Wajos Apricot-Onion Sauce. Apricot, onion and chili, fruity-sweet and savory – the barbecue sauce that tastes like a chutney.

Wajos Apricot-Onion Sauce is a fruity sauce made from 26 percent apricot pulp, 13 percent apricots, 16 percent onions, 4 percent sun-dried tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, garlic and chili, 245 ml from Dohr on the Moselle. Not a ketchup, not a smoky barbecue sauce, not a jam, but a sweet and savory sauce with bits that belongs with grilled meat and on a burger.

Apricot-Onion Sauce from Wajos sits between two jars you know: chutney and barbecue sauce. A chutney is fruit with onion and vinegar, reduced down, usually served with cheese. A barbecue sauce is tomato with sugar and smoke, usually served with sausage. This bottle takes the apricot and onion from the chutney, and the consistency and chili from the barbecue sauce. This lands it exactly where both would be out of place on their own: next to a pork steak from the grill, on a burger, in a wrap.

Apricot forward, onion behind, chili at the end

The sauce is orange to amber in color, with pieces of onion and fruit. First comes the sweetness of the apricot – almost 40 percent of the bottle is apricot pulp and apricots. Then the onion, mild and slightly roasted, then a chili heat that stays briefly and then fades. Dried tomatoes and balsamic vinegar made from white wine vinegar and grape juice provide depth and acidity, garlic provides the spice. To be honest: sugar is the second ingredient, and at a good 34 grams per 100 milliliters, the sauce is sweet – a spoonful is the right dose, half a bottle would be too much. It is not suitable for those who expect a hearty, smoky barbecue sauce instead of fruit – in that case, the Barbecue Sauce with Hickory Smoked Salt from Wajos is the right choice.

With pork, lamb, poultry, on burgers and in wraps

At the grill, it is the sauce for everything that can handle sweetness: pork neck, lamb chops, chicken legs, spare ribs, and also halloumi and grilled zucchini. A spoonful on the side, or brushed onto the meat for the last five minutes, causes the apricot to caramelize. On a burger, it replaces ketchup and onion rings at once; in a wrap with chicken and salad, it does what mango chutney would otherwise do. With cheese, it works like a chutney: with Camembert, mountain cheese or goat cheese on a snack platter. And warmed up, a spoonful in the gravy for a pork roast adds fruit and onion, already chopped from the bottle. It is not suitable for fish or anything that is mild and delicate – the sweetness takes over there.

Our tip: Mix two tablespoons of Apricot-Onion Sauce with one tablespoon of mustard and brush as a glaze onto chicken legs for the last ten minutes in the oven – the skin becomes dark and sticky.

A barbecue sauce from the house that started with liqueurs

Wajos is located in Dohr near Cochem on the Moselle and originated from a winemaking family: Walter Josef Oster from Ediger-Eller, 15th generation, founded a liqueur manufactory in the 1980s, which his son Peter Oster and Ulf Schwichtenberg turned into the Wajos brand starting in the 2000s. Today, over 80 people work in Dohr, and the company carries around 900 items – the sauces are among the products that are cooked on-site and tested in their own laboratory. The fact that white wine balsamic vinegar is in a barbecue sauce fits a company with vineyards in its background.

The sauce for barbecue evenings, burger nights and snack platters

The Apricot-Onion Sauce is the bottle for everyone who wants to offer more than just ketchup and mustard at the grill while still keeping things simple. It’s the perfect gift for a barbecue party and fits into any package with a rub, such as the Jerk Chicken Rub, or the Burger & Sandwich Sauce as a second bottle. All barbecue sauces are listed on our Wajos page. Once unopened, the bottle should be stored in a dry place away from light; once opened, keep it in the refrigerator; 245 ml is enough for a good ten barbecue evenings. It is not suitable for anyone who needs to watch their sugar intake – fruit and sugar are what give it its character.

Apricot, onion and chili in a bottle from the Moselle – the barbecue sauce for everyone who actually wants a chutney.