Today we’re preparing a decadent strawberry hot sauce. Sweet, spicy, and pleasantly thick, this sauce is great on beef or pork, or even as a rub for poultry or ribs.
As a nice bonus, it’s super easy to make, so without further introduction, let’s dive right in.
Why You’ll Love Today’s Recipe
1) So simple. This recipe really boils down to simmering some ingredients in a pan, and then letting it cool before processing it in the blender. It really is just that simple.
2) It keeps. Today’s sauce keeps in the fridge for several weeks, meaning you can make this ahead of time, and use it at your leisure.
3) It’s delicious. Sweet, spicy, and decadently thick, today’s hot sauce combines all the beloved flavors of a traditional hot sauce, with all of the richness and complexity of your favorite BBQ sauces.
Ingredient Notes, Tips, and Substitutions
1) Preserves, Jam, or Jelly? For this recipe, preserves are a must. The reason comes down to how these three different items are made. Jelly is made from (thoroughly) strained fruit juice, which is then combined with copious amounts of sugar, and usually some kind of thickener, such as pectin. When heated, this combination of ingredients returns to its naturally liquid form. Not fun. Jam is thicker than jelly, being made from fruit juice, either chopped fruit or fruit puree, along with lots of sugar. Thickeners are also ‘usually’ present, although most commercially produced jams are intended to be looser than jelly. Preserves, by contrast, are made with large chunks of fruit, or whole fruit in the case of berry preserves, which are then cooked in sugar before being bottled. Naturally, the preserves will cook down to a reduction, whereas jelly will liquify, and jam will ‘mostly’ liquify.
2) The Onion. We’re using red onion purely because I didn’t want to alter the color of the sauce. Also, I think red onions strike a nice balance between the oniony astringency of, say, white onions, and the fruit-like sweetness of sweet onions.
3) The Habanero. This is where the spice in today’s hot sauce is coming from. Habaneros are considered quite hot, scoring between 100,000-350,000 units on the Scoville heat scale. For reference, cayenne pepper is considered to be moderately hot, earning a mere 25,000-50,000 units, while jalapenos max out at around 10,000 units. As such, if you swap out today’s one habanero for one jalapeno, this sauce will go from pleasantly spicy to ‘very’ sweet – but this is purely preference.
Substitutes: Naturally, heat preferences vary, so you can of course consider either halving the habanero, or swapping it out for a less fiery pepper. This all down to preference.
4) The Vinegar – Why it’s all the same unless it’s Balsamic. There are a lot of different types of vinegar out there. There’s rice vinegar, malt vinegar, distilled white vinegar, white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, sherry vinegar, champagne vinegar (yes, that’s a thing), truffle vinegar (also a thing), plum vinegar (no, I’m not making that up), and the list goes on almost indefinitely. Indeed, there are literal textbooks devoted to outlining the shockingly nuanced differences between vinegars. That said, you might be surprised to learn that all vinegar is essentially just fermented ethanol (except for Balsamic), and that vinegar in general is used almost solely to add acidity to a recipe (except for Balsamic, which has myriad uses, and isn’t all that acidic anyway), or as a preservative and/or base for pickling (except for Balsamic, which has no such preservative properties). Shockingly – or not – the amount of variance between vinegars in terms of taste and texture is astoundingly negligible (except for Balsamic). In terms of texture, it’s worth noting that the consistency of almost all vinegars is roughly that of water (except for Balsamic, which ranges from only slightly viscous to syrupy). However, there have to be ‘some’ differences, right? Yes, but those differences are ‘very’ nuanced, and usually come down to the flavor of the base item from which the vinegar was produced. For example, plum vinegar will (shockingly) have a slight hint of plum in the background, and may contain plum pulp depending on whether or not the vinegar was strained. However, these flavors are often overpowered by the sheer acidity of the vinegar itself, and rarely if ever come through all that powerfully in the recipe into which these vinegars are being added. Naturally, these subtle differences ‘can’ shine through in raw recipes, or where there aren’t many other competing flavors – such as salad dressings, spreads, or dips.
Why we’re using Balsamic Vinegar: Because quality balsamic vinegar boasts a variety of rich flavors ranging from notes of chocolate and molasses, to things like cherry, fig, and prune. Higher quality balsamic vinegars will also have wood notes from the barrels it was aged in. Also, balsamic vinegar is ‘not’ acidic, but rather has a subtle tartness. These are all intensely desirable qualities in today’s sauce. As such, a few tablespoons of decent balsamic will add a nice hint of complexity to today’s sauce.
