Cilantro Orange Barbeque Sauce

By | ,

Cilantro-Orange Barbeque Sauce, MountainMamaCooks

Last week, I actually tried to “plan out” a week of menus. Something I don’t ever do. I’ve always liked the idea of making whatever sounds good opposed to making something I have to make because I bought the groceries. And during the winter, it works for me since I seem to be at the grocery store just about everyday anyway because of my clients. But this time of year, I don’t want to go to the grocery store. I want to play outside with my boys. Too many nights, I’ve been caught with nothing to make for dinner. So last Sunday, I planned 4 dinners for the week. Still giving us the flexibility of going out if we wanted but I knew I had some go to items when the dinner clock struck.

Orange Cilantro Barbeque Sauce, Mountian Mama Cooks

And when I say I planned 4 meals, I mean that in the loosest sense. I bought stuff to do breakfast for dinner one night, I bought a lb of ground beef, a ton of fruit and vegetables and two pork chops. I figured I could come up with something to make 3 nights and hopefully enough leftovers for night four. Funny that I even bought pork chops because I don’t really eat them that often. My husband loves them but since I do the cooking, I don’t buy them much. I don’t dislike them, I’m just sort of indifferent, I guess.

Grilling Pork Chops with Cilantro-Orange BBQ Sauce, Mountain Mama Cooks

With that being said, I was determined to make them spectacular. I usually do a quick pan sear and serve the chops with homemade apple butter. With it being as hot as it has been, I decided to take them out to the grill. I came up with a knock your socks off barbeque sauce. It’s perfectly sweet, tangy from the orange and freshness of the cilantro rounds it out. The best part is this sauce took all of 8 minutes to make.

Orange Cilantro BBQ Sauce, Mountain Mama Cooks

I still don’t know if I love pork chops but I love them more when they are slathered in this sauce. I am already thinking of all the ways I could use this sauce. It’s seriously that good. As far as the menu planning, I’m kind of digging it. So we’ll see, maybe I’m turing a new leaf!

Enjoy!!

If you enjoyed this recipe, you might like:
100 Ways to Cook with BBQ Sauce, by Endliss Simmer
Hoisin Barbeque Sauce, by Smitten Kitchen
East Carolina BBQ Sauce, by Noble Pig
Dr. Pepper BBQ Sauce, by Simply Recipes

Cilantro Orange Barbeque Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons dry, ground mustard
  • zest of one small orange
  • 2 tablespoons orange juice (the juice of one small orange)
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon each, salt and pepper
  • 1/4 cup fresh, chopped cilantro

Preparation:

In a small sauce pan, over medium heat, combine ketchup, apple cider vinegar, dry mustard, orange zest, orange juice and brown sugar. Stir to combine and bring to a low boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in fresh cilantro. Simmer 2 minutes more. Remove from heat and use to baste grilled pork chops or chicken. *This sauce makes enough for 4 pork chops or single chicken breasts.