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    Home » Condiments & Dips

    15-Minute South Carolina-Style BBQ Sauce

    4.50 from 4 votes
    Published by Rebecca Eisenberg ⁠— September 17, 2020 (updated August 26, 2024) — 8 Comments

    314 shares
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    This post may contain affiliate links

    south carolina mustard based bbq sauce

    South Carolina BBQ sauce is a mustard-based barbecue sauce made with brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and honey. It's a little sweet, a little tangy, with just a bit of a kick. It's also just extremely, extremely good and so easy to make.

    Of course homemade South Carolina barbecue sauce is great for grilling and smoking. But I also use it as a sauce on my BBQ pulled pork pizza, drizzle it over leftover sous vide carnitas for tacos, and even use it as a glaze on juicy, tender turkey burgers. Sometimes I even squeeze it onto tortilla chips as a treat, just because I can.

    an overhead shot of two plates on a white wooden counter. the top plate has a pulled pork sandwich and a zig zag of bbq sauce across it. the bottom plate has a split open bun with a hand is using a spoon to spread half the bun with bbq sauce. a bottle of bbq sauce lies on the counter next to the plates as does a small bowl of cole slaw.

    My husband Jimmy loves South Carolina barbecue sauce and has been making it himself for several years, ever since we visited his sister and her husband in South Carolina. He even bottles it and gives it as a gift around the holidays.

    So I asked him if I could add his take on this barbecue sauce recipe to my collection of condiments and dip recipes to share with you, and lucky for you, he said yes!

    About South Carolina BBQ Sauce

    If you're like me, for most of your life you may have assumed that there was just one BBQ sauce (I grew up in Pennsylvania, we're not known for our barbecue, don’t judge me).

    But when my sister-in-law fell in love with a guy from South Carolina, he introduced us to South Carolina’s unique mustard-based barbecue sauce. (Jimmy likes to say it was in that moment that he knew his sister had made the right choice of life partner.)

    South Carolina's BBQ sauce has a perfect balance of tanginess and sweetness, with a zing of acidity that pairs well with the natural flavors of meats cooked low and slow until tender. Which, if you ask Jimmy, is one of the best ways to cook meat.

    South Carolina BBQ sauce is a staple of low-country cooking. It's great on pulled pork sandwiches and even more amazing on oven-baked ribs. You can even use this sauce in place of the applesauce glaze on my applesauce-glazed oven ribs recipe.

    in the foreground a tipped over bottle of south carolina bbq sauce has squeezed out a tiny bit of a sauce. in the background is an open face pulled pork bbq sandwich on a bun.

    What makes South Carolina's BBQ sauce different from other regional barbecue sauces? First, bear with me for a quick history lesson. Though barbecue might seem like a quintessentially "American" style of food, its origins are, like many things, complicated by the United States' ugly history of colonialism and slavery. Barbecue, as a cooking style, most likely originated in the Caribbean.

    But once this low-and-slow style of cooking made it to the United States, it became so popular that George Washington frequently wrote about how much he loved attending barbecues, and the 13 colonies even celebrated the end of the Revolutionary War with barbecue parties.

    As the practice of barbecue-style cooking spread throughout the colonies and expanding territories, the accompanying sauce also evolved, picking up regional flavors as different cultures and populations added their own unique twists.

    south carolina bbq sauce in a wide mouth mason jar. a spoon has scooped some of the sauce up about an inch above the top of the jar.

    Texas BBQ sauce often uses chili powders and spices common to southwestern and Mexican cuisine. Florida's BBQ sauces often have citrus flavors more common to Cuban food. Maryland's BBQ sauce is full of horseradish because, as Jimmy says, the originally Catholic colony apparently just enjoyed the experience of pain (for legal reasons, this is a joke).

    And back then, South Carolina had a large German population. And what do Germans love? A strict upholding of established rules and procedures... and, you guessed it, mustard. Hence the mustard-y glory of South Carolina barbecue sauces.

     If you’re the type of person who doesn’t like mustard and is about to stop reading, Jimmy wants you to know that he doesn't like mustard either and that you should definitely keep reading because this sauce is definitely worth it.

