Mesquite Barbecue Sauce

Don't you hate it when a favorite product goes away? That slow realization that the store isn't just out temporarily, but that it is gone forever? So goes--or went shall I say--My old favorite barbecue sauce. Back in the early days of the Diner, there was this Amazing LC Masterpiece sauce that was low carb. I knew of one grocer in the area that carried it longer than anyone else, and I am sure I bought the last of their inventory. It lasted a while, but it never returned. So sad. I am a little scared that I found the Heinz Reduced Sugar ketchup at the Dollar Tree a few weeks ago. Is it kissing us goodbye also? I know we can always make our own, but there are only so many hours in a day.

I recently had a Diner ask about my go to barbecue sauce recipe. More often than not, I just throw together my simple Hickory Sauce. That is in Low Carbing Among Friends Volume 1. It is not complicated or sophisticated flavorwise, but super fast.

This one is a bit more trouble. It has a depth of  flavor that is fantastic. It is thick and sweet even though it simmers only half an hour.  I swear by Wright's Liquid Smoke. They have several flavors and they are all amazing. This tastes like things were smoked over a mesquite wood fire for hours. But I didn't do that. I don't play with fire.

 This sauce is good on all sorts of things. The burgers we had today were excellent. Especially with  sliced onion and those sugar free bread and butter pickles featured in June's Diner News Picnic issue. Chicken? Definitely. Top off a meatloaf. Excellent. BBQ pulled pork. Yes. Do whatever you like to do with barbecue sauce.

Mesquite Barbecue Sauce

2 tbsp finely minced onion
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic
16 oz tomato sauce
1 cup water or chicken broth
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup erythritol or sweetener equal to 1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp Wright's Mesquite Liquid Smoke
1 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp coconut flour (optional for a thicker sauce)

Mince onion. In a medium pan, saute the onion in the olive oil for 3-5 minutes. Add in the minced garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, water or broth, vinegar, erythritol, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, liquid smoke, onion powder, salt, pepper and coconut flour. Stir until all ingredients are well combined. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool and transfer to a clean jar. Makes about 1 pint of sauce.

16 servings of 2 tbsp:  22 calories     2 net g carbs (1 g fiber)

You can use any brand of liquid smoke you like, but this is the best! No promises with anything else. You may leave out the coconut flour. I added it in to make a nice thick sauce for our burgers. Your choice.

Today I am making a big batch of tomato based sauces. That just happens to be the theme for the July Diner News--Sauces of all kinds. It makes sense to take a little time to make some of these condiments. I had the hubby buy a giant can of tomato sauce at the warehouse club for under $3. I am going to get this barbecue sauce, some enchilada sauce, pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce, cocktail sauce and a batch of chili for the freezer out of one big can. Yes I am that smart. And yes, I use a chalk marker to write on my jars. Not permanent and easy to read.

One thing to note. Since we do not load our home made sauces and condiments with preservatives, you may wish to take measures to keep the whole batch good past the week or so refrigerator shelf life. With thicker sauces, it is simple enough to fill a few snack size sandwich bags with some sauce. Freeze them flat. Then they can stack easily. Just keep those bags inside a bigger freezer bag to prevent freezer burn. Make sure to label because every red sauce will look the same! Using thin layers of sauce, the bags will thaw under warm running water, so you can always have a couple servings of barbecue sauce available without worrying if it has gone bad. You can even cut off the end of the bag and squirt like those little packages.

Now if you want the super simple Hickory Sauce, go buy the Low Carbing Among Friends Volume 1.

 http://amongfriends.us/24-7-LCD.php

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