Wild Blackberry Homemade BBQ Sauce

If you have ever spent a hot and humid afternoon picking through briars and brambles to get your hands on sweet-tart and juicy wild blackberries, then you know how precious this Wild Blackberry Homemade BBQ Sauce is. Mixed with a little blood, sweat and tears (optional), we are sharing this amazing BBQ sauce recipe with you.

You can thank my husband for the idea. If it were up to me, these little beauties would have been in a blackberry cobbler. This is definitely one of those times when I am glad I listened to him. (Yeah, yeah, this is my way of saying he was right.)

Wild Blackberry Homemade BBQ Sauce. The second best idea my husband has ever had.

If you have any romantic notions about picking wild blackberries, forget them. They are a quite tricky fruit to pick, but well worth the pain and suffering.

Wild blackberries are an excellent fruit for the perfect tangy-sweet taste in this homemade BBQ Sauce.

These were the first batch of blackberries picked from my mom and step-dad’s this year. So. good.

Tips on picking wild blackberries:

• Wear long sleeves and pants and shoes with covered toes. No matter how hot it is outside, you will thank me for this later.
• Pick the berries in clusters by cupping them in your hand, careful not to grab a briar.
• Only pick the ripe berries. Once you pick them they do not continue to ripen. Just tug a little and if it comes right off, it is ripe. If not, the berry isn’t ready.
• Place picked berries in shallow containers and don’t pack them in. If they are weighed down by other berries they will start to bruise.
• Squat down and look at the bush from all angles. You will be surprised at how many ripe, juicy blackberries are hiding in there.

(About to head over there to pick more as soon as I finish this post. That means more blackberry recipes are coming!)

The idea for making these fresh wild blackberries into the BBQ sauce of dreams came from my husband. He heard of someone using a blackberry sauce with pulled pork.

After giving it just a little thought, I knew we could make an amazing sauce.

This is a super-easy recipe that anyone can make at home. Get our complete homemade bbq sauce recipe and how-to at the end of this post. This batch will almost fill a quart-sized jar, and can easily be increased if you have a huge blackberry crop.

One thing I knew for sure…I wanted people to know it was blackberry BBQ sauce when they tasted it. The vibrant color, fruit and seeds are my favorite part of this homemade sauce recipe.

(If you aren’t a fan of seeds, then…not sure you like blackberries anyway. But you can certainly strain the blackberry “mush” through a sieve first if you prefer.)

Kind of looks like blackberry jam, doesn’t it? Trust me…this is definitely a tart and tangy BBQ sauce.

More deliciously different Southern recipes:

Sweet + Smoky Oven Baked Baby Back Ribs

Tennessee Tomato Gravy

Blueberry and Buttermilk Fried Chicken Salad

Fried Green Tomato BLT’s

Okra Peppers and Vidalia

We made the recipe thin enough to brush and baste your favorite grilling meats, but thick enough to stick.

The sauce is sweet, but not so sweet and sugary that it burns easily.

The first thing we put this sauce on? Ribs. So delicious!!

Look how gorgeous this Homemade BBQ Sauce is. And it tastes even better than it looks.

The fruity bursting berry flavor combined with brown sugar, honey and spices…my mouth is literally watering thinking about it. You have to try this BBQ sauce recipe and let us know what you think.

Warning, the next few pictures are graphically delicious.

So good, I couldn’t quit eating these saucy ribs. Not only did we baste the ribs while cooking, but we dipped them into more while eating.

What can I say, I ♥ the sauce.

P.S. This BBQ sauce is also excellent on chicken. (Yes, we had it again the next night.)

Ok, this is the last picture of sauce-smothered ribs I will share.

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4.8 from 10 votes

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Wild Blackberry Homemade BBQ Sauce

Tangy, sweet and tart homemade barbecue sauce made with wild Tennessee blackberries. This sauce is great for grilling, dipping, and basting.

Course Sauce

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 28

Calories 40 kcal

Author Buy This Cook That

Buy This

• 3 1/2 cups fresh wild blackberries rinsed and drained
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon yellow prepared mustard
• 2 teaspoons Sriracha
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Cook That

1. In a medium sized sauce pan combine 2 1/2 cups of the blackberries with all remaining ingredients except the water.
2. Using a hand held blender, blend all ingredients to desired consistency. Heat to medium heat, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in the water and the remaining whole berries. Increase heat to a low boil, stirring constantly.
4. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes or to desired thickness. Stir frequently to prevent sticking.
5. Remove from heat and cool. Pour into a clean quart jar and seal. Refrigerate.

Recipe Notes

If you do not have a hand held blender, place the noted ingredients into a standard blender or food processor before cooking.

BBQ Sauce will thicken upon standing and refrigeration.

Nutrition Facts

Wild Blackberry Homemade BBQ Sauce

Amount Per Serving (2 tablespoons)

Calories 40

% Daily Value*

Sodium 96mg 4%

Potassium 59mg 2%

Total Carbohydrates 9g 3%

Dietary Fiber 1g 4%

Sugars 8g

Vitamin A 2.8%

Vitamin C 5.2%

Calcium 1%

Iron 1.3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.