Victorian Barbeque Sauce


 Jen was kind enough to share a jar of her homemade BBQ sauce.  This isn't the BBQ sauce you're used to, you serve it like a chutney along the side of meats rather then cook with it.  The flavour is hard to describe.  It almost reminds me of the mince pies my granny used to make.
Here it is: 

(from Bernardin Complete Book of Home Preserving)  - makes about 4 pint jars

8 cups chopped rhubarb
2 1/2 cups lightly packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups raisins
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp salt

Prepare canner, jars and lids.

In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine rhubarb, brown sugar, raisins, onion, vinegar, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt.  Bring to boil over high heat, stirring frequently.  Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently, until mixture is thickened to the consistency of a thin commercial barbeque sauce, about 30 minutes.

Ladle hot sauce into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space.  Remove air bubbles and adjust head space, if necessary, by adding more hot sauce.  Wipe rim.  Center lid on jar.  Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to finger-tip tight.

Place jars in canner (or large pot), ensuring they are completely covered with water.  Bring to a boil and process for 15 minutes.  Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool and store.

Jen's notes: 

I doubled this recipe so I had more than 4 pint jars. As you well know, it is a fair amount of work, but the finished product is usually worth it.

Since the rhubarb season is over, you can always buy the frozen rhubarb you find in the grocery store and use it.  I chopped up our rhubarb and put it in the freezer so that I have some over the winter if I need to make more of this stuff.

Thank you Jen! 

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