I use this on pulled pork and pulled chicken that I make in the slow cooker.
Almost all commercial barbecue sauces are loaded with sugar. Most I’ve seen have 16-30 grams per quarter cup, but I’ve seen them as high as 44 grams! It doesn’t have to be that way. This one has a secret ingredient - diet cola. It’s best to use one sweetened with Splenda, but any will do (aspartame tends to lose its sweetness when heated for long periods).
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 strips of thick bacon, chopped fine (or see note)
- 1 small onion, minced
- 1 clove garlic, minced or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 small can (6 oz) tomato paste
- 1 can (12 oz) diet (sugar-free) cola - Splenda-sweetened preferred
- 1/4 cup low carb (sugar-free) catsup, (or see note)
- 3 T mustard
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 pinch ground cloves
- Hot sauce to taste
PREPARATION:
Note 1: If you prefer to leave the bacon out, add 1-3 teaspoons of liquid smoke, to taste, near the end of the cooking. Alternatively, add some smoky flavor using 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika, or chipotle powder to taste.
Note 2: If you can’t find low carb catsup, leave it out, but add about a tablespoon of vinegar and some sweetener, to taste.
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Fry the bacon in a saucepan - a 2 qt pan works well.
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Add the onion and cook over medium until soft - 3-5 minutes. Add garlic at this point if you’re using fresh and stir it for half a minute or so.
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Add the rest of the ingredients, plus about half a cup of water. Stir well.
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Simmer for 20-30 minutes. It will cook down a bit and flavors will combine.
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Adjust the seasonings so you have the balance you want - you can add vinegar, artificial sweetener (liquid preferred), or hot sauce. (If it’s too hot, adding more sweetener will tone it down.)
The recipe makes approximately 10 servings of 1/4 cup each. Each serving has about 3.5 grams of carbohydrate plus 1 gram of fiber.