It's the thick of summer right now, and that means grilling! Make yourself a batch of this Carolina BBQ and enjoy the tangy, mustardy, slight spicy flavors that South Carolina BBQ Sauce is known for!
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Carolina BBQ sauce is one of the staple BBQ sauces out there. It seems like almost every region can claim a BBQ sauce, and while I do have a soft spot for the thick, sweet KC style, this mustardy BBQ sauce is my true favorite! It's regional to South Carolina - North Carolina sauce is more vinegary (although you'll find SC sauce in NC as well!).
My favorite way to enjoy this sauce is on a pulled pork sandwich piled high with crunchy coleslaw, but it's also great over chicken, either grilled or pulled. It's also a great dipping sauce for steak fries!
Regional BBQ Sauces
There are a lot of different regional BBQ Sauces out there, but these are my favorites:
- Kansas City BBQ: thick and sweet, tomato based
- St Louis BBQ: very similar to KC BBQ, but a little thinner because of the addition of vinegar.
- Texas BBQ: thinner, hearty, and smoky - full of flavor and usually used as a marinade rather than a condiment.
- North Carolina Style BBQ: extremely vinegary - usually made with minimal ingredients, namely vinegar. It's delicious!
- Alabama BBQ: Alabama sauce is a white, mayonnaise based sauce that's great with chicken, or for dipping!
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To Serve with Pulled Pork BBQ
Ingredient List
- Yellow Mustard
- White Vinegar
- Brown Sugar
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Hot Sauce
- Salt and Pepper

Tips and Tricks
- This is a very forgiving sauce - if you like spice go ahead and add extra hot sauce - if you're a spice wimp like me, you can cut the hot sauce in half or leave it out entirely.
- If you make this with pulled pork, you can add some of the de-fatted cooking liquid to the BBQ sauce for an extra shot of flavor.
- A lot of Carolina BBQ sauces call for simmering the sauce - I don't find that to be necessary. This sauce comes together really well with all of the ingredients at their natural temperatures.
FAQ's
- How to store leftovers? Store any leftovers in an air-tight jar in the fridge for about 5-8 days. I wouldn't recommend freezing any leftovers.
- You CAN heat the sauce up if you'd prefer it warm - just heat in a small saucepot over medium low heat until it reaches your desired temperature.
- Do I have to use yellow mustard? Yellow mustard is the standard called for in this type of sauce. I personally wouldn't use a different kind, but some of the most delicious things I've made have come from substitutions, so you do you!

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Carolina BBQ
Ingredients
- ½ Cup Yellow Mustard
- ¼ Cup White Vinegar
- ⅛ Cup Brown Sugar
- ⅛ Cup Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Hot Sauce (I prefer Frank's Red Hot)
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl, and whisk to combine.
It is already available.
It called Watasha #1 BBQ sauce. It is awesome sauce!
I haven't had that yet! I'll have to look for it!