it in the house.
It would be my go to pan to make small batches of jam from your recipes.
Fried chicken,or apple crisp.
Looks like a great pan for roasting veggies!
I have an abundance of chicken right now so I would use that yummy sauce with chicken in the all clad pan.
What an ideal size. I’d make my grandmother’s fried chicken alongside a pot of Rancho Gordo Rio Zape beans. Heaven! Thanks for the intro to this terrific idea, Marissa.
Woohoo! What a gorgeous looking pan! To be able to cook on the stove top & then pop it in the oven is a busy Mom’s dream come true. I would make our family recipe for Koch Kaese (cooked cheese) in this pan. It’s sticky & this pan looks like it would be easy to clean. Cheers.
Pulled pork or chicken all summer long!
I would cook stews, soups, and braises. Last week I made a carrot ginger curry soup. This week, it may be tomato basil or a chicken soup. All-clad is terrific and I’d love to have one of their pans.
Who knows…Pepper Steak, Brisket, Pulled Pork, Roast Beef…the sky is the limit. I think this year, may canning will involve a lot of pickles, relish, salsa…I have plans. And after my mother scorched my last pan, this one would never leave my house!
The pan I would use for making meatballs first off and the Bar-Bee-Que Sauce to use on grilled pork ribs or brisket or just might pour over my meatballs.
Thank You for this wonderful giveaway opportunity as well as the recipe
Have a great week
In this pan, I would make tarragon chicken.
Love the idea of an apple butter base for BBQ Sauce, apple and pork go so well together, I’d use it with that!
I would use the sauce to make pulled barbeque chicken!
This pan would be very useful. I’d probably put it to work in making tomato paste, fritters, meatballs, chicken, poached fish . . . Lots of good stuff. I’d probably also try it out for baking cornbread.
I have started my d5 collection with two frying pans and a 3 quart steamer pot. I’d love to add another to use with my summer veggie garden bounty! The pulled pork also sounds like a must try.
I can my own apple butter and plan to make this sauce for pulled pork on my Memorial Day cookout
Ha! I’ve been looking for a simple bbq sauce recipe as well as making my list of a perfect pan set combination…that includes a bit of All-Clad.
I can see myself using this pan to cook many dishes !
Pulled pork sounds wonderful. I would make that.
I would make my Mom’s Chicken cacciatore.
You start on the stove top by frying some seasoned chicken pieces in butter, then you pour red wine over it and then dump the prepared sauce (squished can of tomatoes, herbs, spices, garlic) over the chicken pieces and then it all goes in the oven in the same pan. It’s important to have a pan that works equally well on the stove top and in the oven. This pan looks like it would do the job.
I love bbq sauce and have to try this one. I have TONS of canned apple butter so it is a good use for it. Bbq sauce good on all chicken, pork, and beef. Yum
I’m not a huge fan of barbecue sauce, but apple butter as a base?! Dang that sounds amazing! I would totally try this on some chicken for a nice summer barbecue. My husband would be so happy because he loves barbecue sauce.
When I make stir-fry with tofu, I use a heavy chicken fryer to stir-fry the veggies, and usually a skillet to quickly pan-fry the tofu and then glaze it in a teriyaki sauce. I think this pan would work well for frying and glazing the tofu. I also think I’d use it for small-batch jams — Hood strawberry season has just started, so right now everything makes me think about jam! Hoping to get some Hoods and rhubarb this weekend….
I use a sauce similar to this for pulled pork, served with an apple-cabbage slaw on Hawaiian rolls. So good!
We are trying camping in a trailer this year and I would take this pan to use for everything.
Like the good hippie that I am, I will try this sauce on tofu!
Would be wonderful on ribs.
Oh this sounds so good! We’re not allowed to grill on our townhouse patio, so we have to be creative with BBQ inside. This recipe looks amazing for the summer! Thanks!
I would use that pan as my everyday massive vegetable cookery.
I tried making yuba last night for the first time, and my pan wasn’t up to the task- scalding the bottom of the soymilk even when on a low temperature, so I would love to attempt it in a different pan!
hmmm, baracoa beef burrito filling sounds good right now!
I bet that bbq sauce would be outstanding on a brat!
Chicken thighs!
Pulled pork with a broccoli slaw sounds perfect!
This barbecue sauce just screams for pulled pork. Maybe even a pulled pork pizza, with the barbecue sauce instead of tomato and lots of gooey cheese.
I would use the sauce for pulled pork!
I love the slow cooker pulled chicken concept! I’d use the sauce for tofu and serve it with a light coleslaw.
The pan looks ideal for a host of techniques, but I imagine meatballs, seared salmon or braised chicken thighs would be on my list of uses.