Carolina BBQ Sauce - Healthy Recipes Blog (2024)

FAQs

Can BBQ sauce be healthy? ›

Barbecue sauce does contain small amounts of some vitamins and minerals, including potassium, vitamin C, and vitamin A. However, you're not likely to reap major health benefits from these micronutrients unless you're drinking sauce by the cup (which may be tempting, but isn't advisable).

Fruit-based sauces are a great option for people looking to cut down the acid content in tomato base sauces like the BBQ. These sauces use fruits like pineapples, mangos, apricots, apples, and even peaches to enhance the taste while doing away with the need to add granulated sugar.

The defining Piedmont and Western North Carolina-style barbecue sauce, which basically takes an Eastern-style sauce and adds just enough ketchup (or ketchup-like ingredients) for a little sweetness and body, came into use after the Heinz company began mass-producing what we today know of as American-style ketchup ...

You can use either flour or cornstarch to thicken BBQ sauce. Just mix together 2 tbsp (16 g) of flour and ¼ cup (62.5 mL) of water, or combine 1 tbsp (9 g) of cornstarch with 1 tbsp (15 mL) of water. Continue mixing the thickener until there are no lumps of flour or cornstarch.

Texas Pete E.

It's made with just five ingredients and no corn syrup. At 15 calories per serving, it's probably the "healthiest" barbecue sauce on this list.

Barbecue sauce contains less amount of calories as compared to mayonnaise, but it is high in sodium and sugar. Two teaspoons of barbecue sauce contain 60 calories. The quantity of sodium and sugar depends on the brand of sauce you are using.

Make your own barbecue sauce by combining ¾ cup ketchup, 2 tablespoons mustard, and 2 tablespoons brown sugar.

Carolina Style BBQ

Carolina style centers on slow-roasted whole hog barbeque and is one of America's oldest methods of cooking meat. Whole hog BBQ is the artful process of cooking an entire hog for 12 to 24 hours. A hog provides three primary sources of meat: stomach, neck, and shoulders.

What are the two types of Carolina BBQ? ›

There are two main styles of BBQ in North Carolina—Eastern and Lexington (“Piedmont”). Eastern-style BBQ uses the whole-hog (“every part of the hog but the squeal”) with a lemon juice or vinegar, pepper-based sauce. Eastern style incorporates zero tomatoes in its recipe.

More on Barbecue

In the 19th century, the French declared the mother sauces. Bechamel, veloute, espagnole, tomate, and hollandaise all became the bases for other sauces in classical French cuisine. Barbecue sauce is sort of the same deal.

Homemade barbecue sauce should be stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator and should be used or tossed around the 3 week mark.

Tangy Carolina Barbecue Sauce. This North Carolina BBQ Sauce recipe is tangy and full of flavor! We love slathering it on pulled pork or grilled chicken. This vinegar based BBQ sauce is the perfect mixture of sweet and tangy.

Studies have linked the consumption of grilled meat to an increased risk for colon, prostate, pancreatic, stomach, and breast cancers, especially if the meat is cooked to well done. One study found that eating charred meat on a regular basis increases the risk for pancreatic cancer by up to 60%.

BBQ sauce

It's a staple of summer cookouts, but barbecue sauce could be another source of unexpected salt, sugar and calories. In fact, BBQ sauce contains even more sugar than ketchup: One tablespoon has more than seven grams of sugar.

Tomato-based BBQ sauce can be a healthy addition to your diet, as long as it is consumed in moderation. Tomatoes are a great source of vitamins and antioxidants, and they can provide a range of health benefits. However, some BBQ sauces can contain high levels of added sugar, sodium, and other unhealthy ingredients.