homemade bbq sauce?

[Its me - WENDALINA]

I have seen a lot of recipes to make your own bbq sauce without all the sugar, but I was wondering which is best?

[Charski]

This is our favorite one:

VitaMix HEAVEN!

[Phos4us]

I recently made Bobby Flay's Carolina style Sauce with some low carb adaptations and it turned out quite yummy.

Carolina Style BBQ Sauce:

1/4 cup oil of choice
1/4 cup of onions, very finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 cup no sugar added ketchup
1 cup of chopped tomatoes
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup ancho chili powder
2 tablespoons paprika
2/3 cup Dijon mustard
2/3 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo, chopped
1/4 cup brown ideal
2 tablespoons xylitol honey (it['s what I had but any kind of sf syrup would probably do too)
2 tablespoons molasses
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan. Add the onions and cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the ketchup and water, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer until thickened, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Cool for about 5 minutes.

Carefully transfer the mixture to a food processor and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, then pour into a bowl and allow to cool at room temperature. Sauce will keep for 1 week in the refrigerator, stored in a tightly sealed container.

Forgot to add the carb count.

With my ingredients (depends on chillies, ketchup, sweetener etc) it came to 0.74 net carbs per tbsp. So just below 3g of net carbs per 1/4 of a cup.

[Its me - WENDALINA]

Originally Posted by Charski

This is our favorite one:

VitaMix HEAVEN!

whats browning sauce?

[Soobee]

Kitchen Bouquet or something like it.

[theredhead]

I'm picky about sauce, and this one tastes great to me. I add a little more liquid smoke, and increase the spices just a tad, but this is the basic:

Adriana's Low Carb BBQ Sauce
I've tried several different brands of BBQ sauce since starting low carb and while there have been several that have been quite good, this homemade one totally rocks! Use it on chicken, baby back ribs, or like I did on brisket. It's really really good and although the ingredients sound a bit strange, I promise it tastes amazing!

1 cup Heinz reduced sugar ketchup

1 cup Diet Rite or another Diet soda that is sweetened with Splenda. (It has to be sweetened with Splenda or it'll turn out bitter because of the aspartame in other sodas.)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp chili powder (or more if you like it spicy)

1 tsp yellow mustard

1/2 tsp liquid smoke

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp Worsterschire sauce

black pepper to taste



Directions:

1. In a medium bowl wisk all ingredients together until smooth.
2. In a medium saucepan simmer sauce on medium low heat for 15 minutes. It will reduce and become thicker.


*** I didn't use any extra sweetener because the ketchup and the diet rite are sweetened with Splenda and that's plenty sweet for a BBQ sauce.


You will get 8 servings at 1/4 cup each.

Net carbs per serving: 2.43

[LindaSue]

I recently used up my last bottle of KC Masterpiece so I had to come up with a homemade BBQ sauce to use instead. I'm really happy with this recipe. The secret ingredient is the celery seed. That gave it the same flavor that commercial sauces have that was missing from my first version. Also, the last time I made some I simmered it for a whole hour and I also added 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum which I'd blended with 1/2 teaspoon of oil. I think that helped make the sauce smoother. I may tweak the sweetener a bit next time. I like sweet BBQ sauce but it's almost too sweet. Start with about 1/3 cup worth of Splenda and adjust it to your taste.

SMOKY BBQ SAUCE II
6 ounce can tomato paste
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup granular Splenda or equivalent liquid Splenda
2 teaspoons blackstrap molasses
2 tablespoons liquid smoke
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon celery seed

Whisk everything together in a medium pot. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.

