I’ve been learning to live on a low sodium diet, which involves changing up some things. One of those things is BBQ sauce. Most of the things, I always started with, are filled with salt. I have found a ‘no salt added’ tomato sauce and managed to spice it up quite nicely without adding too much salt.
While the taste is pretty good, the texture is too runny, not like a BBQ sauce ought to be. It already has in it things like a little honey, some maple syrup, even some tamarind paste. But it’s still too thin.
Anyone have any suggestions on how I can thicken this up?
Xanthan gum also works wonders for thickening, and doesn’t require heating. Be very careful with it. A little goes a long way. But that’s how I thicken my non-heated sauces, in general.
Potato and corn starch are sodium free (also gluten free if that is an issue). Potato starch doesn’t need to be boiled to thicken, and in fact should actually never be boiled (boiling it causes it to lose its thickening properties).
My local grocery stocks a whole mess of Bob’s Red Mill products, including their xanthan gum. It’s just over ten bucks for the package (8 oz), but it’ll last you a good while.
I missed this part: there’s a fair amount of barbecue sauce that is quite thin. I myself usually cut the thicker commercial styles 50-50 with vinegar. If you like yours really thick, you generally need a good deal of ketchup (or tomato paste and/or tomato sauce) and molasses or honey, and then just slowly cook it down until it gets to the consistency you like. I personally would not add a roux to a barbecue sauce. Or, as I said above, xanthan gum. I use that for my hot sauces that I like to have a bit thicker, but don’t want to cook down too much (which changes their flavor, but BBQ sauce is usually cooked, anyway, so you’ll be fine.)
I’ve seen xanthan gum at all the major big-box grocery stores (Kroger, Albertson’s, Tom Thumb, Central Market, etc.) Look in the “health foods” section, as it’s often used for vegan and gluten-free diets, if you don’t see it in the baking/flour aisle.
And yeaaaaah, start with a teensy tiny pinch. The first time we bought some, we added 1/8 tsp to a decent-sized batch of vinaigrette and it could hold up a spoon in no time. Doesn’t need to be cooked or mixed into water first or anything like that.
Or, just simmer the sauce gently for a good long while. Makes the kitchen smell good.
Health food stores will carry xanthan gum, guar gum, tapioca starch, and a plethora of other thickening agents. Add them by SPRINKLING a small amount on the product and stirring like crazy.
Be prepared to have to dump the whole mess out and start all over again because you added too much. (Can you tell I’ve done this?)
I’d personally recommend just putting it in a pot on the stove top and simmering it until it reaches the thickness you want. The flavors will concentrate beautifully, and you won’t have an “artificial” texture to the sauce.
~VOW
For Pete’s sake, don’t use anything starchy in BBQ sauce. Pulykamel’s idea is a great one, or you could sauté and purée some onions that would thicken the sauce. Of course, you may not want that added flavor.
You’re right! Don’t know why that never occurred to me! Thanks, I think that’s where I’ll start. I knew this was the place to ask!
(Adding ketchup won’t work, it’s full of sodium!, Thanks for all the other suggestions, I may not use them for this BBQ sauce, but I will definitely keep them in mind as I stumble through changing how I prepare things to meet these dietary restrictions. I’m still learning, can you tell?)
The bottled stuff has liquid smoke, so if you don’t use it, that’s what you’re missing. Personally, I only buy barbecue sauce without liquid smoke, which is almost no barbecue sauces these days.
And, yes, reducing it would make the spices stronger. So just use less to begin with, and then adjust when it’s at the thickness you want.
BTW, here are some things I learned from several years of making low-sodium food for my mom:
It’s hard to make starchy food palatable without salt. Potatoes, pasta and the like are really bland when cooked that way. I eventually gave up trying to make starchy dishes at all.
Saltiness is one of the flavors you taste on your tongue (as opposed to “flavors” that you taste by aroma). You can compensate for lack of salt with other flavors that you taste on the tongue: sourness, sweetness. A low-salt dish will often taste better if you add some lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, fruit juice or wine (which is acidic). I find this doesn’t work as well with umami flavors, and bitterness (another tongue-detected flavor) is something you don’t want in most foods.
The most effective way to control your sodium intake is to cook everything from scratch. Many packaged and canned foods are loaded with salt. One exception is tomatoes - it is possible to get good canned tomatoes with no added salt (the same goes for tomato paste, which I mentioned in a previous posting).
Garlic and hot chiles also help compensate for lack of salt.
