While barbecuing is a staple of summer, the team at My Family Tradition (MFT) in Boise, Idaho, is livening up an old ritual with their Blackberry Boom BBQ Sauce. Originally a storied family recipe, owner Scott Tharp refined the sauce using natural ingredients and a splash (or two) of the Blackberry Boom cider from fellow Boise artisan Meriwether Cider, all while keeping with the same taste that has been in his family for decades.
“The sauce was originally made as a dipping sauce for a tri-tip spring roll at a Meriwether Cider pairing dinner, but it was so tasty we had to bottle it,” says Janel Miles, Tharp’s wife and operations manager at the sauce and rub company.
Expanding beyond the BBQ sauce, MFT has put a twist on a few other kitchen basics. Now, the couple handcrafts batches of gourmet ketchup and more special sauces straight from their Boise kitchen.
A family favorite, the grilled blackberry chicken drums encompass all that is good about MFT’s Blackberry Sauce. The addition of cider in the sauce brings a sweet, savory taste to the chicken that offers a unique caramelized flavor. Wash it down with Meriwether’s Blackberry Boom and you might as well be a Boise native.
Grilled Blackberry Cider Chicken Drumsticks
Serves 4
Ingredients:
8-10 chicken drumsticks
1-2 teaspoons lemon pepper, to taste
1-2 cups My Family Tradition Blackberry Boom BBQ sauce, to taste
Coat the drumsticks in lemon pepper and place in bowl or dish. Let them sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Pre-heat a grill to 250° F. (The temperature will naturally rise when the chicken grease starts dropping, which is okay, just keep it under 300° F.)
Place on the grill and rotate every 5-10 minutes. Grill for 1 1/2-2 hours depending on the drumstick size, or until a thermometer reads 165° F of the internal temerpature. During the last 5-10 minutes of grilling, continually glaze the drums with MFT Blackberry Boom BBQ Sauce and rotate. Serve drums with a side of Blackberry BBQ dipping sauce and enjoy.
