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Keto BBQ Sauce

A sugar-free keto bbq sauce built on tomato paste rather than sugar-free ketchup, with cider vinegar for tang and liquid smoke for the flavor a stove cannot otherwise give you. Makes about 2 cups and keeps 2 weeks. 3.9g net carbs per 2 tablespoons.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Condiment
Cuisine American
Servings 16 servings (2 tbsp)
Calories 24 kcal

Equipment

  • Medium saucepan
  • Whisk
  • Glass jar about 16 oz, with a lid

Ingredients
  

  • 12 oz tomato paste 340 g, two 6-oz cans
  • 1 1/4 cups water 300 g, added last
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 120 g
  • 1/4 cup brown-sugar-style sweetener monk fruit allulose blend
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp liquid smoke hickory or mesquite
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika smoked, not sweet
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp ground yellow mustard dry mustard powder
  • 1/2 tsp fine sea salt adjust at the end
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper optional

Instructions
 

  • Whisk the base: Off the heat, whisk the tomato paste in a medium saucepan with the apple cider vinegar, brown-sugar-style sweetener, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, ground yellow mustard, fine sea salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper until completely smooth. It will be a stiff paste.
  • Thin and heat: Whisk in the water and bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. It should look slightly thinner than you want the finished sauce.
  • Simmer: Reduce to medium-low and simmer uncovered 20 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes so the tomato paste does not catch and scorch. It is ready when it coats the back of a spoon and a finger drawn through leaves a clean stripe.
  • Adjust: Off the heat, rest 2 minutes then taste. Add sweetener if sharp, salt if flat, or water a tablespoon at a time if thick.
  • Jar: Cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes, before sealing in a clean jar. Warm sauce in a sealed jar builds condensation and keeps less well.

Notes

Stir often. Tomato paste scorches easily, and a burnt patch stirred back in turns the whole batch bitter.
Pull it slightly thin. It thickens again as it cools and again in the refrigerator.
Brush it on at the end of grilling or broiling, in the last 5 minutes. Sweeteners and tomato paste both scorch over direct heat.
Storage: sealed jar in the refrigerator 2 weeks, or frozen in an ice cube tray up to 3 months. It may separate; stir or shake it.
Keyword Gluten-Free, homemade bbq sauce, keto bbq sauce, keto condiment, low carb barbecue sauce, sugar free bbq sauce