In a swath of Mid-South Carolina, from around Columbia to the coast around Charleston, BBQ sauce is yellow, not red, a byproduct of the region’s German heritage. In Germany, pork and mustard go together like peanut butter and jelly.
It is a bit of a jolt to an outsider wandering into BBQ joints in the area and being served a pulled pork sammie mixed with a yellow sauce. Until you bite down. The flavor profile is similar to conventional red BBQ sauce, sweet tart, but the base flavor is mustard, not ketchup, and the sweetness is cane sugar, not molasses. But it works! In fact I prefer it to red sauce on pulled pork.
Here’s a quick and easy classic South Carolina mustard sauce. Tangy and one of my favorites, you really need to give it a try. Try it on hot dogs or brats or anywhere that you might use bottled mustard. If you like it, try my Grownup Mustard Sauce. It’s not traditional, but mighty good.
Carolina Gold Mustard Barbecue Sauce Recipe
Makes:
Takes:
Ingredients
- 2 cups prepared yellow mustard
- 2/3 cup cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon chipotle Tabasco sauce or you favorite hot sauce
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon mustard powder
- 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules or soup base
- 2 teaspoons dried rosemary leaves
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons Morton Coarse Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground finely ground black pepper
These recipes were created in US Customary measurements and the conversion to metric is being done by calculations. They should be accurate, but it is possible there could be an error. If you find one, please let us know in the comments at the bottom of the page
Method
- Prep. Mix the wet ingredients together in a bowl.
- If you are using a bouillon cube, crush it with a spoon in a bowl or mortar & pestle and add it to the bowl. Crush the rosemary leaves and celery seed in a mortar & pestle or in a blender or coffee grinder and add it to the bowl. Add the rest of the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix thoroughly.
- Cook. Simmer for 10 minutes to pasteurize it.
- Serve. Pour into a clean jar and use as you would any BBQ sauce. Store remaining sauce in the fridge. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for months.
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