No bbq is complete without Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce and Vinegar Sauce. One is a little thick and the other has a tiny kick!
Remember how Cade handles the killer Carolina Pulled Pork at our house? Well, I’m in charge of the sauces. I don’t know why, but he kind of tackles the meat and I’ve always just messed around with the sauces. I’ve made some lame ones, by the way. The mustard sauce has been my arch nemesis.
I’ve tried a bunch of recipes thinking that I didn’t have the right as a PNW girl to tackle southern bbq sauces, especially Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce and Vinegar Sauce, but guess what, I didn’t like everyone’s recipes.
That’s right, and neither did Cade. I mean they were ok, but not awesome. So I set out to perfect the sauce that Cade would call “money.”
The key to both sauces is actually to make them 3 days to 1 week ahead of time. Now, I’ve totally done just the day before and it was fine, but trust me they get better with time. And the mustard sauce has butter and nutmeg.
I don’t know why, I just threw it in and Cade was all over it like butter on a hot potato so it stays. The vinegar sauce needs red pepper flakes and it HAS TO BE Texas Pete’s or if all else fails, Franks hot sauce. The other brands do not work. Just trust me on this.
What is Carolina Style BBQ Sauce?
Carolina style means that it is vinegar and mustard based, as opposed to the ketchup and molasses based sauces of the mid and southwest.
Can You Substitute White Vinegar For Apple Cider Vinegar?
White vinegar and apple cider vinegar are interchangeable. The taste will be a little different, because apple cider vinegar is made from apples and is a little more acidic.
Can You Freeze BBQ Sauce?
Left over BBQ sauce can be kept in the refrigerator for 7 days or more. It can be frozen for up to 3 months.
More BBQ Recipes You’ll Love:
Whenever a recipe calls for BBQ sauce, feel free to substitute either our mustard bbq sauce or our vinegar bbq sauce!
- BBQ Brisket Nachos
- BBQ Instant Pot Short Ribs
- Instant Pot BBQ Whole Chicken
- Grilled BBQ Chicken
- BBQ Meatball Sliders
- Smothered BBQ Beef Burritos
- Skillet BBQ Chicken and Potatoes
- BBQ Beef Sandwiches
- BBQ Chicken Grilled Cheese
- …ALL OF OUR SUMMER RECIPES!
Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce and Vinegar Sauce
Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce and Vinegar Sauce
Description
Ingredients
Mustard Base BBQ
- 3/4 Cup Yellow Mustard
- 1/2 Cup Honey
- 1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Ketchup
- 1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Texas Pete's, or Franks if necessary hot sauce or to taste
- 2 Tablespoons Butter, melted
- 1 Pinch Nutmeg
- 1 Dash Liquid Smoke
For the Vinegar Base BBQ
- 1 Cup White Vinegar
- 1/4 Cup Ketchup
- 1/4 Cup Apple Cider
- 1 1/4 teaspoon Texas Pete's Hot sauce, or Franks is fine
- 3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- 1 1/4 teaspoons Crushed Red Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
Instructions
For the Mustard Base BBQ
- Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and whisk to combine.3/4 Cup Yellow Mustard, 1/2 Cup Honey, 1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar, 2 Tablespoons Ketchup, 1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce, 1 teaspoon Texas Pete's, 2 Tablespoons Butter, 1 Pinch Nutmeg, 1 Dash Liquid Smoke
- Pour into a jar with a lid and refrigerate 1 day to 1 week prior to serving for ultimate flavor.
For the Vinegar Base bbq
- Mix all of the ingredients in a jar and place the lid on to rest in the fridge for at least 2 days before serving.1 Cup White Vinegar, 1/4 Cup Ketchup, 1/4 Cup Apple Cider, 1 1/4 teaspoon Texas Pete's Hot sauce, 3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar, 2 teaspoons Salt, 1 1/4 teaspoons Crushed Red Pepper, 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
Notes
Nutrition
Recommended Products
Jenny
Best Carolina mustard sauce ever!!!
