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Carolina Vinegar Mop Sauce jar and mop

What is a mop sauce?

Mop sauce shouldn’t be confused with BBQ sauce. Even though they’re both used on barbecue, they are completely different. BBQ sauce contains a lot of sugar and usually ketchup or mustard. It’s basted on meat toward the end of your cook and adds flavor on the outside.

Alternatively, mop sauce is more like a basting liquid. You brush it on the meat throughout the cook to add flavor to the meat itself, not just the outside. You can also use it as a braising liquid – like I do when I make Carolina Pulled Pork.

How to create this recipe

Just like my recipe for Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce, this mop sauce can be made in 5 minutes flat. Simply pour everything into a bowl and stir. Or, place it all in a mason jar and give it a good shake. You can store it on the counter for a day or two, or keep it in the fridge for a good month. 

Carolina Vinegar Mop Sauce jar from top and mop

What dishes go with Carolina Vinegar Mop Sauce

This Carolina Vinegar Mop Sauce is awesome on all things pork. I like to use it on pulled pork, baby back ribs and especially whole hogs, but it’s also great on grilled chicken wings. If you’re adventurous enough to cook up a whole hog, you’ll definitely want to make a few batches in a large bowl. 

When using a basting mop sauce, the flavor of the meat turns out so rich and robust, you don’t always need to finish the dish with BBQ sauce. Try it sans sauce, I think you’ll like it.

4.89 from 9 votes

Carolina Vinegar Mop Sauce

Punch up the flavor of your barbecue by basting your pork, ribs and chicken with a Carolina Vinegar Mop Sauce as it cooks.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup white vinengar
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 3 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp ketchup
  • 1 1/2 tsp hot sauce, optional
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp Christie Vanover's Pork Rub
  • 1 tsp black pepper

Instructions 

  • Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.
  • Use the sauce to baste your meat as it cooks.

Nutrition

Calories: 23kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 620mgPotassium: 27mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 12IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 7mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Sauce
Cuisine: barbecue
Did you try this recipe?Be sure to rate it, leave a comment and save it so you can make it again. Show off your awesome results on social by tagging @girlscangrill

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Hey BBQ Family

I’m Christie, the head cook and award-winning competitive pitmaster for Team Girls Can Grill. I have won multiple grand championships and top 10 category finishes. I’m an expert grill reviewer for BBQ Guys, and I have appeared on the Food Network and Ninja Woodfire Grill infomercials. I established this website in 2015 to share my BBQ tips and recipes.

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Recipe Rating




6 Comments

  1. great sauce. all i had was an old mop we used on the kitchen floor. i think it made the sauce even more tasty! my guests loved it.

  2. I stopped at ketchup. Not to be rude but, no. please remove the word Carolina from this recipe, or the ketchup ingredient. Thats not how we do.

      1. A great sauce we love using. I appreciate your willingness to combine styles to have a great product. I generally double or triple recipe to have enough for dipping after.