While I love a good sweet and sticky ketchup-based Kansas City style barbecue sauce, some dishes, especially pulled pork call for Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce.
This sauce originated in South Carolina, but as with all things related to BBQ, it has spread from coast to coast and has become more and more popular.
The recipe is simple, because it doesn’t require any cooking. You simply combine the ingredients in a bowl and stir. Or if you can spoon everything into a jar or bottle and shake it to combine the flavors.
It calls for a teaspoon of hot sauce. It only adds a touch of heat and is overall very mild, but if you don’t like heat at all, go ahead and leave that out. On the other hand, if you love a little fire, you can add a few more dashes of your favorite hot sauce to kick it up.
Serve it up right away, or keep it chilled in the fridge for up to 1 month. The taste gets better after 24 hours, because the flavors really meld together.
What dishes go with Carolina BBQ Sauce
Pulled pork with Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce is a natural match made in heaven, but this sauce also goes great with pulled lamb and even grilled or fried chicken. I especially love it drizzled over a fresh crispy chicken salad or as a dip for sweet potato fries.
Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup yellow mustard
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp hot sauce, optional
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine.
- Serve with pulled pork or sweet potato fries.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hey Christie I come from a South Carolina Midlands family and my Grandfather made a living for a time cooking whole pigs over a pit in the ground with hickory and blackjack oak. A true mustard sauce to me is not this sweet, but to each his own when it comes to sauces. Grandaddy’s used dry mustard powder in addition to prepared mustard. The key is to hydrate the dry mustard in the water for awhile. It gives a bit of an edge to the taste. Vinegar, black pepper, brown sugar and that was it. Be glad to send you the specifics if you are interested.
Thanks for commenting. I bet your grandaddy’s recipe is amazing. I’d love to try it.
This is a beverage!!! 500 stars. Thanks Christine.
We love this sauce and make it every time we have pulled pork. To ensure everything is dissolved and smooth we combine in a sauce pan and whisk over low-medium heat until everything is incorporated. Only takes a few minutes. If you are putting into containers just be sure to let the sauce cool first.
Thanks David!
Hi Christie
I made the sauce like you said, only problem is the granular texture of the brown sugar, it seems to overpower everything. Any way to simmer this sauce until the sugar melts?
Sorry to hear that you had that experience. I go through so much brown sugar that mine is fresh and dissolves quickly. But if you have brown sugar that’s a little older, I could see it not melting as naturally. One thing you can do is simply microwave the vinegar and brown sugar together for 30-60 seconds so that it dissolves.