There are just those times when the only thing that will do is some good old fashioned BBQ sauce. Like with ribs for example. But most BBQ sauces have sugar in them. At least the good ones do! Like my Bourbon BBQ Sauce, for example. But with my new regimen, I really need to stay away from sugar as much as possible. So, that means – build your own or go without! And I refuse to go without!

So, when I recently served ribs, I made this sauce. It was very tasty. And even though I was using monk fruit sweetener which contains no sugar, I still only used 1 tablespoon.

After our rib dinner I had a bit of BBQ sauce left. So, when I made 2 small meatloaves to take with us on our recent trailer trip, instead of topping the meatloaves with my usual combination of brown sugar and ketchup, I used the leftover sauce. Wonderful. Didn’t miss the usual topping in the least.

If you too are trying to stay away from sugar, I suggest you give this recipe a try. Easy to build and no special ingredients required. And really, what kind of life would it be without BBQ sauce?

As always, peace and love to all.

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

½ c. finely chopped onion

3 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste

¾ c. water

1 T. monk fruit sweetener (I use the “golden” variety)

1 T. apple cider vinegar, or more to taste 

3 T. Worcestershire Sauce

¼ tsp. hot sauce, or to taste (I use Frank’s RedHot)

1 tsp. smoked paprika

½ tsp. seasoned salt (I use my homemade version – see recipe below)

freshly ground black pepper

tiny pinch cayenne pepper

tiny pinch ground cloves

Heat the olive oil in a small, covered saucepan. Sauté the onion until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.

SEASONED SALT

½ c. kosher salt, run through a spice grinder to break down the crystals a bit

4 tsp. finely ground black pepper (I buy cheap finely ground black pepper just for this recipe)   

4 tsp. paprika

4 tsp. granulated garlic

4 tsp. granulated onion  

½ tsp. chili powder

½ tsp. celery salt

½ tsp. granulated sugar

tiny pinch cayenne pepper

tiny pinch ground cinnamon

Whisk all together and store in an airtight container.