South Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce Recipe
Published June 30, 2021. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This amazing South Carolina style Mustard BBQ sauce recipe is nothing short of the perfect accompaniment to any barbecued meal.
There are so many times when serving a protein up with a tasty sauce, that it just takes it over the top in the flavor department. If you want to up your barbecue sauce game then definitely try my sweet BBQ sauce or my vinegar Carolina BBQ sauce.
Mustard BBQ Sauce
Along with the vinegar-based BBQ sauce, this Mustard based BBQ sauce is centuries old and was created by German immigrants who migrated to South Carolina on land grants from the US. This is hands down the most underrated BBQ sauce I’ve ever had and it goes excellent on a smoked pork shoulder, smoked chicken, or smoked ribs.
Here are some basic ingredients that are used in a mustard BBQ sauce:
- Mustard: Yellow mustard is most commonly used but feels free to add in a bit of Dijon or whole grain.
- Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar is best for this recipe.
- Honey: A balance of sweetness greatly enhances this sauce.
- Spices: Simple ingredients such as garlic granules, onions, granules, cayenne, salt, and pepper, are used.
- Ketchup: Just a little bit of ketchup to help balance the flavors and texture.
How to Make BBQ Sauce from Scratch
Use these step-by-step instructions for making this delicious mustard bbq sauce from scratch:
Add all of the ingredients to a medium-size pot.
Whisk the ingredients together until completely combined and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.
Cool and serve with your favorite BBQ dish.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: You can make this up to 3 days ahead of time. The longer it sits the more flavors that will come out.
How to Reheat: Add the desired amount to a small size saucepot and cook over low heat until warm.
How to Store: Cover and keep in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. This will not freeze well.
chef notes + tips
- You can absolutely sub out the onion and garlic powder/granules with fresh and if you chose to do so there will need to sauté them in oil at the beginning of the recipe. Blend the recipe until smooth, but do not over blend.
- Substitute the onion and garlic granules with powder.
- This would go excellent with pork and chicken.
More Sauce Recipes
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Video
South Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups of yellow mustard
- ¼ cup whole grain mustard, optional
- ½ cup of apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup of honey
- 1/2 cup of brown sugar
- ¼ cup of ketchup
- 1 tablespoon of chili powder
- 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons garlic granules
- 2 teaspoons onion granules
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Add the ingredients to a medium-size pot and cook over low heat for 15 minutes while occasionally stirring.
- Cool and serve.
Can one half the honey and sugar and possibly up the chili powder? I, and definitely my wife, do not like sweet with meat. Been looking for alternatives to standard bbq sauce for pork ribs for those of us who don’t like sweet sauce on ribs.
Make it work for you!
Thanks, I’ll let you know how it works out.
Can this be canned?
Possibly
Need this for boneless chicken thigs.
nice
Thank you for introducing me to this!!! Bratwurst and ham sandwiches should prepare to see some of this.
My husband loves this sauce and request it, if I take to long in between making it. Use it on, BBQ hi Jen and pork ribs. Soooooooo very good!!!
appreciate you trying it
Love this! When making potato salad, as soon as I drain them, I pour a very liberal amount of this sauce on the hot potatoes and let completely cool before adding rest of ingredients. Also great added into deviled egg mixture
I just tried the Carolina mustard sauce and hands down as one of the best sauces ever. Thank you Chef
fantastic!
Thanks Billy for TONS of great ideas and fun! Best to you, Thomas
Delicious. Recipe is spot on. Thank you.
many thanks!
Made this for a family get together, along with Alabama White. This was by far my favorite. My daughter-in-law is a Mississippi gal and when she tasted it, she said, ‘Wow, mom! You nailed it.’
Question: your “Nutrition” numbers, for how much? 1/2 cup? 1/4 cup?
Thanks.
4 cups
LOVE this sauce!!! It hits all of the perfect notes for a Carolina mustard BBQ sauce!!! Wings, nuggets, tenders, ribs. You name it… I’ll dunk it!!!
awesome
I made your pulled pork and mustard barbecue for reunion.
Everyone loved it!!
thanks for giving it a shot!!
Great recipe! This was my Dad’s favorite. Recently, in his honor on the day of his funeral, I had a caterer make yellow SC style pulled pork barbecue (with slaw!) sandwich box lunches for the people visiting our local food bank. The caterer insisted they not be made ahead of time because…duh, they would be soggy! So we had a chafing dish with someone making the sandwiches and adding to boxes as needed. Dad would have loved to be that guy!!
I used this recipe as a jumping off point, I made it with fresh garlic and onion, but otherwise stuck to all of the numbers. Once I had confirmed this hit the spot I was after, I started to play around. I added at least another TBPS of Worst, smoked paprika, a few dashes of powdered chipotle, and a little more regular chili powder.
Your recipe was damn near perfect, I just altered it to my own tastes based on what you’d already done. Let me tell you I have family still talking about that sauce since father’s day.
Thanks Billy. This sauce is phenomenal!
Can this recipe be hot water or pressure canned?
Possibly
OH YES!!!! Now this is definitely going on some ribs and ribs tips 😋. This is what I’m looking for.