Makes 2 cups

With granular Splenda:
Per 2 tablespoons: 17 Calories; trace Fat; 1g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; .5g Dietary Fiber; 3.5g Net Carbs
Per 1/4 cup: 34 Calories; trace Fat; 1g Protein; 8g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 7g Net Carbs

With liquid Splenda:
Per 2 tablespoons: 14 Calories; trace Fat; 1g Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; .5g Dietary Fiber; 2.5g Net Carbs
Per 1/4 cup: 28 Calories; trace Fat; 1g Protein; 6.5g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 5.5g Net Carbs

[cindy lolz]

Originally Posted by LindaSue

SMOKY BBQ SAUCE II

I love this sauce. Last time I made it, I froze the leftovers in an ice cube tray (which is a trick I learned on this forum, or maybe even from you, Linda). One tablespoon of sauce per ice cube because my tray has baby cubes.

Anyway, yayyyyy for LindaSue!

[dianafoot]

My barbecue sauce is almost identical to Linda Sue's, but I use only 1 tsp molasses (I find that's enough to give it that authentic brown sugar flavor), and instead of smoke flavoring, a "kicker" that I found on another string: brown a couple of slices of bacon, then saute some finely chopped onion in a little of the bacon grease. Use the onion and crumbled bacon to start the sauce. After that, on to the tomato paste or lc catsup and other ingredients. Cooking it down is the key to blending the flavors and making a thick, rich bbq sauce.

[The Chicken Lady]

This is a recipe for the BBQ sauce that is used at the Pineapple Willy's Restaurant, Panama City Beach, FL. It was voted best in the nation by the National BBQ Association and posted on the web years ago and I love it. This is a low carb version and I really can't tell this from the high carb version.

Pineapple Willy's Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce Low Carbed

1 Onion, minced
4 Cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 stick butter
3/4 cup Jack Daniel's Whiskey
2- 8 ounce cans tomato sauce
The juice of two lemons
1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce
1 cup Splenda
2 tablespoons Black Strap Molasses
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
1-1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 small can Tomato Paste
1/2 bottle Liquid Smoke
2 teaspoon Tabasco or to taste

In a 3-quart saucepan, melt butter and sauté' onion and garlic until they are translucent, approximately 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add Jack Daniel's Whiskey light mixture; flame for 20 seconds. Add all remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, and then turn down to a medium simmer. Simmer 20 minutes, stirring constantly. Blend with a stick blender for a smoother sauce. Cool and enjoy.

NOTE: This sauce gets better with age. If time permits, keep it in the refrigerator a day or so to develop a deeper, richer taste.
-----

[LindaSue]

I've noticed that some BBQ sauce recipes call for butter. Does anyone know what this does for it? I didn't purposely make my recipe low fat and I wonder if adding some would improve it in some way. I did add 1/2 teaspoon of oil along with the xanthan gum but I doubt if that was enough to affect the consistency. This batch did seem to come out smoother though but I don't know if that's because of the xanthan gum, the oil, the longer cooking time or all three things.

[Speck333]

Wendalina, I like this one The BEST BBQ Sauce I Have EVER Tasted!!
But I use erythritol and a bit of liquid splenda for sweetening, and I do it by taste rather than the measurements the original recipe lists.

And, hey, I miss you on the dinner menu threads!

[SkeeterN]

Originally Posted by cindy lolz

I love this sauce. Last time I made it, I froze the leftovers in an ice cube tray (which is a trick I learned on this forum, or maybe even from you, Linda). One tablespoon of sauce per ice cube because my tray has baby cubes.

Anyway, yayyyyy for LindaSue!

I agree Yea LindaSue. Going to try it but I usually use Bloodsugar101's but your sauce sounds great

[Phos4us]

Originally Posted by LindaSue

I've noticed that some BBQ sauce recipes call for butter. Does anyone know what this does for it? I didn't purposely make my recipe low fat and I wonder if adding some would improve it in some way. I did add 1/2 teaspoon of oil along with the xanthan gum but I doubt if that was enough to affect the consistency. This batch did seem to come out smoother though but I don't know if that's because of the xanthan gum, the oil, the longer cooking time or all three things.

