4 BBQ recipes featuring Pure Maple Syrup
Get ready for grilling season with a few sweet recipes featuring some true taste of the forest!
Nothing says summer like barbecue. The smoky aromas. The sizzling sounds. The mouth-watering food shared with family and friends.
Well, here are two words that add even more fun to the BBQ equation: Maple Syrup.
From the maple-rich hills of Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom to the funkiest barbecue joints in America and in backyards all across the country, the nation’s Barbecue Grilling Community is no stranger to the power of maple to enliven the BBQ experience.
Maple syrup can truly be a game-changing ingredient in BBQ recipes, which is why our crew rounded up a handful of maple BBQ recipes for you to try this summer.
But first, let’s start with a nice multi-purpose maple syrup barbecue sauce:
HOMEMADE MAPLE BBQ SAUCE
Source: The Prairie Homestead
This quick and “insanely easy” recipe comes from Jill Winger, a south Wyoming homesteader, and entrepreneur who created the popular Prairie Homestead website, and who confesses to once having been intimated by homemade barbecue sauce.
Not anymore! This one uses maple syrup as the sweetener, she says, “Because, well, I love maple syrup, and thought a deviation from the normal honey BBQ sauces would be nice.”
Ingredients:
- 2 cups tomato sauce (or one 14.5 oz can)
- 1 can (6 oz) of tomato paste
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup real maple syrup (for this key ingredient, we’re partial to SAPJACK, including our spiced, smoky Bourbon Aged flavor)
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1–2 teaspoons liquid smoke (optional, for smoky flavor)
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, for a kick)
Instructions:
- Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan, then bring to a simmer over medium heat.
- Continue to mix and simmer for 10-15 minutes so all the ingredients can meld together.
- Transfer to a jar and store in the refrigerator for up to several weeks. You can also freeze it for longer storage.
MAPLE SYRUP BARBECUED CHICKEN
Source: Grill Master University
Next up is a sweet Maple Syrup Barbecued Chicken dish from Grill Master University down around the bend in Philadelphia. This doesn’t require much syrup (just 3 tablespoons) and if you ever run out, we’ve got plenty more. Check out the video and try it out for yourself.
Ingredients:
- 4 skinless chicken thighs
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup (yep, we recommend SAPJACK for this one, too)
- 3 tablespoons chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 cup applewood chips
Instructions:
- Soak applewood chips in water for 30 minutes.
- Preheat grill.
- Combine syrup, chili sauce, vinegar, and mustard together in a saucepan.
- Let simmer for 5 minutes.
- Brush chicken with the oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Add wood chips to coals.
- Place chicken on the grill and cook for 10−15 minutes or until fork-tender.
- Turn occasionally and brush generously with sauce in the last few minutes before they are done.
GRILLED FLANK STEAK WITH MAPLE SOY GLAZE
Source: Tablespoon
Is there anything better than the sweet smell of maple-glazed flank steak fizzling over a hot grill on a warm spring or summer day? Indulge in this tasty maple-jacked recipe out of Minneapolis from Tablespoon (a recipe treasure trove offered up by General Mills):
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup real maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1–1/3 lb beef flank steak
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
Instructions:
- Heat your gas or charcoal grill.
- In a small bowl, mix soy sauce, maple syrup, lemon juice, and garlic.
- Reserve 2 tablespoons maple soy sauce mixture in a small container.
- Place the remaining mixture in a 1–1/2 quart saucepan.
- Heat to boiling over medium heat.
- Reduce heat to low.
- Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until reduced to 1/4 cup.
- Remove from heat; set aside.
Next:
- Brush beef with melted butter; sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Place on grill over high heat (475°F to 500°F).
- Cover grill; cook 5 to 7 minutes or until beef releases from grates easily.
- Turn; brush the first side with reserved 2 tablespoons maple soy sauce mixture.
- Continue to cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until desired doneness (145° for medium-rare).
- Let stand for 5 minutes.
And finally:
- Cut beef across grain, on the bias, into thin slices.
- Drizzle with reduced maple soy sauce mixture from the saucepan.
- Top with basil and green onions.
MAPLE CHIPOTLE BARBECUE PORK TENDERLOIN
Source: Flavor Mosaic
Get ready for the sweet smell of pork sizzling on your grill with this simple, fast, four-ingredient recipe from the good folks at Flavor Mosaic down in San Antonio. Seriously, it’s “easy enough that anyone in the family can make it,” in just 25 minutes.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound pork tenderloin
- 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
- 1/2 cup maple syrup (Q: What kind? A: SAPJACK, please)
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder (adjust the amount to your preferred level of spiciness)
- (Note: We suppose you could also adjust the amount of maple syrup to your preferred level of SAPJACK-iness)
Instructions:
- Preheat grill to high and lightly oil grate.
- In a small bowl mix together barbecue sauce, maple syrup, and chipotle chile powder.
- Brush sauce on the pork to cover the entire pork tenderloin.
- Cook the pork on the preheated grill, turning occasionally until it has reached an internal temperature of 145 degrees F, which takes about 20 minutes.
What’s So Great About Grilling with Maple?
Maple syrup is becoming such a grilling staple that foodies and food websites everywhere are spreading the word. In the future, our crew hopes to deliver even more BBQ recipes featuring some true taste of the forest!
