Other than Huckleberry Hound cartoons as a kid, I had never heard of a huckleberry. I thought it was just a made up name.
On a trip to Idaho to visit relatives, my aunt pulled out a pitcher of Huckleberry Lemonade. And from that point on I was hooked. I was buying huckleberry anything while I was there. I was even the geek at the airport buying all the huckleberry stuff they were selling, from jam to taffy. Now you know who buys that kind of stuff at the airport, me. ;)
Luckily my parents live in that state now, so whenever I go to visit I can get my huckleberry fix. Huckleberry is very, very popular there.
So when my friend L said she was going to Idaho did I want anything, I quickly handed her money and said, fresh huckleberries if you can find them. She did. I was happy. They are pretty hard to find and so you pay a pretty penny for them. If you can’t find them you can use blackberries. Not the same but they will do the trick!

Huckleberry BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich

6 buns (I like to use sandwich or hot dog buns)
Huckleberry Coleslaw (recipe follows)
Pulled Pork (4-6 pound pork butt prepared)
Huckleberry BBQ Sauce (recipe follows)

Place bun on plate. Spread a good amount of coleslaw. Top with pulled pork. Top with BBQ sauce.

Huckleberry Coleslaw

1 (16 ounce) bag coleslaw mix 
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup fresh or frozen huckleberries
3 TBSP canola oil
½  cup granulated sugar
2 TBSP cider vinegar
¼ tsp salt

Place coleslaw mix into a large bowl.
Whisk together the mayonnaise, canola oil, sugar, vinegar, salt, and huckleberries in a medium bowl; blend thoroughly.
Pour dressing mixture over coleslaw mix and toss to coat. Chill at least 2 hours before serving.

Huckleberry Barbecue Sauce

3 cups tomato ketchup
1 ½ cups water
½  cup brown sugar
¼ cup sweet onion (I used Walla Walla), minced
1 TBSP red wine vinegar
1 cup huckleberries (fresh or frozen) or blackberries if you can’t find huckleberries
2 TBSP hoisin sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBSP molases
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground dry mustard

Combine all the ingredients (except the huckleberries) into a large sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes on medium low heat.
Add the huckleberries and bring back to a boil.
Reduce back to a simmer and cook for another 15-30 minutes depending on how thick you want it. The longer you cook it the thicker it will get.

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