Sweet Basil
Yay Jenny! Thank you!!
Joan Becker
hi, I made the Carolina BBQ vinegar base sauce. Being from NC I was excited to try it. It is very vinegary – I am wondering if the 1 cup white vinegar is accurate? Even after it sat for 2 days it’s still too much. so after 4 days it is still vinegary but no other flavors come through.
I don’t see any other complaints about it, so maybe it’s just me.
Sweet Basil
Hi Joan! The 1 cup of white vinegar is correct. It is a very vinegary saw for sure.
Elizabeth Chavez
My BBQ sauce is super liquidy. Is it supposed to be? With 1 1/4 c of liquid to 1/4 c of ketchup, it makes sense to be liquid, but I thought it would be thicker? Like a sauce?
Sweet Basil
Yes, it should be quite liquidy.
Cindy strati
I will be making another batch of these amazing sauces, and always let it sit for about 5 days before enjoying. This time around, I was thinking about the difference in containers I now have being breathable vs sealed. Would it lose flavor having the sauce sit in the fridge in a breathable container or would it speed up tor reduce he melding process? What is recommended for all the vinegar, ketchup, and mustard Carolina BBQ sauces? Lastly, is there any benefit to stirring / shaking daily or is it ok to just sit during this time. Thanks as always!!
Sweet Basil
Hi Cindy! Thanks for the support! I just make it ahead and store in the fridge in a mason jar for best results.
Cindy strati
Wonderful, that sure is easy enough – Thank you!! I do have a question on the white vinegar. Is there a difference in brand, or is it all the same? I’m finding much smaller quantities from the more well know brand like Heinz, and gallon size available from the store brand. Is there any difference? Lastly, is there a brand of brown sugar you recommend, or is there no difference between brands? Thank you!!
Sweet Basil
Hi Cindy! White vinegar is all the same as far as I know. For brown sugar, I get the huge bag at Costco which is C&H brand. I’ve used store brand too and haven’t noticed a big difference.
Cindy strati
Wonderful recipes!! Could you please let me know if table or Kosher salt should be used? Thanks so much!!
Sweet Basil
We always do Kosher or sea salt. Either one will work great!
Cindy strati
Fantastic – Thank you!! Would you recommend Diamond or Morton’s? I understand that there are size differences in the crystals between the brands, which provide a different weight by volume where one or the other might provide more or less actual salt.
Sweet Basil
Diamond if you can find it!
Bob
Instead of liquid smoke, place a bowl of frozen butter in your smoker and infuse it with smoke. Smoked butter is amazing on all kinds of stuff from steak to corn-on-the-cob to popcorn or in mashed potatoes
Sweet Basil
That sounds amazing! Thanks for the tip Bob!
Michael
Really good I would have posted the barbecue sauce recipes first since they have to sit for a couple of days
Paul Scherman
Love the mustard sauce. I used agave instead of honey and it’s very good. thanks for posting
Sweet Basil
Yay! So glad you enjoy it!
Tina
Would you recommend a substitute for the apple cider in the mustard base bbq sauce?
Sweet Basil
For the apple cider vinegar? You could use white vinegar or red wine vinegar. There’s no apple cider in the mustard base sauce.
April Bigby
I was wondering does the pork end up being spicy? it has a lot of chili pepper can cayenne powder. I am making for a large group so I do not want to overpower them.
Sweet Basil
Hi April! No, not spicy at all. With the amount of pork in the recipe, the heat is quick minimal. Enjoy!!
