Sweet and Smoky Cherry BBQ Grilled Chicken

Barbecue sauces can range from vinegary to sugary sweet or even mustardy. Here, we've combined a little of everything for a sauce that is flavorful and balanced. The star of this show is the humble cherry, adding a fruity sweetness that is noticeable but not overpowering. We've paired it with grilled chicken, but it would be equally good with salmon, ribs, pulled pork, burgers or even sweet potato fries.  

 
1 cup sweet & smoky cherry barbecue sauce, recipe follows 
3 lbs chicken drumsticks 
Freshly ground black pepper 
Salt 
 

Sweet & Smoky Cherry Barbecue Sauce 
1 lb fresh cherries, stems removed 
1 cup water 
1 Tbsp olive oil 
1 small yellow onion, chopped 
2 garlic cloves, chopped 
⅓ cup apple cider vinegar 
¼ cup dark brown sugar 
1 cup tomato sauce or tomato purée
1 chipotle pepper and 2 tsp adobo sauce from canned chipotles in adobo 
2 Tbsp yellow or smooth Dijon mustard 
1½ tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp ground cumin 
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp salt 

Combine cherries and water in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, occasionally stirring, until the fruit is softened, 10-15 minutes. Removed from heat, strain and let them cool. In the same sauce pan, add oil, onions and garlic, cooking over medium low heat until softened and slowly starting to brown. 

Once you can handle the cherries, sort through and remove the pits, adding the pitted cherries back to the sauce pan, discarding the pits. You can do this while the onion garlic mixture cooks. Once the mixture is softened and browning, deglaze the pan by adding the apple cider vinegar and stirring to scrape up any browned bits. Lower the heat to low, add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Simmer uncovered stirring occasionally, 25-30 minutes.  

Using an immersion blender, puree the mixture until smooth. If you don't have an immersion blender, transfer mixture to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust for seasonings. At this point, the sauce should not be quite as thick as your standard bottled barbecue sauce. You can store this sauce in a sealed jar in the fridge, should you have any leftovers.  

To make the chicken: 

Pat drumsticks dry and liberally season with salt and pepper.  

Prepare grill for medium-high heat. Once hot, clean and lightly oil the grill grates. During this time, the chicken should be resting and coming to temperature. Taking the chill off your meat before cooking leads to a juicier, more evenly cooked final product! 

Cook over direct heat, turning every 5-7 minutes. After 25-30 minutes, baste chicken with the prepared sweet and smoky cherry barbecue sauce. Continue cooking until a thermometer reads 165°F. Remove from grill and let the chicken rest 5-10 minutes before serving.  

Serves 6