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Sauce

Apricot Barbecue Sauce

A sauce made by boiling apricot nectar, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, olive oil, wine vinegar, salt, and chili powder.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 7 ingredients
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Why it works: Vinegar and mustard are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,067 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓

Apricot Barbecue Sauce

Time1 minute

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and heat until boiling over medium heat.

  2. Boil for 1 minute, then cool at room temperature, and refrigerate until ready to use.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

224Calories
1 gProtein
14 gFat
19 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Wine2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml)25
Apricot1 medium (35g)17
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Mustard1 tsp (5g) yellow3
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Vinegar + mustardtop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together14,067 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  2. Olive + mustardtop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,950 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  3. Olive + vinegartop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together12,297 recipes

    Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity).

  4. Olive + apricottop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together433 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl isobutyrate (fruity, ethereal).

  5. Wine + vinegartop 12% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,493 recipes

    Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Olive oil
Adds fat for richness and carries flavor through the sauce.
Wine vinegar
Adds acidity that balances the sweetness of the fruit and sugar.
Apricot nectar
Provides the liquid base, fruity flavor, and natural sweetness.
Brown sugar
Adds sweetness and caramel notes, and helps the sauce brown and thicken as it cooks.
Dijon mustard
Adds sharp flavor and helps bind the oil and vinegar together.

The step that matters

Heating the sauce to a boil. Sugar in the apricot nectar and brown sugar can scorch on the bottom of the pan over heat, giving a bitter taste. Keeping the heat at medium and stirring helps the sugar dissolve evenly and the sauce cook without burning.

Swap the apricot

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, wine, vinegar, sugar, mustard):

  1. Cherryfits better
  2. Plumfits better
  3. Grapefits about as well
  4. Apricotthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against olive, wine, vinegar, sugar, mustard. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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