Im trying to make a sweeter sauce, something similar to a kc masterpiece or sweet baby rays. Hopefully closer to a kimbers. But here is the hard part, for health reasons my fiance can't have those. As such i want to make an alternative that doesn't have as many calories, and sugar but still tastes good. Something hopefully that would go well with beef. I would use my beef rub as the base seasonings for it, just not sure how to cut down on the sugar and calories.
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My first step in doing low carb, which definitely requires extremely low/no sugar, is using Stevia (I prefer the Stevia in the Raw brand). It's natural, unlike Splenda, etc. Some people note a bitterness to it, but I haven't. However, unlike sugar, Stevia doesn't caramelize so it doesn't work well for creating a bark or crust on ribs and such. Others use sugar alcohols as their sweeteners, like Xylitol, but it causes, shall we say, gastric distress for some. It's not an each for me, but unless I'm the only one who will be eating, I don't use it.
I've recently made a no-sugar ketchup that then gets used as the base for a low carb KC-style BBQ sauce. The ketchup is good, although thicker than usual, the sauce isn't bad either, but I'll be playing with it. They're both adapted from Dana Carpender's The Low-Carb Barbecue Book (2004) which is out-of-print but can still be found online. I haven't calculated the calorie counts on these, but without sugar in either they've got to be low.
Ketchup (2 net grams of carbs per Tbsp):
6 oz tomato paste
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup Stevia in the Raw (get the bag, not the individual packets)
2 Tbsp dried minced onions
2 cloves garlic - diced, pressed or paste
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp pepper
Mix in a blender until onion disappears.
KC-Style BBQ Sauce (3 net grams of carbs per Tbsp)
1 cup of the above ketchup
1/3 cup Stevia in the Raw
1/4 cup diced onion
2 Tbsp butter
1 clove garlic - diced, pressed or paste
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp Blackstrap molasses (this is the lowest carb form of molasses)
1 Tbsp ancho chile powder
1 Tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
Combine and stir all in a saucepan over low heat until the butter melts. The let simmer for 5-10 minutes. -
Thank you so much for the recipe. ill try them out next chance i get.Comment
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See if you can purchase and use Xylitol as a replacement for sugar. Stevia doesn't give off that caramelisation you want but Xylitol does. It's all natural and low gi (healthy).
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I'm also a low carb/paleo adherent and struggle with rubs and sauces b/c most rely heavily on sugar as a key ingredient. I've had good luck with honey as a substitute (in moderation), and notice that some recipes use agave or fruits that are naturally high in sugar as a substitute.Comment
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I try to stay Paleo... but really fall down with sauces - I can't resist Meathead's KC sauce it is really awesome. Thanks for the ideas on making that more Low carb...
If any of you are interested here is a recipes for 16 Paleo bbq sauces >> http://paleogrubs.com/bbq-sauce-recipes
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Be careful with xylitol and other sugar alcohols (maltitol, erythritol, etc.). Although they are what is used in many sugar-free foods and candies these day, they cause significant digestive distress for many (though luckily not me) and there are also some diabetics for whom they raises blood sugar levels (which is why it can be key to test before & after eating new foods). I've not used it yet for BBQ, but this FAQ from Xylitol USA says it doesn't carmelize, at least when baking, and dozens of sites explain that xylitol does not produce the Maillard Reaction (just Google xylitol maillard reaction). In baking, I use 1/2 and 1/2 of xylitol and stevia.
For other things, you have to look at what you're really going to consume. For example, in my calculation, MH's Memphis Dust has about 7.6g of carbs per tbsp. If you rub like MH suggests, "1 tablespoon per side of a slab of St. Louis cut ribs, and a bit less for baby backs," then you're eating about 15g if you eat an entire slab.
As for honey and agave, they might be fine for paleo, but they are still on the prohibited/restricted list for diabetics and low-carb. There are actually more carbs in both then in table sugar. Honey has 17g of carbs per tbsp, while agave nectar has 16g, and sugar has about 14g. This may not seem like a lot to the typical eater with a recommended daily allowance of 130g, but if you have been restricted to under 50 or 100g (or even 20g during Atkins induction), it doesn't go very far if you use it in rubs or sauces (but see above comment about consumption).
Agave does have a lower glycemic load (it doesn't raise your blood sugar as much) because of the high fructose content, but fructose is associated with high triglycerides (which diabetics often have or are at risk for).Comment
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