South Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce

This tangy South Carolina mustard BBQ sauce is essential for any barbecue. Try it on smoked brisket, pulled pork, chicken, ribs, or wings. Mustard BBQ sauce is also great on hot dogs, grilled meats, shrimp, and salmon. 

What is South Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce?

You can find variations of mustard BBQ sauce all over South Carolina. Everyone has a prized recipe for Carolina gold sauce! They vary in form. Some aren’t much more than yellow mustard. 

You won’t find ketchup or tomatoes in a peppered gold sauce like this. It has a little brown sugar to balance the flavors. But it’s not sweet. The perfect gold sauce is spicy and tangy and will make you wanna slap ya mama. 

It’s the perfect accompaniment to rich and fatty meats. Mustard BBQ sauce is delicious on pulled pork, brisket, hot dogs, wings, ribs, chicken, and other grilled or smoked meats. It’s also good with shrimp and salmon!

A trip to Charleston inspired me to create the perfect Carolina gold BBQ sauce. We found a BBQ kiosk in the Historic Downtown Market, and the rest is history. This is my version of that low-country peppered mustard BBQ sauce.

I know y’all are here for gold sauce. If you want to hear my mini-manifesto about this liquid gold sauce, keep reading after the recipe! 

Ingredients

Yellow mustard and apple cider vinegar form the base of any good tangy mustard sauce.

Brown sugar balances out all the tangy flavors and acidity. A couple tablespoons will do the trick. A small amount of sugar makes this sauce well-balanced but not sweet. If you’re looking for a sweet gold sauce, this ain’t it. 

A couple pats of butter will help emulsify the sauce and gives it a smooth, rich feel. 

A blend of spices gives this a kick and sets this tangy mustard sauce apart from all the others.

Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce add more complexity and heat.

How to Make Mustard BBQ Sauce

Add everything to a small saucepan.

Stir it up and bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Let the sauce cool. Then transfer to a mason jar or a squeeze bottle. Serve or store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

How to Use South Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce

• It’s a perfect topping or finishing sauce for smoked or grilled meat. Try it with smoked brisket, pulled pork, smoked or grilled chicken, ribs, wings, hot dogs, shrimp, or salmon.
• Use it as a tangy mustard salad dressing. Try it drizzled-over BBQ chopped salad.
• Use it as a rub before smoking a cut of meat. Slather it on a cut of meat before smoking. It will coat the meat and help create the prized crust on brisket, ribs, or pork shoulder (Boston butt).
• Use it as a basting sauce or BBQ mop sauce during cooking. 

More Recipes for Your Barbeque

• Dutch Oven Pulled Pork
• Carolina Vinegar Sauce
• 5 Minute Coleslaw
• Summer Pasta Salad

If you liked this recipe, let me know in the comments at the end of the post or use the stars in the recipe card to give this a 5 star rating!

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The Story Behind This South Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce

A quaint little barbeque kiosk

Years ago, we paid a visit to The Holy City. Charleston, SC. It was a weeklong family vacation over to the Isle of Palms. We ventured into Charleston several times to walk, eat, and take in the city.

During the trip, we paid a visit to the Charleston City Market. The problem was that we ate first. 

Y’all. We had a delicious meal of fresh seafood and the famous She Crab Soup. But I had some mild regrets about how full my belly was.

As we wandered the historic market, we came across a booth called Food for the Southern Soul. Lawd, the smell was heavenly. There was no way I could eat anything else. But I couldn’t walk away. So I just watched a while while the rest of the family shopped.

Even though I had a full belly, I stood there with my mouth watering. What caught my eye was them drizzling mustard sauce over hot dogs. Now let me tell you, I’m very particular about mustard. Honey mustard or sweet mustard sauces are not for my palate.

But this one looked different. It looked spicy and not too thick. You could see flecks of ground black pepper and other spices in the sauce. 

A bottle of peppered gold

So, even though I didn’t try the BBQ that day, I bought a bottle of that mustard sauce to take home.

Y’all, that stuff went lickety-split. It was gone in days. It was incredible, peppered gold with a perfect amount of tang. But I couldn’t stop thinking about making my own. So, I set out to figure out what was in that sauce and learn how to make my own. 

I researched and learned more about that little shop. Owned by Jimmy Hagood, an award-winning pitmaster out of Charleston. That little shop in the downtown market has since closed down. But you can order a bottle of Jimmy’s Blackjack Mustard BBQ Sauce from their website. 

Every recipe I could get my hands on made a sweet mustard sauce. I refused to give up and tinkered around until I came up with a mouthwatering tangy mustard BBQ sauce that I’m darn proud of!

I hope y’all love it.