What to do with Today’s Sauce
1) Ribs. Today’s sauce works excellent as a rub for ribs, or as a dipping sauce. I would use it in the same way I would a regular wet rub. Simply rub the ribs down, and then either roast them in the oven or grill them on the barbecue. For an example of a similarly sweet wet rub, see my Blueberry Spar Ribs.
2) Fried Chicken. As we’re doing today, the sauce is ideally paired with fried foods. Think onion rings, fried chicken, or even fried pork chops. If you want to pair today’s hot sauce with similarly hot fried chicken, see my recipe for Cajun Fried Chicken. Furthermore, it's a delicious on next-day sandwiches 😉
3) Beef. Whether you pan searing a steak in butter and rosemary, or grilling it on the barbecue, today’s sauce would pair deliciously.
4) Pork. Grilled pork chops, or roasted pork tenderloin, paired with this hot sauce, is a match made in heaven.
Strawberry Hot Sauce
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
Ingredients
- 1 hot pepper (I’m using Scotch Bonnet)
- 1 1/4 cups strawberry preserves
- 2 tbs. butter
- 4-5 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp red pepper
- 1 and 1/3 tbs. balsamic vinegar
- 1 red onion (small/medium) - sliced
- 1 1/4 tsps. salt
Instructions
- Placed the peeled garlic cloves in a dry medium size cast iron pan over medium heat. Then add in the butter and the pepper (with the seeds). After the butter has begun melting, add in the red onion. Add in the red pepper and salt. Finally, add in the preserves, and stir gently to combined.
- Once the mixture has started to bubble around the edges, and has reduced to a thick liquid or reduction, add in the balsamic vinegar and turn off the heat. Stir gently, and then allow it to cool to room temperature on the stovetop.
- Once the sauce has reached room temperature, pour it into a blender and blend. The mixture can be refrigerated to achieve a thicker texture, or served immediately.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
Natasha Mairs says
I would have never thought to make a hot sauce with strawberries. But This does look nice and I would love to try it
Melissa Dixon says
This sounds and looks so good. I would love to try this out. We enjoy some spice so this would be perfect at my house.
David J Myers says
Catherine, I've tried a lot of hot sauces but never one that started with strawberries! Sounds and looks great and I love sauces with my fried chicken... Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
Thena Franssen says
This looks so good. I crave that sweet and hot flavor so I can't wait to give this recipe a try.
Jupiter Hadley says
Strawberry hot sauce sounds so unique and interesting! I'll have to try making some.
Gloria says
Yum. Sweet with heat is my kind of sauce. I can find lots of delicious ways to enjoy this for sure.
Bernice says
What an excellent combination. I was looking for a recipe to use up the habaneros I grew this summer and this one was perfect. Especially since we both love fruit paired with spice.
Ken Whitacre says
I made this with habanaro and used it on smoked wings wow it's great
Jacqueline Debono says
This hot strawberry sauce looks and sounds fabulous. I live in Italy and use good quality balsamic a lot. Balsamic with strawberries is a classic combo! One question the recipe ingredients include 1 tsp red pepper. Is that chili pepper like flakes?
Marta says
I made a batch of this strawberry hot sauce to serve with boneless pork chops and the family almost liked it more than the meat I served it on! LOL! This is such a unique, flavorful sauce that I know I'll have to try it on my charcuterie boards and other meats.
Sean says
I would have never thought to use strawberries in a hot sauce but this was very tasty.
Veronika says
OMG! This recipe is amazing! Made it yesterday and served with homemade ice cream, everyone loved it!
Dennis says
I used your strawberry sauce with a toasted pork and brie sandwich and it was ah-mazing!
Tristin says
Made this sauce to go with ribs and it is our new favorite! Loved the strawberry balsamic flavor!
Laura Arteaga says
This sauce was so delicious for our Nut Roast, really nice! Definitely keeping it for Christmas 🙂
Lisa says
Sweet, tart and hot is exactly how I like my sauces. So good and unique flavors too!
PyrotheWyvern says
I tried this with 2 cups fresh strawberries and 1/4 cup sugar since I didn’t have any preserves and it was delicious. I am definitely going to try it with the preserves next time.
Stephanie says
Can I blend the sauce ingredients before cooking them or does it have to be done after cooking?
Living the Gourmet says
Hi Stephanie, if you don't want a chunky sauce, you can blend the onion and garlic in a food processor or finely chop, then cook it down. Thank you for your question and for visiting! Enjoy!
Dale Folkman says
Where can I buy the hot sauce side? Thank you