The butter usually gives it a more rounded out mouth feel, for lack of a better description. Butter also cuts the acidity of the tomato. Tomato and butter go exceptionally well together when cooked. Some of the best tomato sauces consist of little more than a lot of butter and some tomatoes with simple seasonings.

Having said that, I'm not sure it makes a lot of difference in something as complex as a bbq sauce since there is a LOT going on already. It might do something for the mouth feel, but I doubt it would do much. For tomato sauce however - butter is the way to go!

[LindaSue]

Thanks, Birgit. Maybe I'll try adding a couple tablespoons of butter in my next batch and see what happens. I don't really want to add a whole stick of butter though. Butter is too expensive and I like that my BBQ sauce recipe is cheap to make.

[sligh]

This is another vote for the one theredhead posted, with the DietRite. Only today I made it with root beer and now that's the way I'll always make it. Really good.

[Tilly]

Originally Posted by LindaSue

I recently used up my last bottle of KC Masterpiece so I had to come up with a homemade BBQ sauce to use instead. I'm really happy with this recipe. The secret ingredient is the celery seed. That gave it the same flavor that commercial sauces have that was missing from my first version. Also, the last time I made some I simmered it for a whole hour and I also added 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum which I'd blended with 1/2 teaspoon of oil. I think that helped make the sauce smoother. I may tweak the sweetener a bit next time. I like sweet BBQ sauce but it's almost too sweet. Start with about 1/3 cup worth of Splenda and adjust it to your taste.

SMOKY BBQ SAUCE II
6 ounce can tomato paste
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup granular Splenda or equivalent liquid Splenda
2 teaspoons blackstrap molasses
2 tablespoons liquid smoke
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon celery seed

Whisk everything together in a medium pot. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.

Makes 2 cups

With granular Splenda:
Per 2 tablespoons: 17 Calories; trace Fat; 1g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; .5g Dietary Fiber; 3.5g Net Carbs
Per 1/4 cup: 34 Calories; trace Fat; 1g Protein; 8g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 7g Net Carbs

With liquid Splenda:
Per 2 tablespoons: 14 Calories; trace Fat; 1g Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; .5g Dietary Fiber; 2.5g Net Carbs
Per 1/4 cup: 28 Calories; trace Fat; 1g Protein; 6.5g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 5.5g Net Carbs

Thanks, finally I have found one that I actually have all of the ingredients.

[LindaSue]

I was just thinking some more about the butter thing. Would the butter harden in the fridge and give the sauce an odd consistency when it's cold?

[MsWoods]

Originally Posted by Speck333

Wendalina, I like this one The BEST BBQ Sauce I Have EVER Tasted!!
But I use erythritol and a bit of liquid splenda for sweetening, and I do it by taste rather than the measurements the original recipe lists.

And, hey, I miss you on the dinner menu threads!

This is the only bbq sauce I have ever tried to make and I didn't like it. It was really thin, lacking in flavor, and didn't taste bbq'yyy enough for me.

I may try LS or theredhead's post of bbq sauce looks good too.

[Speck333]

Geeze, Ms. Woods, I think I'll have to make a batch of it and ship it to you 'cuz that sounds nothing like what I experienced with this sauce.

[MsWoods]

I made it exactly like the thread said?

[sligh]

I have to say I didn't like it either. At first I thought I was just expecting too much because of all the hype by people who loved it, so I made it again - still didn't like it. But I was able to use it by mixing it with mayo and a little splenda.

[hollyinpugland]

does anyone have a recipe for lo carb honey garlic sauce??? i miss that so much!!! is there such a thing as lo carb honey anywhere? and also, y is lo carb so big in the u.s. and not in canada? i have to order everything online, i was wondering if stores in the states just all carry lo carb stuff...? bellingham is about 40 mins away from me, so i cud always drive across the border and stock up, and gas up too, of course!

[LindaSue]

Originally Posted by MsWoods

This is the only bbq sauce I have ever tried to make and I didn't like it. It was really thin, lacking in flavor, and didn't taste bbq'yyy enough for me.

