November Pit Crew Challenge | Dessert With Fruit Based BBQ Sauce

The Croix Valley Pit Crew Challenge for November was to create a dessert with one of our three fruit-based BBQ sauces.

Some of the more interesting sauces in our lineup are the ones we make with fresh fruit. If you haven't met them, their names are Cran-B-Cue, Blue-B-Cue, and Rhubarbecue. They are of course made with cranberries, blueberries, and rhubarb.

They're excellent on pork, chicken, and ribs, but with a little imagination they can create wonderfully unique desserts. Our professional Pit Crew members kind of went crazy with this one, so get ready for the wild world of fruity BBQ desserts!

Al Gackstetter | Blueberry Cheesecake
@pigseyebbq

"Heated up some @croixvalley Blue-B-Cue Sauce and added some fresh blueberries while smoking on the @traegergrills over some @jealousdevilpellets"

Al Gackstetter | Smoked Cream Cheese with Blue-B-Cue Sauce
@pigseyebbq

"Smoked Cream Cheese with @croixvalley Blue-B-Sauce and Sweet Heat Rub is the Perfect Holiday Treat! I added some blueberries, little baking soda, and some cream while heating up the sauce on the @traegergrills using some Jax @jealousdevilpellets."

Mike Schilling | Blue-B-Quream Cheese Danishes
@smokin_highwaymen_bbq

Mike Schilling | Creme Brûlée with Cran-B-Cue and Honey Pig Candy
@smokin_highwaymen_bbq

"A couple reasons I can think of to make this for your Thanksgiving guests this year. First, it’s relatively easy and most of it can be done ahead of time. Second, as one of Julia Childs guests said, “every woman needs a blowtorch.” So do men, if you don’t have one already. Crème Brûlée with a Cran-B-Cue and honey pig candy, and sugar coated softened cranberries. This would work great with Blue-B-Cue and blueberries as well!"

Mike Schilling | Blueberry and Cranberry Napoleans
@smokin_highwaymen_bbq

"The family was making these disappear as fast as I could assemble them. Napoleons with simmered fresh blueberries and cranberries with lemon curd and whipped cream. Easy to make, assembly is a little tedious, but delicious and the lemon curd takes it to the next level. A little baking soda will balance the acidity in these @croixvalley fruit sauces making them a great flavor enhancer in sweet fruit dishes."

Scott Nardi | Blue-B-Cue Turnovers
@scootertrash78

"I’m not much of a baker but my better half Jessica Barnes can do some pretty fantastic stuff with dough! Got home from work today and had a fresh batch of @croixvalley Blue-B-Cue turnovers waiting for a taste test. They were fantastic!"

Jen Lauer | Croix Valley Thumbprint Cookies
@phoenix.bbq

"A creative little twist on a Christmas classic. Thumbprint cookies with Croix Valley Cran-B-Cue, Blue-B-Cue, and Rhubarbecue."

Dan Dicke | Blue-B-Cue Cobbler
@922bbq

"Typically I like to wait a bit before handing in my assignments, but thinking over the task of making a dessert with barbecue sauce, I had a bit of a nostalgia attack, so I made a blueberry cobbler the same way I have for the last twenty plus years. I grabbed a yellow cake mix and a can of pie filling and just made it up as I went along, adding Croix Valley Blue-B-Cue to the ramshackle. No measuring days of when I was in boy scouts, and to my surprise the sauce added a delightful, sweet and savory element."

As you can see, a little creativity with our fruit-based BBQ sauces unlocks an entire realm of new desserts. At Croix Valley we're always trying to think about everyday cooking in a new way. Sometimes even the smallest changes can create an entire new flavor profile. Keep an eye out next month for a challenge that includes a sneak peak of two brand new products!

If you're an adventurous soul when it comes to Croix Valley products, be sure to share your meals online with the hashtag #croixvalleynation so we can share them with everyone else.

And don't forget that we give out a coveted Croix Valley Tumbler every month to someone using that hashtag!

See ya' around the grill!