Sugar Free Barbecue Sauce

Best sugar-free BBQ sauce

In this age of low-carb, fat-free, sugar-free foods, it's surprising that there simply aren't many sugar-free BBQ sauces on the market. This may be because, as some experts point out, a good BBQ sauce shouldn't have that many sweeteners and high-calorie ingredients in it to begin with. Nevertheless, this theory doesn't stop some manufacturers from loading their BBQ sauce with sugars, molasses and honey -- and of course, in some cases, high-fructose corn syrup.

A former Best Reviewed sugar-free BBQ sauce, Bellycheer Original Grilling Sauce (which won top honors in The Nibble's 2010 roundup) is no longer available on the manufacturer's (Porky's Gourmet) website. One source reports that Bellycheer has been rebranded as "Lynchburg Tennessee Whiskey Sweet & Mild Sugar Free Grillin' Sauce," but we can't find this particular sauce on the Porky's site either, and there are no reviews posted of it. Porky's does sell a BBQ sauce called "Historic Lynchburg Diabetic Friendly," but again, offers no information about whether or not it's the old Bellycheer formula -- and there are no reviews available.

This time around, the Best Reviewed nod goes to Smokin' Joe Jones No Sugar Added Barbecue & Dippin' Sauce (*Est. $6 for 16.5 oz.), which scores a handful of enthusiastic postings on Amazon.com. According to the Smokin' Joe Jones website, the sugar-free, low-carb BBQ sauce is the same as the Smokin' Joe Jones Original sauce, except that the honey, molasses, corn syrup and brown sugar have been replaced with Splenda, which makes it good for sugar-intolerant users such as diabetics (it's also approved by the American Diabetes Association). It's certified kosher as well, and contains no meat or egg products, no preservatives, no MSG, no cholesterol and is gluten-free. What it does contain, according to Amazon.com posters, is lots of "fantastic" and "phenomenal" flavor and thick, meat-clinging texture.