Last updated on April 13th, 2023
Jezebel sauce is a sweet and spicy condiment that originated in the South. Serve as an appetizer over cream cheese or as a glaze over roasted meat.
Jezebel. She’s one of history’s first bad girls. Wife of King Ahab, the Bible tells us she persuaded her husband to abandon God and worship false prophets, leading to Ahab’s utter ruination and the end of his descendants.
Today, her name is used as slang to describe a woman of questionable moral fiber. Goodness …
What is Jezebel Sauce?
I’m not quite sure how the former queen’s name became synonymous with this sweet and spicy condiment. It starts out sweet enough with a mixture of pineapple preserves and apple jelly. But then it comes back to attack the palate with a spicy kick from horseradish sauce.
One thing I know for sure, it’s a Southern thing. Some claim it originated right here in Mississippi along the Gulf Coast region. I can’t confirm or deny that. It’s really addictive served over cream cheese with crackers, the former seems to mellow out the bite from the horseradish sauce. But it also pairs well as a sauce for pork and chicken.
How to Make Jezebel Sauce
Start by combining one 18-ounce jar of pineapple preserves with once 18-ounce jar of apple jelly in a medium saucepan. Add three tablespoons dried mustard (not the same as yellow mustard from a bottle) and one teaspoon ground black pepper. Heat over medium low heat until the two jams melt together and everything is combined.
Remove the pan from the heat and add one 6.5-ounce jar of prepared horseradish. Prepared horseradish is different from horseradish sauce that usually comes in a squeeze bottle. Prepared horseradish is finely grated horseradish root pickled in vinegar. Horseradish sauce is prepared horseradish that has been mixed with sour cream or mayonnaise. The flavor of horseradish sauce is not as strong as prepared horseradish. Whenever you are out buying your ingredients, make sure the bottle looks something like this …
Allow the sauce to cool completely. Then transfer it to a covered container and let it chill in the refrigerator for eight hours.
How to Store Jezebel Sauce
When stored in a sealed container, Jezebel sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. It can also be frozen for up to three months. Just make sure to leave about an inch of headspace at the top to allow for expansion.
If you enjoy canning, you are in luck! Fill clean jars with the sauce, leaving 1/4-inch of headspace. Seal each jar with a lid and ring, then process for 10 minutes using the water bath canning method. Check out my tutorial on water bath canning for more information.
More Condiment Recipes You Might Be Interested In:
Jezebel Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 (18-ounce) jar pineapple preserves
- 1 (18-ounce) jar apple jelly
- 3 tablespoons dried mustard
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 (6.5 ounce) jar prepared horseradish
Instructions
- Heat pineapple preserves, apple jelly, mustard and black pepper together in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about five minutes until the sauce is warm and all the ingredients are evenly combined.
- Remove from heat and stir in horseradish.
- Allow the sauce to cool. Then cover and refrigerate for 8 hours before serving.
Hi, Becky! Most experts recommend using the canned sauce within 12-18 months. I should still be safe to eat beyond that as long as the seal doesn’t break. But the taste quality can start to diminish over time.
a favorite tailgate treat — what is the shelf life when you use the canning process?
many thanks