This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

|

Rhubarb Sauce for Canning – New Ways to Use Your Rhubarb

When rhubarb is in abundance, it's a great time to preserve some of the bounty. This spring I made up two types of rhubarb sauce for canning; a batch of savory rhubarb Victoria sauce (left), which is basically a rhubarb barbeque sauce, and some rhubarb-orange compote (right). Unique and flavorful, these recipes are great for gift giving or to save a bit of springtime for your own use.

rhubarb sauce jars
Rhubarb BBQ sauce

Rhubarb-B-Q Rhubarb Sauce
(Victoria Sauce)

from the Ball Blue Book of Preserving

Ingredients

8 cups chopped rhubarb
3 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups raisins
1/2 cup chopped onion (about 1/2 medium)
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp salt

Directions

In a large, heavy bottomed, stainless steel stock pot (I used my 8 qt), combine rhubarb, brown sugar, raisins, onion and vinegar. Mixture will initially get watery, then rhubarb will soften and break down and the color will darken.

Rhubarb-BQ sauce
Savory rhubarb sauce

I know that my kids would not be excited to see raisins in their meat sauce, so at this point I hit it with an immersion blender. Be careful not to splash yourself! Simmer until thick. As mixture thickens, stir frequently to prevent sticking.

Victoria Sauce

Add spices; cook 5 minutes longer. Ladle hot sauce into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 15 minutes in a water bath canner.

Yield: about four 1-pint jars.

Print

Rhubarb-B-Q Sauce

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 8 cups chopped rhubarb
  • 3 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups raisins
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion (about 1/2 medium)
  • 1/2 cup cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp ground allspice
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp salt

Instructions

  1. In a large, heavy bottomed, stainless steel saucepan, combine rhubarb, brown sugar, raisins, onion and vinegar. Mixture will initially get watery, then rhubarb will soften and break down and the color will darken.
  2. Blend with an immersion blender, if desired, for a smooth sauce.
  3. Simmer until thick. As mixture thickens, stir frequently to prevent sticking.
  4. Add spices; cook 5 minutes longer. Ladle hot sauce into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 15 minutes in a water bath canner.
  5. Yield: about four 1-pint jars.

Share a photo and tag us — we can't wait to see what you've made!

Rhubarb-orange compote

Rhubarb-orange compote ingredients with some fresh and some frozen rhubarb

Rhubarb-Orange Compote

from Preserving for All Seasons

In Preserving for All Seasons, Anne Gardon says, “This tangy compote can serve many purposes: to fill crepes and pies, to flavor muffins or to combine with cottage cheese or ricotta to make a refreshing breakfast.”

Ingredients

3 oranges, preferably organic
8 cups rhubarb, in chunks, fresh or frozen
4 cups sugar
pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon

Directions

  1. Grate orange peel. (I like to use my microplace zester.) Then peel orange with sharp knife, removing the white layer. Chop the pulp, removing seeds as you go.
  2. Combine all ingredients in heavy saucepan and bring slowly to a boil, while stirring. Reduce heat and cook until thick (20 to 25 minutes).
  3. Ladle hot sauce into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 10 minutes in a water bath canner. Alternatively, cool and freeze.

Yields about 4 cups.

Print

Rhubarb-Orange Compote

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

This tangy compote can serve many purposes: to fill crepes and pies, to flavor muffins or to combine with cottage cheese or ricotta to make a refreshing breakfast.

  • Yield: 4 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 3 oranges, preferably organic
  • 8 cups rhubarb, in chunks, fresh or frozen
  • 4 cups sugar
  • pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Grate orange peel. Then peel orange with sharp knife, removing the white layer. Chop the pulp, removing seeds as you go.
  2. Combine all ingredients in heavy saucepan and bring slowly to a boil, while stirring. Reduce heat and cook until thick (20 to 25 minutes).
  3. Ladle hot sauce into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner. Alternatively, cool and freeze.

Nutrition

  • Calories: 3487
  • Sugar: 846
  • Sodium: 47
  • Fat: 2
  • Saturated Fat: 1
  • Unsaturated Fat: 2
  • Trans Fat: 0
  • Carbohydrates: 891
  • Protein: 12
  • Cholesterol: 0

Share a photo and tag us — we can't wait to see what you've made!

rhubarb sauce jars

You may also enjoy:

If you need tips for growing rhubarb, check out The Complete Guide to Growing Rhubarb.

Preserving for All Seasons
Canning for a New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavors for the Modern Pantry
Better Homes and Gardens You Can Can: A Guide to Canning, Preserving, and Pickling (Better Homes and Gardens Crafts)
Preserving for All Seasons
Canning for a New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavors for the Modern Pantry
Better Homes and Gardens You Can Can: A Guide to Canning, Preserving, and Pickling (Better Homes and Gardens Crafts)
$14.18
$34.99
$22.00
Preserving for All Seasons
Preserving for All Seasons
$14.18
Canning for a New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavors for the Modern Pantry
Canning for a New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavors for the Modern Pantry
$34.99
Better Homes and Gardens You Can Can: A Guide to Canning, Preserving, and Pickling (Better Homes and Gardens Crafts)
Better Homes and Gardens You Can Can: A Guide to Canning, Preserving, and Pickling (Better Homes and Gardens Crafts)
$22.00

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

15 Comments

  1. I have made victorian sauce for years, but never used it for bbq sauce. I used it more like a salsa for meat. It is to die for with venison and any kind of pork.

  2. I think this is better than any BBQ sauce I’ve ever had. Just made a pot. I did break the laws of canning and added garlic, a dried pasilla pepper (they taste like raisins and I was a wee bit short), 2 chipotle peppers and some spanish smoked paprika. Amazing. If I tasted it blind I wouldn’t guess rhubarb was in this at all, in fact you could cut back on the sugar (if you feel safe breaking the laws of safe canning) for a tart-er sauce. Will be making this one again and again.

    THANK YOU for sharing.

    1. Glad you liked it. Another option for those tweaking the recipe a little more would be to freeze the finished product – no worries about breaking the canning rules.

  3. OMG! The Rhubarb-B-Q sauce is quite possibly the tastiest thing I’ve ever canned! Thanks for sharing!