Here's How Canned Fruit Can Really Amp Up Your Next BBQ Sauce

BBQ sauce is a vastly complex world full of zest and taste, with flavor profiles ranging from spicy to sweet, savory to smoky, and everything in between. But one unusual ingredient can give your next BBQ sauce an unexpected boost, thanks in part to classic flavor combinations of savory and sweet: canned fruit.

This smart tip comes from Brazilian grill master Silvio Correa, personal chef and founder of Silvio's BBQ full-service catering, who told Daily Meal about the rich possibilities of this combination. "Canned fruit is an incredible way to add depth and balance to BBQ sauce," he said, "because it brings both natural sweetness and acidity."

The juice from canned fruits also "help break down proteins, making the sauce richer and more complex," Correa told us. As an example, Correa previously created a Hawaiian-style chicken breast dish featuring cheese, BBQ sauce, and canned pineapple. "It's simple, delicious, and a crowd favorite," he said.

When it comes to using them for BBQ sauce, not all canned fruits are created equal. While some will elevate your dish with new complexities, others will sink it in disappointing textures or a flood of syrupy-sweet canned juice.

For the most BBQ sauce-friendly canned fruits, Silvio Correa recommended pineapples, peaches, and mangoes. "They bring tropical acidity that pairs beautifully with smoked meats," he explained. As a testament to this, mango is a popular BBQ sauce variety that's available from many brands. The tangy sweetness of mango layers nicely in BBQ sauces, and helps balance the savoriness of quality smoked meat. Fruits are already an unexpectedly good topping for burgers; try your next one with a mango BBQ sauce. 

Correa also told us of canned fruits to avoid adding to BBQ sauce. "Anything too fibrous, like pears, can create a gritty texture," he warned, "and overly sweet fruits, like cherries in syrup, can make the sauce too sugary." Although fresh cherries can go nicely with lamb, for example, the concentrated syrup that canned cherries sit in will create an overpowering BBQ sauce.

To properly incorporate canned fruit into a BBQ sauce, Silvio Correa follows a three-step process. The first step is simple; puree the canned fruit to avoid unpleasant chunks in the final dish. Once your fruit puree is smooth, carefully use it to balance the flavors of your BBQ sauce. "A good ratio is ¼ cup of pureed fruit per 1 cup of BBQ sauce," Correa advised, "enough to add depth without making it too sweet." Don't fret, though — if your BBQ sauce winds up too sweet, add vinegar to dial back the sugary notes.

Before you mix, don't just dump your canned fruit puree in BBQ sauce and call it a day. Most things we cook taste better with seasoning, especially this. "Cook the fruit with onions, garlic, and vinegar to enhance the complexity," Correa said. This step is what takes a canned fruit BBQ sauce to the next level.

Correa offered Daily Meal a "secret Brazilian tip" as his final piece of advice: "Add a splash of fresh lime juice at the end to brighten up the sauce. It cuts through the richness and enhances the smoky depth."