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Recipe: Chef Michael Allemeier’s Evans Cherry BBQ Sauce
Last month Calgary played host to the first annual Brewery and The Beast, an event that brought together an incredible line up of chefs from Alberta who showcased their passion for all things meat. My first stop at the outdoor event was to see Chef Michael Allemeier and his colleagues at the SAIT School of Tourism and Hospitality.
The SAIT crew was serving up Smoked Hill View Colony pork shoulder, or as Chef Allemeier would call it, real BBQ. The cleaver chopped pieces of smoked pork shoulder were accented with Chef Allemeier’s hand-picked Evans Cherry BBQ sauce.
Chef Allemeier wanted me to stress that the key to the sauce is truly in the cherries. The Evans Cherry is a sour cherry that comes from a hardy tree that happens to grow well in Alberta. Even my mom has one of the self pollinating trees in her backyard; I raid her freezer for them often. If you don’t have that luxury you can pick or pick up up Evans Cherries at local orchards or at a farmer’s markets.
If you don’t own multiple smokers like Chef Allemeier, don’t worry, this sauce will be great on any piece of pork. Mix it in with your pulled pork, as a finishing sauce on ribs, as dip for your grilled pork chops, or on top as the perfect glaze for a pork tenderloin.
Chef Michael Allemeier’s Evans Cherry BBQ Sauce
2.5L fresh Evans Cherries
400ml brown sugar
400ml honey
200ml white sugar
400ml raspberry vinegar
400ml cider vinegar
750ml ketchup
1.4L water
15 pods green cardamom
5 quills cinnamon
5cm ginger – peeled and sliced
15ml red thai chili paste
Method
- Bring all ingredients to a simmer and simmer for five minutes.
- With hand blender – carefully puree cherries.
- Continue to simmer for 30 minutes.
- Pass through a sieve and chill.