James Roller
Hmm…nutmeg, interesting. Going to have to try this mustard sauce recipe. As a native South Carolinian (we’re known as Sandlappers), this looks pretty close to a number of recipes I have tried. While SC historically has 4 native sauces and is the birthplace of the mustard sauce, not all of our mustard sauces are the same. Some are strong on the straight mustard flavor. You tend to find these in the center of the state. A sweeter — and more palatable — mustard sauce is found from the midlands to the coast around Charleston. And there there is another called “Rust Gravy” also known as “Orangeburg Sweet” which is found in the many Dukes restaurants (which are not franchises, btw) that also spread south and east from Orangeburg. Most people don’t know that Dukes sauce has the surprising addition of mayonnaise. Sorry for rambling…
James Roller
Should have specified that SC has 4 distinct regions where 4 different types of BBQ sauce have historically predominated, the only state in the country with 4 sauces. Some even argue that SC is the birthplace of BBQ, but that’s another story. The sauce types are mustard, vinegar-pepper, (both of which you have covered nicely above), then a light tomato sauce and the traditional heavy tomato sauce most of the country seems to prefer.
Sweet Basil
Now I’m looking at flights to South Carolina because you have me craving all that deliciousness!
Sweet Basil
I love it! We would love to hear what you think of our mustard sauce! Cade is from South Carolina so he has been my sounding board to make sure we get it right! Enjoy!
Katie
These recipes were a hit for our smoked chuck roasts, we absolutely love them both. We will be making these on a regular basis when we BBQ! Thank for two great BBq sauces!
Sweet Basil
Yay! Aren’t they so good? We almost always have them in the fridge and ready! So glad you enjoyed them!
Jim
Do you use both mustard-based and vinegar-based sauces on a dish, or do select which to use?
Sweet Basil
We usually make both and then let people choose which one they want.
Ivan
Hi, on the vinegar based BBQ sauce where its says Apple Cider is it Apple Cider like the drink or is it Apple Cider Vinegar? Thanks so much!
Sweet Basil
Apple cider like the drink. Enjoy!!
Pam
My hubby smoked a pork butt and asked me to make a honey mustard sauce. I looked at a bunch of recipes and decided on this one. So glad that I did… it is wonderful! I have had it on pork, chicken and brisket. Thanks for a perfect sauce!
Sweet Basil
Yay!! Isn’t it so good?! We use it on everything we can!
A Cook from Phoenix
Made the mustard sauce for ~25 pounds of pulled Carolina pork butt and was very impressed with the overall flavor. I mistakenly added a little more liquid hickory smoke than the recipe says and used an orange blossom local honey but even so, it was well balanced and went deliciously with the BBQ pork. Can’t say that the nutmeg was detectable or necessary, however.
Sweet Basil
Ohhhhh I just had orange blossom honey last year and it was so good!!!
We’ve had it without the nutmeg and it wasn’t as mouthwatering of a batch so we added it back in.
Kenny
Okay I just made my third batch of the vinegar base bbq sauce. This is by far the best I’ve had since living in South Carolina, I now live in Arkansas and is my home state but the people around just don’t know what they’re missing. I use it for pork and chicken and everyone that I have let taste it has like the taste. So great job and thanks for sharing. I be sure to pass it on.
Sweet Basil
You have to spend some time in the south to truly understand just how good it is!
Joel
Mustard sauce is really good. Thanks!
Sweet Basil
Thanks Joel!
Glenda
Have not tried it yet
Jennifer
I just finished making the mustard sauce and it hasn’t had enough time to develop the flavours but I can tell you right away that it is delicious. I may have had just a taste, then a bigger one, then more. I put it in the fridge and went back for another taste 2 minutes later. It really is that good. Thanks for the recipe! I’ve got pork in brine right now to make the pulled pork recipe you posted. The dry rub is yummy so I know this meal is going to kick butt!
Sweet Basil
ahaha!! I love it!! Thank you so much! xoxo!!
JW
I advise everyone who views these recipes to immediately head off to the butcher for pork loin backribs and/or a tritip or chuck roast. Then make up a batch of each sauce and invite that guy/gal over who has been out grillin’ you all summer. Here in San Miguel we drop the hot sauce and liquid smoke from the mustard one in favor of pureed Chipotles in Adobo sauce (the heet and da smoke) at some unknown measurement we call “to taste”.