The rhubarb came in heavy this year. After last week’s harvest post, a lot of people asked what we were doing with the stalks beyond seeds and pies. The answer, at least for this batch: BBQ sauce.
This is Sherri’s first test batch of Cabin & Crumb Smoky Rhubarb BBQ Sauce — Version 2, meaning she’s been thinking about this one for a while. The rhubarb came from right outside the back door at Milepost 105. From the garden to the pot in about ten minutes.
The flavor profile is built around the rhubarb’s natural tartness — balanced with brown sugar, raw honey, and apple cider vinegar, then pushed in a smoky direction with chipotle peppers in adobo, smoked paprika, and a touch of liquid smoke. There’s real heat in this one, but it doesn’t overwhelm. It has layers.
Everything goes into a heavy stainless steel stock pot and simmers low and slow — 35 to 45 minutes until the rhubarb and onions are completely soft, then blended smooth with an immersion blender and reduced down to the right consistency. The kitchen smelled extraordinary.
This is a test batch, so we’re tasting, adjusting, and making sure it’s exactly right before it goes anywhere. But if this version holds up — and we think it will — Cabin & Crumb Smoky Rhubarb BBQ Sauce will be coming to both the Ravenswood Gardens store and Cabin & Crumb.
Alaska-grown rhubarb. Sherri’s kitchen. Worth the wait.
Ravenswood Gardens is a small homestead at Milepost 105 on the Sterling Highway, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. We grow what we can, preserve what we grow, and share what we have.
— Chip & Sherri McVey