This recipe is an adaptation of my cultured barbecue sauce. As I said in that post, among the first ferments I attempted was barbecue sauce. Since my Hashimoto’s Diagnosis I have been honing what I can and cannot consume… so this barbecue sauce is sans nightshades, soy and refined sugars. The sugars in it are fermented out so the end product still allows me to stay in ketosis. This may not seem important for some but ketones in the body are hugely anti-inflammatory and for me this allows me to continue to function as a human, wife, mother and homemaker. Any time I run into an allergy no matter what my macros are that day I am kicked out of ketosis and in pain. My neck, shoulders and back become so inflamed that sometimes it is difficult to breathe and certainly to move. So there you go. Because of this I avoid allergens at all costs and stay in keto for the better part of the month. I have been experimenting with carb ups weekly and have found it is too much, but monthly my body seems to handle fairly well. I still get to have my sweet potato truffle fries once a month… surrounded by a few days of raspberries without severe consequences. So for today I am posting a gorgeous beetroot based barbecue sauce with truffle salt to initiate the ferment. It is fantastic with those sweet potato truffle fries. 😂

This recipe is still in process, but it is both savory and (keto/paleo) sweet with a subtle umami flavor.

So Happy Labor Day everyone! I hope it is restful, joyful and full of family, spiritual and physical peace.

Give it a go and let me know how you like it!

Ingredients:

• 3-4 beetroot (about 1 Kg)
• 1-2 onions
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• 2 apples (I prefer Granny Smith)
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• ½-1 tsp smoked or green peppercorns (mild) OR Szechwan or Tasmanian peppercorns (spicy)
• 1/8 tsp coriander seed
• ¼ cup raw apple cider vinegar
• ½ cup cultured onion brine
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds or 1/8-1/4 tsp mustard powder
• 1 tsp pink salt or truffle salt
• 1 tsp coconut aminos
• 1/3 cup cacao
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 2-4 Tbsp coconut sugar, date paste (I make my own by blending dates) raw honey or pure maple syrup (most of this will be fermented out as the live cultures will eat up the sugars during reproduction) OR 1 additional green apple roasted
• 5-10 drops stevia or monkfruit
• 7 sage leaves or 1 tsp ground sage
• 3-4 tsp liquid smoke to taste (optional, but I do this if my veggies didn’t blacken to my liking)
• 2 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil (reserved to seal out bad bacteria)

Method:

Roast beetroot/beets, onions, garlic and apple at 425° for 45 minutes or until blackened. Set aside to cool.

Sanitize your 1 liter or quart jar and lids if using. I place them in the oven at its lowest temperature for a few minutes. 170° Fahrenheit in an American oven. My British ovens were usually 75° Celsius.

Place all ingredients in a food processor, blender or Vitamix. Chop first if you’re using a normal blender and place wet ingredients first and dry next (wet in the bottom, dry on top) but reserve the olive oil. Puree, then transfer to a 1.5 Liter fermenting jar with air lock or a swing/clip top 1.5 Liter Jar.  Leave 2″ of room at the top. Cover the top with extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil and seal.

Leave to ferment for 2-7 days, depending on taste. The longer you leave it the less sugar you will have in the final ferment so taste it as needed but be mindful to use sterile spoons.

Store in swing top or glass bottles. You may have to dilute with a bit of water, apple cider vinegar or onion brine after fermentation. Enjoy on pizza, barbecue or with my personal favorite: sweet potato fries!

[lt_recipe name=”Truffle Beetroot Cultured Barbecue Sauce” servings=”20″ prep_time=”30M” cook_time=”45M” total_time=”2-4 DAYS” difficulty=”Intermediate” summary=”This lovely sauce is nightshade free so it is perfect for the AIP diet. The sugars have been consumed in the fermentation process so I find it does not kick me out of ketosis when used in moderation.” print=”yes” image=”https://www.brennamay.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/img_8893-1-300×300.jpg” ingredients=”3-4 beetroot (about 1 Kg);1-2 onions ;2-3 garlic cloves;2 apples (I prefer Granny Smith);1 tsp black peppercorns;½-1 tsp smoked or green peppercorns (mild) OR Sechuan or Tasmanian peppercorns (spicy);1/8 tsp coriander seed;¼ cup raw apple cider vinegar;½ cup cultured onion brine;1/2 tsp mustard seeds or 1/8-1/4 tsp powder;1 tsp pink salt or truffle salt;1 tsp coconut aminos;1/3 cup cacao;1/4 tsp allspice;1/4 tsp ground cloves;2-4 Tbsp coconut sugar, date paste, raw honey or maple syrup (most of this will be fermented out as the live cultures will eat up the sugars during reproduction) OR 1 additional green apple roasted ;5-10 drops stevia or monkfruit ;7 sage leaves or 1 tsp sage;3-4 tsp liquid smoke to taste (optional, but I do this if my veggies didn’t blacken to my liking)” ]Place all ingredients in a food processor, blender or Vitamix (chop first if you’re using a normal blender) and puree.;Transfer to a 1.5 Liter fermenting jar with air lock or a swing/clip top 1.5 Liter Jar. ;Leave for 2-4 days on the counter to ferment. [/lt_recipe]