The BBQ that saved my diet.

Time for a recipe, ya'll!

I'm from the south, and spent several years living in SC. Growing up in Sumter, there was this delicious, but scary (think lips and buttholes), hash that we used to get from a local bbq place. Ward's Bar-B-Q was the source of this heavenly deliciousness.  We ate it over rice, and I devoured it by the pint as a kid on many Friday nights. I love all kinds of bbq, but the flavor on this was unique, and always my favorite. I've found similar recipes in the past and have used pork loin, and it has been good. Now that I'm doing this low/no carb thing, I'm at it again. It is vinegary, and tomato-y, and my version is spicy. I love spicy. The tomatoes lend a few carbs to the recipe, but they are vegetable carbs, so I am allowed to have them using Rapid Fat Loss (RFL).  Plus, they are still pretty low.  This recipe is a great sauce just to have on hand and I plan to marinate some chicken and grill it.

We get a cow slaughtered every year or so, so for this recipe I'm using the cheap, tough stew meat that came with the yield. It's tough. And takes a LONG time to cook. Excellent! Perfect for bbq! And it's made in a crock pot. Cheap, easy. That's how I like my recipes. And I want to hear NO arguments about not using pork for Carolina BBQ. This beef is cheaper and has lots of protein; I'm not going for authenticity, I'm going for nutrition and flavor.

Of course, no bbq is complete without slaw. My mom makes a delicious spicy, sweet slaw with cayenne and honey. Honey isn't on my menu, and neither is mayo, so I made up something a little different. It has a base of greek yogurt and mustard, along with some vinegar and spices. Oh it's sooooo good.  Again, you get a few carbs from the cabbage, but it's still a veggie carb and still unlimited.

So here it is. I hope someone out there tries it and let's me know what they think! This recipe isn't served on a bun, although it certainly could be, but just in a big, heaping, yummy pile on a plate. I've also included nutrition info, but only for the elements that interest me. If you need further info, please ask. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Spicy Carolina Style Beef BBQ

(Low Carb, Sugar Free, Low Fat)

5 lbs stew beef, cut into 1-2" chunks

BBQ Sauce, (yields 14 1/8 cup servings)

Crushed Tomatoes, 1 1/2 cups
Cider Vinegar, 1 1/4 cup
Worcestershire Sauce, 1/4 cup
Soy Sauce, 1/4 cup
Spicy Brown Mustard, 3 tbsp
Chili powder, 1.5 tbsp
Ginger Root, 3 tsp
Garlic, 5 cloves
Splenda Brown Sugar Blend, 3 tsp 

Blend all together in a sauce pan and set on medium heat for 10-15 mins. Salt as desired. Set aside. Stores for 2 weeks in the fridge.

Spicy Fat Free Sugar Free Coleslaw, (yields 8 1/4 cup servings)

Cabbage, fresh, 1 head, small (about 4-1/2" dia), shredded
Cider Vinegar, 1 tbsp
Splenda No Calorie Sweetener, 2 tsp
Cayenne pepper, 1 tsp
Onion powder, .5 tsp
Yellow Mustard, 1/8 cup
Fage Greek Yogurt 0%, 1/4 cup 

Mix all ingredients together until well blended. Salt as desired. Refrigerate. Keep for up to 7 days in the fridge.

*During first couple of hours of cooking the beef, make the bbq sauce and coleslaw and set aside and/or refrigerate. 

Place stew meat in the crockpot for 2 hours on high. After two hours, drain all liquid in the pot. (Just getting rid of fluid, fat, and collagen breaking down.) Cook 2 more hours on high, and drain again.  Mix in 1 cup bbq sauce and mix well. Turn crockpot to warm setting and cook for 6-8 hours, then drain slightly. Crush or mash beef until desired consistency, and mix in another 1.5 cups bbq sauce, and cook 2 hours on low.  (You will have extra bbq sauce to top beef later with.) Taste it and see if you want or need salt or pepper according to your taste. Your bbq is now ready to eat. Top with a little extra bbq sauce (about 2 tsp) and coleslaw, and serve with a dill pickle!

Nutrition Info for one 1/2 cup serving of bbq beef:

139 calories

4 grams (total) fat

6.1 carbohydrates 

.8 g fiber

3 g sugar

19 grams protein

Nutrition Info for 1/4 cup serving of coleslaw: 

30 calories

0 g fat

6 g carbohydrate

2.2 g fiber

.7 g sugar

2.2 g protein