Howdy all!
This is one of my all time favorite things to make. I've made it many times and it is a luscious addition to smoked pork. I changed up my recipe a little this year because I cold smoked the apricots for 3 hours. I used my A-Maze-N smoker using apple dust. Apricots have a thin skin and take well to smoking. I bit in to one after smoking and could definitely taste a mild smoke flavor. After it was prepared you still get a hint of richness which I contribute to the smoke. The addition of the Kirsch soaked cherries takes it to a whole new level.
I will tell you this is not a cheap thing to make. These cherries are very expensive at 25.00 a jar and I used two jars in this batch! But because you use a small amount either as a glaze for pork or better yet to serve with the finished smoked pork, it's just incredible. This is something I give as gifts during the holidays too. My friends ask for it specifically.
I started with 4 lbs. of beautiful apricots I purchased from the farmer's market. I left the skins on, did a cold smoke for 3 hours then cut them into chunks.
I drained my two jars of cherries and added them to the mix, put them on the stove to start a boil. I added a pinch of salt and scraped the seeds from a vanilla bean, added the seeds and then the whole pod to the mix.
I added two packages of pectin to the mix and brought it to a rolling boil. I then added 7 cups of sugar, stirred constantly for a couple of minutes. It's done!
I sterilized my jars in a water bath.
Then I filled the jars, returned to the bath for ten minutes. It's all done. It is a savory sweet that adds so much to a smoked pork!
This is one of my all time favorite things to make. I've made it many times and it is a luscious addition to smoked pork. I changed up my recipe a little this year because I cold smoked the apricots for 3 hours. I used my A-Maze-N smoker using apple dust. Apricots have a thin skin and take well to smoking. I bit in to one after smoking and could definitely taste a mild smoke flavor. After it was prepared you still get a hint of richness which I contribute to the smoke. The addition of the Kirsch soaked cherries takes it to a whole new level.
I will tell you this is not a cheap thing to make. These cherries are very expensive at 25.00 a jar and I used two jars in this batch! But because you use a small amount either as a glaze for pork or better yet to serve with the finished smoked pork, it's just incredible. This is something I give as gifts during the holidays too. My friends ask for it specifically.
I started with 4 lbs. of beautiful apricots I purchased from the farmer's market. I left the skins on, did a cold smoke for 3 hours then cut them into chunks.
I drained my two jars of cherries and added them to the mix, put them on the stove to start a boil. I added a pinch of salt and scraped the seeds from a vanilla bean, added the seeds and then the whole pod to the mix.
I added two packages of pectin to the mix and brought it to a rolling boil. I then added 7 cups of sugar, stirred constantly for a couple of minutes. It's done!
I sterilized my jars in a water bath.
Then I filled the jars, returned to the bath for ten minutes. It's all done. It is a savory sweet that adds so much to a smoked pork!