    It's hard to find South Carolina BBQ sauces in grocery stores here in Boston, so that's why he began making his own, tailored to fit his own tastes. The sweetness from the honey and brown sugar softens the bitter sharpness of the two different mustards, there's a little heat from smoked paprika and hot sauce, and the apple cider vinegar brings a nice fruity acidity.

    "[This South Carolina BBQ sauce] is my way of taking something I don't like — mustard — and turning it into something that I really, really, really do. It's an amazing flavor balancing act that will make you devour everything it touches."

    — Jimmy

    Ingredient Notes

    Here are the ingredients you'll need to make this mustard-based South Carolina barbecue sauce! It's a lot of ingredients, but a lot of them are pantry staples (I think so, anyway) so you shouldn't need to buy too many things specifically to make this!

    all of the ingredients for south carolina bbq sauce measured and labeled.
    • Whole Grain Dijon Mustard and Yellow Mustard - Whole grain Dijon mustard has whole or crushed mustard seeds in it with a slightly sharp, tangy mustard taste with a nice bit of texture from the seeds. I usually use the Old Style Whole Grain by Maille or a Grey Poupon Country Dijon variety. Yellow mustard brings that classic mustard flavor and bright yellow color without the kind of heat that will blow out your sinuses.
    • Ketchup - The tomato and vinegar in ketchup adds a nice bit of umami to this barbecue sauce. It also blends with the yellow from the mustard to give South Carolina BBQ sauce its yellow-orange color.
    • Honey - For sweetness! I like using a high quality honey with a strong flavor, but any honey you like is fine.
    • Apple Cider Vinegar - There's already some vinegar in the mustards and ketchup, but apple cider brings a nice fruity vinegar flavor to the party.
    • Worcestershire Sauce - The sweet and sour flavor of Worcestershire sauce is another way of adding umami to this sauce. You can also use Marmite if you've got it on hand. By the way, if you're vegan or gluten-free, they do make vegan and gluten-free Worcestershire sauces.
    • Brown Sugar - For sweetness! Brown sugar has molasses in it which adds some nice caramel-y notes to balance out the warmth and tanginess from all the other ingredients.
    • Hot Sauce - Technically optional, but this adds a nice bit of heat to your South Carolina BBQ sauce. Any hot sauce you like is fine. I use my homemade fresh pepper hot sauce, or a mild sauce like Cholula.
    • Spices - Garlic Powder, Smoked Paprika, Red Chile Pepper or Cayenne, Onion Powder, Seasoned Salt, and Black Pepper.

    Instructions

    Making this barbecue sauce could not be easier. Truly. Let's get into it.

    all of the bbq sauce ingredients in a sauce pot.

    Add all of the sauce ingredients to a medium sauce pot.

    the  bbq sauce whisked together in a sauce pot with a whisk in the pot.

    Whisk everything together to break up any lumps in the brown sugar.

    the barbecue sauce bubbling in a sauce pot on a black induction burner.

    Bring the barbecue sauce to a rapid boil over medium heat. Don't walk away, it heats up fast!

    whisking boiling barbecue sauce in a sauce pot on an induction burner.

    Lower the temp and simmer to maintain that low boil for 10 minutes, whisking frequently to prevent burning.

    Remove from the heat and pour into a heat-safe jar or container. Give it a good shake or whisk in the jar if there are any lumps from where you scraped the pot clean.

    a 16 oz wide mouth glass jar filled with south carolina barbecue sauce.

    That's it! Really! You can enjoy this South Carolina barbecue sauce immediately, or let it cool to room temp, then place it in the fridge to cool completely before using it. The flavor and consistency will change as the barbecue sauce cools. Giving it time to sit will allow the flavors to mellow out and the texture to thicken up.

    Practical Tips & Recipe Notes

    • This will have a bit of a spicy kick to it on the first day you make it, especially if you add the hot sauce and red pepper powder or cayenne. Letting the barbecue sauce chill in the fridge overnight gives the flavors time to mellow and settle down slightly. If you don't have time to chill it overnight, you can use an ice bath to drop the temperature quickly.
    • There are a lot of kinds of dijon mustard out there, but this works best with one that has some sort of visible mustard seeds in it. It's up to you if you want to go with a whole grain or coarse ground variety.
    • If you're storing your BBQ sauce in a squeeze bottle, you may need to snip the tip of the bottle big enough that the mustard seeds can fit through.

