Peach Bourbon BBQ Sauce #BourbonBBQ

Summer... it's here!!  And that means grilling season is upon us.  Well, here in San Diego grilling season is pretty much an all year round affair, but with May deemed National BBQ Month we are right now all about food over the open fire.  When grilling, whether it be chicken, salmon, vegetables or even pizza (yes, we grill our pizza!), condiments become a key ingredient to success.

And what's speaks more to grilling or BBQing than a good, sweet and tangy BBQ Sauce?  Different parts of the country will have very strong opinions as to what a "good" and "proper" BBQ Sauce is.  For example... dining in Memphis?  The sauce served will most likely be a thinner, tomato based sauce with a heavy tang of vinegar.  Or how about the Carolina's?  Here BBQ means pork, and only pork, and usually a mustard based sauce often with some sort of slaw on the side.  Kansas City?  Perhaps the most recognizable BBQ Sauce type, this sauce tends to be sweeter, heavy on the tomato and with only a slight vinegar tang and perhaps a trace of smoke.

But what about California?  Here just about anything goes, and today we bring you a sweet yet tangy Peach Bourbon BBQ Sauce.  Inspired by Four Roses Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, this sauce includes caramelized sauteed onions enhanced with the rich bourbon flavors and then combined with sweet, fresh peaches.  Going  California style, our sauce is perfect with grilled salmon or chicken, but also a wonderful addition to pulled pork.

Having spent three years of my life living in Louisville, Kentucky, bourbon has a special place in my heart.  To be a true Bourbon, the product must be distilled only in the US.  While it may be distilled anywhere in the US, you will find most Bourbons are distilled in Kentucky.  Bourbons must be aged in new, charred oak barrels and must be distilled from at least 51% corn.  Different distillers use varying combinations of other grains including rye, barley, and wheat, but the corn must stay at 51%.

When bottled, all Bourbons must be at least 80 proof, though many will exceed this requirement.  However unlike many other distilled spirits, Bourbon may not contain any artificial colorings or additives, hence, the caramel color of bourbon comes only from the barrel it was aged in.

Four Roses, like most other bourbons, hails from Kentucky with its distillery located in Lawrenceburg.  It's said that Four Roses founder, Paul Jones Jr. became smitten by the beauty of a southern belle.  After proposing to the belle, she replied that if the answer was "Yes", she would wear a corsage of roses to the upcoming grand ball.  Arriving in a beautiful gown also she wore a corsage of 4 red roses, and Mr. Jones named his Bourbon "Four Roses" as a symbol of his passion for his lovely belle.

Thank you to Four Roses for sending us samples of their single barrel bourbon whiskey and for bringing a little bit of Kentucky to our California home.  Whether you live in the East, South, North or West, Peach Bourbon BBQ Sauce is sure to enhance your meal for National BBQ Month.  #BourbonBBQ  Definitely a reason to get outside and grill!

Chunky Peach BBQ Sauce

Early this spring I received reports of Dad's much loved peach tree teeming with blossoms.  Weeks later had little baby fruits growing, and today we have ripe, rosy peaches!!!  Moving into his home a few years ago he was thrilled when the neighbors gushed about the abundance of peaches his tree provided to the neighborhood, and they were so right.  Today, not only does Dad provide peaches to his neighbors, but me and mine as well.

Knowing that the tree was doing its job, I did my own job in preparation of the harvest and gleaned every recipe I could during my blog travels.  While the last few days have had us enjoying the rosy fruits my favorite way, simply sliced and eaten out of hand, today some of the little gems were in danger of becoming overripe and the request from my son for another Pork Tenderloin sent me to one of my favorite recipes - Peach BBQ Sauce.

Sweet yet tart with just a hint of spice (unless you want more) Peach BBQ Sauce works wonderfully with the pork.  Originally from Epicurious, I've adapted the versatile recipe to suit our tastes;  on occasion we have a vegetarian version while others call for the flavors of the full bacon enhanced version.  My personal preference for a chunky sauce has me omitting the straining direction, but I can imagine that the strained sauce would be stunning!  Either way the sauce is a true treat and has summer flying full speed ahead.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Chunky Peach BBQ Sauce