Fireball Apple Butter Barbecue Sauce Recipe, Whats Cooking America (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between apple sauce and apple butter? ›

Apple butter and applesauce are similar. The key difference is that applesauce is made with water and sugar and fewer spices. Applesauce is also eaten on its own as a snack or as a side dish while apple butter, with its more concentrated flavor, is used as a condiment or topping for toast or muffins.

Use this smoky flavor sauce to marinate your chicken or pour it on top of ribs, steaks and sausages while they're still on the grill. And did you know that you can use it as a dipping sauce? Serve the sweet smoky hickory BBQ sauce next to chicken tenders or potato balls and enjoy a unique taste.

For 1 tablespoon the amount of carbohydrates is about 4–15 grams and the sugar content is about 4–10 grams. Apple butter is not a good source for iron, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin B, though it contains a small amount of vitamin C.

Apple Cider Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar is a versatile choice for BBQ sauce. It has a slightly fruity and tangy flavor that pairs well with the smoky and savory elements of BBQ. It adds a pleasant acidity and a touch of sweetness to the sauce.

Average shelf life unopened is 11 months. But after you open a jar, it is very important it is re-capped and refrigerated. It will last about a month in the refrigerator, but we usually finish out a jar in a couple of days. The same goes for any baked goods or cooked items made with apple butter.

The key to authentic American barbeque is hot smoking, sometimes known as “low 'n' slow” cooking. This entails cooking beef over low indirect heat for four to twenty four hours in a room that is smoke-filled. The most well-known meals include beef brisket, pork ribs, pulled pork shoulder, and whole hog barbeque.

Adding garlic or onion powder are standard flavors for barbecue, but get a little creative and try out different chile powders, peppers, cumin, or dried herbs to add body to the sauce.

Eastern Carolina-Style Vinegar Sauce

Found in the eastern half of both North and South Carolina, Eastern-style vinegar sauce has the unique honor of being the oldest barbecue sauce in the country. Given its origin in the 13 colonies, it's literally where American barbecue was born, at the hands of enslaved chefs.

If you want the apple butter thicker, you can continue to cook it on low with the lid of the slow cooker slightly ajar so that steam can escape. Allow the mixture to cool, then spoon into jars and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month, or freeze for up to 1 year.

What if my apple butter is too sweet? ›

If apple butter is too sweet: Mix in a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice or a little lemon zest to help balance the sweetness.

The only thing apple butter has in common with regular butter is its spreadability. But it's actually more comparable to preserves or jam than it is butter; it's really just concentrated fruit, maybe a bit of sugar, with no dairy in sight.

Whether you're using your barbecue sauce on pulled pork, ribs, chicken, or meatballs, a little apple cider vinegar can really improve the flavor. If you don't have any ACV on hand, red wine vinegar (made from fermented red wine) will do in a pinch.

When it comes to barbecue sauce, ACV brings the tanginess with an added touch of sweetness. You've got apple notes, as well as that element of cider — both welcome nuances to BBQ sauce. The needed acidity for balance is there but without all the sharp edges of white vinegar.

But when it comes down to it, both applesauce and apple butter can often be exchanged in baking recipes — especially when used as a replacement for some of the butter, oil, or eggs. Try this in our No Butter Choco-Chip Cookies or Yummy Applesauce Bread.

Applesauce can be used as a direct replacement for oil or melted butter in baking, meaning in a 1:1 ratio. If your recipe calls for 1/2 cup of oil, replace it with 1/2 cup of applesauce.

Apple Butter Uses

Use apple butter the way you'd use any fruit spread: Spread it on toast or biscuits, dollop it onto pancakes or waffles, stir it into your oatmeal, or use it to give your baked goods a burst of fruitiness.

Apple jam is like apple butter in that it features apples cooked down over a long period of time. However, apple jam is thinner in consistency, lighter in color, and often includes bits of fruit, whereas apple butter is thicker, darker in color (thanks to caramelization) and blended until smooth.