SUGAR FREE BBQ SAUCE

SUGAR FREE BBQ SAUCE

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

Cooking Instructions

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.
1) Fry the bacon in a saucepan - a 2 qt pan works well.
2) 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.
3) Add the rest of the ingredients, plus about half a cup of water. Stir well. 4) Simmer for 20-30 minutes. It will cook down a bit and flavors will combine. 5) 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.