Recipe: Bryant Terry’s Pomegranate-Peach Barbecue Sauce

Bryant Terry
Bryant Terry
Bryant Terry is a James Beard Foundation Leadership Award-winning chef, activist, and author of Vegan Soul Kitchen & Afro-Vegan (Ten Speed Press).
published Jul 1, 2015
summer
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Credit: Melissa Ryan
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(Image credit: Melissa Ryan)

Being from Memphis, I’ve been a bit nervous about crafting a recipe for barbecue sauce. People take barbecue seriously in my hometown, and from all available evidence, Memphis-style barbecue sauce is better than any other. In the past, I’ve created a barbecue-inspired marinade in which to bake tofu or tempeh, but this is my first attempt at making a proper sauce.

(Image credit: Melissa Ryan)

Although this version is a bit thicker than a typical Memphis barbecue sauce, the important characteristics are all there: tomato-based, tangy, and sweet from rich pomegranate molasses and fresh peaches.

(Image credit: Melissa Ryan)

Pomegranate-Peach Barbecue Sauce

Makes 2 1/2 cups

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons

    extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1/2 cup

    finely chopped red onion

  • 1/4 teaspoon

    coarse sea salt

  • 1/8 teaspoon

    cayenne pepper

  • 1

    large clove garlic, minced

  • 1 cup

    diced peeled peaches (from 1 to 2 peaches)

  • 1 cup

    tomato sauce

  • 1/4 cup

    water

  • 1/4 cup

    red wine vinegar

  • 1/4 cup

    pomegranate molasses

  • 3 tablespoons

    freshly squeezed lime juice

  • 2 tablespoons

    tamari

  • 2 tablespoons

    tomato paste

  • 1

    large chipotle chile in adobo sauce

  • 2 teaspoons

    minced fresh sage

Instructions

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  1. Warm the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, salt, and cayenne, and sauté until the onion is soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.

  2. Transfer to a blender. Add the peaches, tomato sauce, water, vinegar, pomegranate molasses, lime juice, tamari, tomato paste, and chipotle chile and process until smooth.

  3. Pour the sauce back into the saucepan and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 20 minutes. Stir in the sage and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. Taste and season with more salt if desired. Use immediately or store in a tightly sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Recipe Notes

If preparing this sauce for Summer Vegetable and Tofu Kebabs, double this recipe.

Reprinted with permission from Afro-Vegan by Bryant Terry, copyright (c) 2014. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Penguin Random House, Inc. Photography (c) 2014 by Paige Green

(Image credit: Paige Green)

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(Image credit: Melissa Ryan)