I just took a look at that recipe that Beeb got from Jenny's site and I can see that it wouldn't have nearly enough liquid smoke in it for my tastes. I found that it takes a LOT of it to make a really smoky tasting sauce which is how I like it.

I also noticed that the recipe calls for unseasoned canned tomato sauce. I've never seen such a thing. The closest thing would be canned tomato puree but I'm not sure how easy it is to find that. I do agree that whatever tomato product is used it shouldn't have any seasonings in it. I've played around with regular tomato sauce and ketchup and the spices didn't really work for me. They seemed out of place in BBQ sauce or at least in the kind of BBQ sauce that I like. I like very sweet, smoky BBQ sauce that tastes like the low carb KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce tasted.

[MsWoods]

Originally Posted by LindaSue

I just took a look at that recipe that Beeb got from Jenny's site and I can see that it wouldn't have nearly enough liquid smoke in it for my tastes. I found that it takes a LOT of it to make a really smoky tasting sauce which is how I like it.

I also noticed that the recipe calls for unseasoned canned tomato sauce. I've never seen such a thing. The closest thing would be canned tomato puree but I'm not sure how easy it is to find that. I do agree that whatever tomato product is used it shouldn't have any seasonings in it. I've played around with regular tomato sauce and ketchup and the spices didn't really work for me. They seemed out of place in BBQ sauce or at least in the kind of BBQ sauce that I like. I like very sweet, smoky BBQ sauce that tastes like the low carb KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce tasted.

I figure it's a location thing, since bbq sauce varies so much by where we live, and since you are also from TX, I assume we are used to the same type of sauce. Which recipe that you have tried do you like the best? I have to go to the grocery store today and I need to try a new bbq recipe because we've been out of Smokin Joe Jones for a few weeks.

Also, I have never seen black strap molasses in my grocery store, would it be in the baking isle? Could I use brown sugar sub instead? I stocked up on it when they stopped making it so I have 4 bags of it at home.

[LindaSue]

Originally Posted by MsWoods

I figure it's a location thing, since bbq sauce varies so much by where we live, and since you are also from TX, I assume we are used to the same type of sauce. Which recipe that you have tried do you like the best? I have to go to the grocery store today and I need to try a new bbq recipe because we've been out of Smokin Joe Jones for a few weeks.

Also, I have never seen black strap molasses in my grocery store, would it be in the baking isle? Could I use brown sugar sub instead? I stocked up on it when they stopped making it so I have 4 bags of it at home.

I'm not originally from Texas so I guess sweet sauce must be popular in Michigan too. The SMOKY BBQ SAUCE II recipe that I posted here is my current favorite.

I've seen blackstrap molasses in the health food section of Kroger but I found mine several years ago at Randalls (also known as Tom Thumb in some parts of Texas) when they were closing the store near me. They had it with the regular molasses in the baking aisle there. I'm surprised that it's so hard to find blackstrap. Maybe it's too strong for most peoples' tastes or something. At least if you do find some it should last you a very long time. I've been working my way through my current bottle for quite a few years. I put it in a plastic squeeze bottle to make it easier to dispense small amounts.



I've never tried any of the brown sugar subs so I can't comment on them. The funny thing is that I don't even care for the flavor of regular molasses but I love the taste of dark brown sugar. To me, a tiny bit of blackstrap really mimics that flavor quite well. It even smells like brown sugar. Regular molasses has a totally different smell and taste.

[MsWoods]

Thank you LS.

[SkeeterN]

Did you try the butter yet Linda?

[LindaSue]

Originally Posted by SkeeterN

Did you try the butter yet Linda?

No, I haven't made any more BBQ sauce yet. I've still got some left from the last batch to use up.

[Its me - WENDALINA]

Originally Posted by Speck333

And, hey, I miss you on the dinner menu threads!

hey! I have been doing menus, just forget to post... I will go right now and do that cause I miss the inspiration from yall too