The problem for most Paleo-enthusiasts with this meaty tradition comes naturally with the territory, that is with sauces and marinades and other condiments of current BBQs tat contain non-paleo additives and the like. This article assembles five essential tips on how you’ll rock your own Paleo-BBQ and impress your non-Paleo friends. Or an insight into cooking your own Paleo BBQ if you are interested in healthy eating and new ideas.
1. READ YOUR LABELS
When you enter your preferred grocery store to shop for all the condiments of your BBQ, be aware of your surroundings and read the food-labels carefully. Most traditional BBQ-food will contain non-Paleo ingredients like sunflower oils in the marinades, or sugar in many common sauces. But there are exceptions: If – for whatever reason – you are not able to or don’t want to prepare your own meat and sauces, you can look for special organic products. A few use honey or the like instead of sugar for their own Paleo BBQ.
Also, beware of preservatives like curing salts and other additives. Most grocery stores won’t have paleo-friendly marinated meat in stock, but if you’re lucky you will find organic meat without antidegradants and the like.
2. PALEO BBQ: DO IT YOURSELF
If you can’t find Paleo-friendly sauces and meat, you can always do it yourself.
‘Marinate your own meat, using honey instead of sugar and olive oil or the like instead of sunflower or rapeseed oil.’
The easist way is to combine this with certain spices like chili or paprika, salt and pepper to recreate your own best Paleo BBQ meaty sensations. You can get all kinds of meat unmarinated and most even as organic produce – if for example you can’t get pork rips, just ask your butcher for it.
The key for making great paleo BBQ sauces on the other hand lies mostly in using honey and fruits together with spices and sieved tomatoes as main ingredients. You will find a lot of recipes for making your own Paleo-ketchup or smokey dips online, and they will taste great if you keep an open mind. Most sauces won’t taste exactly like the sugary junk bombs you are used to, but they are excellent additions to every great Paleo-BBQ.
3. USE SUBSTITUTIONS
When most people first start Paleo they think, ‘Oh no, I can’t eat that <insert specific non-Paleo food here> anymore!’ Truth is: mostly you still can, as for many non-Paleo foods there are loads of recipes and instructions on how to substitute things like sugar, wheat flour etc.
You can make BBQ Quesidillas or Tortilla Wraps (using tapioca flour and eggs as staples) for a mexican-themed BBQ and there are even recipes for Paleo-flatbread when you use this recipe for a Paleo pizza base.
Also, if you want some nice beverages with your meat, you can easily make lemonade using some:
- Fruit
- Lime juice
- A bit of honey
- Water
- Ice
- …and – for a tasty twist – some leaves of fresh peppermint
Remember: You can substitute almost everything, so be creative. If you have a certain favourite food or drink and think about what you can use to replace the non-paleo-ingredients.
4. TRY NEW THINGS
‘You can put almost everything on a grill – so why not try something new and crazy? You have probably heard of grilled vegetables, but did you ever gave grilled fruit a shot?’
Take some mango and pineapple and roast it, before combining it with cucumber, cilantro, olive oil, salt and pepper and even some chili to get a spicy fruity salsa which combines best with some grilled chicken. Just be creative and combine ingredients which may sound mad together, but bear in mind: Fruit and meat (almost) always work.
5. IF NOTHING WORKS, COMPROMISE
Ever heard of the 80/20-rule?
As I wrote in another article on the diet, Paleo isn’t dogmatic – that is why many people following the Paleo-lifestyle live by the 80/20-rule, meaning that they will follow the specifications of Paleo 80 percent of the time and allow exceptions regarding the other 20 percent.
If you think about following this rule while preparing your BBQ, you can bypass some common problems regarding non-Paleo-ingredients, for example if a marinade contains sugar, but only >1g per 100g. But this should not be an excuse to trifle with the main nutritional ideas of Paleo. Hence ask yourself this whenever thinking about making an exception from Paleo: Is this specific condiment really necessary or worth sacrificing the goals of Paleo? If it is, kick it off. If not, don’t do it, since the regret you feel will excel the initial pleasure you might get from eating that certain piece of junkfood.
You see, creating a nice Paleo-BBQ isn’t that hard. Complement your freshly marinated meat and homemade sauces with a tangy salad and you’ll be on your way to impress and maybe convert your friends to the Paleo-lifestyle. You got recipe ideas or tips for your fellow Paleoists and Crossfitters? Let us know in the comments!
You can’t beat homemade lemonade on a warm summers day ©
Perfect post-WOD protein ©
Eat well lift big © Stevie D Photography
The post 5 Tips for Rocking your own Tasty Paleo BBQ appeared first on BOXROX.