Homemade BBQ Sauce (corn-free)

Photo Credit (I forgot to take a picture last week, but will update with my own photo soon)

Growing up, I loved the summer time, and not for the reason you may be thinking (no school!).  I loved the hot and humid Ohio summer months for the beautiful green grass and booming maple trees that would turn a fiery red come October.  I loved going down to the local farm where we could pick okra and gather a bounty of fresh picked strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans,  and corn on the cob.

I remember sitting in my parents’ garage, with the door up, watching as the afternoon thunderstorms rolled in, bringing a much appreciated warm breeze to cool my sticky skin…sipping an ice cold limeade while shucking bushels of corn, either to eat fresh on the cob or cream it so my mom could freeze it for the upcoming year.

Have you ever creamed corn?  I’m not talking about making creamed corn that is laden with heavy cream and butter.  I’m talking about using a corn creamer (such as the Norpro Stainless Steel Corn Cutter and Creamer), where you push the cob down the shoot and over a blade which ruptures the juicy kernel?  You do this over and over and over again, until you have filled a giant bowl and your knuckles have been worn down to nubs!  Funny that I bought a corn creamer last summer…just a few short months before I found out that I’m allergic to it!  To learn more about corn allergies, visit AllergicChild.com and I also recommend reading Genetically Engineered Corn May Cause Allergies, Infertility and Disease over at Against The Grain Nutrition.

My mom didn’t cook much during the summer months, it was much too hot for that.  Instead, we typically barbecued chicken or pork chops or grilled hamburgers or brats.  Alongside, we would enjoy fresh sliced tomatoes and cucumbers (sprinkled with corn-filled salt and black pepper), fresh buttered corn on the cob, pan-fried okra (in cornmeal), green beans or blackeye peas with fresh baked cornbread to sop up all the juices.  Strawberry shortcake (from Bisquick) topped with Cool Whip for dessert.  Oh, how I loved those garden fresh summer meals.

Aside from the fried okra, corn on the cob and cornbread, I can still enjoy all those childhood memories…including the strawberry shortcake.  Heck, I can even make Strawberry Shortcake with gluten free Bisquick (if I felt so inclined).

The following recipe for barbecue sauce comes from my late grandmother, who bequeathed me her recipe box.  I LOVED this BBQ sauce so much as a kid, that I would always volunteer to be the “taste tester,” just to make sure it was exactly right…after tasting no less than 1/4 cup of it, I would finally give it my seal of approval.  You know a BBQ sauce is good when you want to drink it straight from the pan it’s simmering in, LOL!

This is a thin BBQ sauce, but it’s full of flavor.  I will share my grandma’s original recipe with my corn-free and dairy-free substitutes in purple, so you can see how I go about modifying a recipe to fit my family’s dietary needs (my mom has even given her seal of approval for my modified recipe!)…and encourage you to so the same.  Don’t throw out your favorite family recipes, just reinvent them! 😀

BBQ Sauce (gluten free, corn free, dairy/casein free, soy free, cane sugar free)

printable recipe

1/2 cup Ketchup (I use my corn-free Ketchup)

3 Tbs. Butter (I have used Earth Balance in the past to make this dairy-free, but it contains corn, so now I use either olive oil, Spectrum Butter Flavored Shortening or Ghee and they all work great).

1 Tbs. Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

1 Tbs. Chili Powder

1 tsp. Salt (I use sea salt since iodized salt contains corn in the form of dextrose)

1 tsp. Dry Mustard

1 tsp Paprika

1/2 tsp. Black Pepper

2 Tbs. gluten free Worcestershire Sauce (I use my corn-free Worcestershire Sauce since Lea & Perrins, which is gluten free, contains high fructose corn syrup)

4 Tbs. Distilled Vinegar (I use Bragg’s Organic Apple Cider Vinegar since distilled vinegar is derived from corn)

4 Tbs. Water

3 Tbs. Brown Sugar (I use Agave or Coconut Nectar)

• Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan and heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes (or longer).

Photo Credit

Last fall when I was diagnosed with a level-2 IgE corn allergy, I nearly fell over in astonishment.  Was I seriously reacting to yet another food with no known noticeable symptom(s)??  Man, I sure did draw the short stick in that department!

Had I not already been aggressively trying to learn all I could about Luke’s level-2 egg white protein allergy, as well as both of my son’s off the chart IgG reaction to casein, I would have simply ignored those test results and continued on the path I was on.  After reading Dr. James Braly’s book, Hidden Food Allergies: The Essential Guide to Uncovering Hidden Food Allergies–And Achieving Permanent Relief, I recognized an allergic reaction that I never in a million years would have connected to a food allergy…chronic sinusitis.  I have suffered from chronic sinusitis for as long as I can remember and I finally had sinus surgery back in February.

Since my surgery, I have intentionally consumed corn-full gluten free products a handful of times and after each occurrence, guess what happened?  Severe sinus congestion, to the point that I felt as bad as I had before my surgery!

Do you have a corn allergy?  If so, what is your reaction?