This recipe for BBQ Shrimp Po’Boy sandwiches recently caught my eye. Shrimp, bacon and smokey mayo topped with some BBQ sauce sounded incredible. This is just the type of thing my husband would love. Now I would just have to see if I could create a low carb version so I could enjoy it too.

BBQ Sauce:
The original recipe called for a homemade BBQ sauce that included a 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Since most store bought BBQ sauces contain a good amount of sugar per serving I pulled a container of my homemade reduced card barbeque sauce from the freezer. Yes, you heard correctly. I make a batch of homemade sauce and freeze it in small batches. Gladware containers and quart size freezer bags make storing extra sauce fast and easy.

Shrimp and Bacon:
Oringially each large shrimp were suppose to be wrapped with a half a piece of bacon. The wrapped shrimp were then to be placed on skewers and grilled until the bacon was crisp. Mmmm…crispy bacon. Sadly the shrimp I had in my freezer were too small. Improvisation was needed.

The sliced bacon was laid out in a 13 X 9 inch pan and baked in the oven at 450F until they were crisp. This usually takes about 30 to 40 minutes. About half way through baking I remove the pan, carefully pour the melted bacon fat that’s collected in the bottom into a container and use a spatula to flip the strips. The bacon is then returned to the oven and cooked until they are as crispy as I like them. Cook your bacon to the crispness you prefer.

As for the shrimp, I boiled them for several minutes until they were pink and then drained the water. The tails and any bits of shell that remained were removed and the shrimp were added back to the pot. Add: some salt, freshly ground pepper and a teaspoon each minced garlic, dried onion bits and Wright’s liquid smoke. Give it all a good stir and gently warm the shrimp to blend the flavors.

Smokey Mayo:
1 cup mayonaise
2 teaspoons Wright’s liquid smoke (or another brand of liquid smoke)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Combine all the ingredients, mix well and store in a covered container in the refrigerator until needed.

For BBQ Shrimp Po’Boy Sandwiches:
Your choice of bread (low carb, tortilla, etc)
cooked bacon
cooked and seasoned shrimp
smokey mayo
shredded lettuce
sliced tomatoes
BBQ sauce

Spread a layer of smokey mayo on your choice of bread. In the picture above my non low carb eating husband used hot dog buns. Add a slice of bacon, shredded lettuce and several slices of tomato. Top with the shrimp and drizzle the BBQ sauce over them. Eat and enjoy!

BBQ Shrimp Salad: Place the shredded lettuce in a bowl and add well rounded tablespoon or even two of the smokey mayo. Mix well. Put the coated lettuce on a plate and top with the sliced tomatoes, crumbled bacon and seasoned shrimp. Drizzle some of the BBQ sauce over the top and enjoy.

In the picture I packed my salad in a container to bring with me to work. The smokey mayo and BBQ sauce were in two other smaller containers. They were added once it was break time and I was ready to eat. It worked out great.

Don’t like weather in New England? Not a problem. Give it a few hours and it will change completely. The usual rainy spring weather last year that generally runs from March until April ended up lasting until the end of July. This year we’ve had summer like weather since the beginning of May. Someday the temperatures have made it up into the 80′s. We even saw 92 a few days ago. With weather like this it’s time to get grilling! We’ve already been grilling up burgers and hot dogs with the occasional batch of chicken wings. Today it’s going to be steak tips topped with homemade barbeque sauce.

Why homemade and not something out of a bottle? Have you actually checked out the nutrition label for most of the store bought varieties? The vast majority are loaded with sugar and salt for a small ¼ cup serving size. If you’d like to skip all the unnecessary ingredients and try your hand at some homemade sauce here’s a great recipe. If you double the batch you can even freeze the extra in small freezer bags. Just pull a bag out to thaw whenever you break out your grill. Fast and easy without all of the extra calories.

Low Carb BBQ Sauce

1 small onion, minced OR 1 TB dried chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced OR ¼ teaspoon garlic powder OR 1 teaspoon dried garlic

6 oz can tomato paste

1 can (12 oz size) diet/sugar free cola

½ cup of water

3 tablespoons yellow mustard

1 tablespoon liquid smoke

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon vinegar

Dash of hot sauce to taste if preferred

Optional: 2 strips of cooked bacon, chopped fine

In a large sauce pan fry the two strips of bacon if you are using them. When crispy remove and allow to cool before chopping them finely. Do not drain the fat out of the pan. Continue with the directions below.

If your not using the bacon then in a large sauce pan add the onion, garlic, tomato paste, diet cola, mustard, liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce and vinegar. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes to allow the flavors to combine. Add in enough water to create a sauce with the consistency you prefer….thick or thin. Usually no more than ½ cup is necessary. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning to your taste. Add hot sauce if you prefer spicy barbeque sauce. An additional teaspoon or two of vinegar can make it a bit tangier. You can also add a little bit of sweetener, such as Equal or Splenda, to create a sweeter sauce.

Serving size is 1/4 cup. Each serving has about 3 grams of carbs.

When your done cover the pan and allow the sauce to cool unless you are using it immediately. To save extra sauce you can ladle it out into plastic containers or freezer bags. If using bags I usually stand them up in some type of container and place them in the freezer. The picture below shows the sauce all bagged up and ready to be put into the freezer.

Once frozen I make sure the bags are completely sealed and then store all the smaller bags into one large freezer bag. Don’t forget to mark the bag with the contents and date. I usually write on an index card and stick it into the larger bag. It makes it easier to read and I don’t have to worry about the writing on the plastic bag rubbing off.

The one ingredient that really makes the sauce is the liquid smoke. You can probably find it in the grocery store in the same row where canned/jarred gravy and gravy mixes are found. The liquid smoke really gives it a great flavor. Besides using the sauce on barbeque foods I have also used it to create delicious BBQ pizza. Try replacing your pizza sauce with this one. Top the pizza with shredded beef, pork or chicken. We love shredded chicken, black beans, diced tomatoes, sweet red pepper slices and cheddar cheese on our BBQ pizza