    📖 Recipe

    an overhead shot of an open face pulled pork sandwich with a zig zag of bbq sauce over the pulled pork and red onion and coleslaw on the other half of the bun

    15-Minute South Carolina BBQ Sauce (Mustard-Based BBQ)

    Rebecca Eisenberg
    This mustard-based BBQ sauce is sweet and tangy with just a bit of a kick. Let it cool in the fridge overnight to give the flavors time to mingle and mellow out a little.
    4.50 from 4 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved! Email
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 15 minutes mins
    Course Condiment
    Cuisine American
    Servings 15 oz

    Equipment

    • Sauce pot
    • Sturdy wire whisk

    Ingredients
      

    • 140 grams yellow mustard (½ cup)
    • 70 grams whole grain dijon mustard (¼ cup)
    • 105 grams honey (⅓ cup)
    • 66 grams brown sugar (⅓ cup, tightly packed)
    • 113 grams apple cider vinegar (½ cup)
    • 34 grams ketchup (2 tablespoons)
    • 15 grams Worcestershire sauce (1 tablespoon)
    • 5-10 grams hot sauce (1-2 teaspoons, optional)
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
    • ½ teaspoon red pepper powder (or cayenne)
    • ½ teaspoon onion powder
    • ½ teaspoon seasoned salt (season all)
    • ⅛ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper (a few grinds)
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    • Combine all of the ingredients in a medium sauce pot over medium heat. Stir well to combine and break up and dissolve the brown sugar.
    • Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Then reduce to a simmer.
    • Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    • Remove the pot from the heat and let cool slightly before transferring to an airtight bottle or jar.
    • Refrigerate overnight.

    RECIPE NOTES

    • To cool this BBQ sauce down quickly so it thickens, transfer it to your preferred container and then place the container in an ice bath.
    • If you are using the 2X/3X buttons to scale up this recipe, please note that those buttons will only scale up the measurements to the left of the ingredients and will not scale up the measurements in the parentheses on the right.

    YOUR NOTES

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    Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and let me how it was!
    Condiments & DipsUnder 30 Minutes
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      4.50 from 4 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Larry D.

      October 13, 2020 at 4:33 pm

      4 stars
      There are a few very good commercial bottles sauces of the South Carolina type just described. And like the author, I could never stand mustard, either. But these two are excellent: Blue Front and Rub Some Butt. The former is made in South Florida and is available at Publix. The latter can be found on line and in Lowes Home Improvement stores.

      Reply
      • Rebecca

        October 13, 2020 at 6:55 pm

        Great intel! Thanks for sharing!

        Reply
    2. ANNA

      April 25, 2021 at 7:42 pm

      I'm kind of new to Carolina style barbecue sauce so I appreciate this post. I can already tell this is a 5 star recipe.

      Reply
    3. Jean

      August 28, 2024 at 12:11 pm

      5 stars
      I love your South Carolina BBQ sauce! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe. I love BBQ sauce on sweet potatoes, and that’s the only way I’ve tried it so far, but I’ll be making it often and using it on lots of other things. Your recipe is the first of a South Carolina-type BBQ sauce that I’ve made or even tasted, and it’s definitely a keeper!

      Reply
    4. Marjo

      October 24, 2024 at 8:56 am

      How best to store this and up for how long?

      Reply
      • Rebecca Eisenberg

        October 24, 2024 at 11:00 am

        Store your homemade BBQ sauce in the fridge, it should be good for up to 6 months!

        Reply
    5. Peggy

      November 11, 2024 at 11:31 pm

      Do you think I could can this using a water bath? My canning book had a bbq recipe that was water boiled for 15 min. This recipe also has vinegar so it should be doable, you thnk?

      Reply
      • Rebecca Eisenberg

        November 12, 2024 at 11:05 am

        I’m not sure, I’ve never tried it! I don’t know if there’s a certain pH you need in order for something to be canned and shelf stable at room temperature. That isn’t to say it wouldn’t work, just that you may need to do some additional research regarding food safety!

        Reply

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