Best Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce Recipe (Mustard-based) (2024)

This authentic Carolina Gold BBQ sauce is a sweet and tangy mustard-based condiment that’s absolutely delicious on pulled pork, chicken, or ribs! A golden yellow sauce on a pulled pork sandwich is an irresistible South Carolina tradition you won’t want to miss! Make this easy recipe in only five minutes!

Serve with slow cooker root beer pulled pork.

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As someone who was born and raised in South Carolina, when I think of barbecue, I envision a big heap of pulled pork, piled on a bun and completelysmotheredwith Carolina Gold BBQ sauce. With some extra sauce on the side as a dip, for good measure.

This golden bbq sauce may not be dominant (or even available!) throughout most of the United States, but it’s my personal favorite of the various regional barbecue sauces. And once you try this easy recipe, it may become yours too!

Recipe inspiration

My family grew up going to Bessinger’s famous weekend buffet in Charleston, SC, filling up on Southern macaroni and cheese, banana pudding, and of course, pulled pork saturated with yellow barbecue sauce. While the buffet is no longer available, the restaurant is still in service and is the place to go for a “Big Joe” pulled pork sandwich and one of their giant battered onion rings.

I based this particular recipe on Bessinger’s Carolina Gold sauce. I consultedthe ingredient list on their commercially bottled sauce and played with theratios until I had something that tasted the same.

What is Carolina Gold BBQ sauce?

Carolina Gold barbecue sauceis a sweet andtangymustard-based BBQ saucefound primarily throughout the “Mustard belt” of South Carolina, which encompasses the Midlands and Lowcountry regions of the state. These days you may also find it in certain areas of Georgia.

The sauce originated fromGerman immigrantswho came tocentral South Carolinaat the end of the 18th century, bringing their families, a large Lutheran population, and alove of mustardon pork.

You’ll mostly find thisgolden sauceon whole hog pulled pork, as well as on pulled or shredded chicken and occasionally on ribs. It is usually added at the end of cooking or used as a condiment.

What does Carolina Gold BBQ sauce taste like?

Carolina Gold sauceis mostly tangy, a bit sweet, and completely delicious. It has a distinct mustard flavor, but with a good recipe it’s a well-rounded blend that’s more than the sum of its parts.

While different iterations of Carolina Gold sauces can vary in sweetness, they’re rarely as sweet as your typical red ketchup-based barbecue sauce. Some versions contain so little sweetener it’s almost like eating straight mustard, but this Bessinger’s-style sauce has enoughbrown sugarto balance out the harshness of the mustard.

Thesignature flavorin this recipe comes from prepared yellow mustard,brown sugar, and vinegar. Supporting ingredients like ketchup,Worcestershire sauce, and Frank’s Red Hot add depth, character, and a little kick to the sauce.

Where can I buy Carolina Gold sauce?

They sellmustard-based BBQ saucein many of our regional grocery stores as well as in manyBBQrestaurantsaround the state, but you may not have that same luxury unless you live in South Carolina’s Mustard Belt.

While you can buy someon Amazon, it can be rather pricey. I recommend making your ownhomemade bbq saucewith this Bessinger’s copycat recipe for an authentic South Carolina barbecue experience without a hefty price tag.

Ingredients

ThisCarolina gold bbq sauce recipehas theperfect balanceof sweetness, tang, a little heat, and some spices using thesesimple ingredients!

How to Make Homemade Mustard BBQ Sauce

It couldn’t be more simple! All you have to do to make your own South Carolinamustard sauceis mix all the ingredients together!

After mixing the ingredients, give it a taste. This recipe doesn’t start off overly sweet or overly hot, so you can add more sugar or hot sauce to taste.

Refrigerating the sauce for a couple hours or overnight will help unify the flavors, but you can also use it immediately.

Simmering the sauce

Simmering the sauce on the stovetop is quick way to blend the flavors faster. Just add all ingredients to amedium saucepan, heat overmedium heatuntil thebrown sugaris dissolved, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Use immediately or let thesauce cooltoroom temperaturebefore storing in the fridge.

Thismustard-based saucestores well in the fridge for up to a week in amason jaror otherairtight container.

See Also

Pico de Gallo Recipe - Two Peas & Their Pod

Expert Tips & Tricks

• No need for fancy mustard here! Just use some prepared yellow mustard like French’s or Heinz.
• Serve this sauce on slow cooker pulled pork, shredded chicken, or ribs, with extra on the side!
• To use this sauce like a true South Carolinian, you’ll want to mix the sauce with the cooked, shredded pork until it’s coated throughout. Then, drizzle some more on top or use it as a dip too!
• Add honey, extra Frank’s hot sauce, mayo, whole grain mustard, or bourbon for a tasty variation on the traditional sauce.
• Simmer this sauce on the stove for a few minutes or let it sit in the fridge overnight for the flavors to really meld together!

Recipe Variations

This recipe makes a great base for some equally tasty variations of the Carolina style sauce!

• Honey Mustard BBQ Sauce – Swap the 2/3 cup of brown sugar for half a cup of honey.
• Bourbon Mustard BBQ Sauce – Add a couple tablespoons of bourbon to your sauce (to taste) and simmer the sauce for a few minutes on the stove.
• Spicy Mustard BBQ Sauce – If you like aspicy sauce,add some extra Frank’s Hot Sauce or some cayenne pepper, to taste.
• Creamy Carolina Gold Sauce – Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup of mayo for a creamy twist on the sauce! I use Hellman’s myself but many Southerners swear by Duke’s.
• Whole Grain Mustard BBQ Sauce – I often add a huge spoonful of whole grain mustard to my pulled pork before mixing in the Carolina Gold sauce. It adds a nice caviar-like texture and a bit more of that mustardy kick!

How to UseMustard-based BBQ Sauce

The clear and classic choice here is pulled pork. I love it with thisslow cooker pulled pork, made frompork buttsimmered in root beer to infuse the meat with a little extra sweetness. Chicken and other cuts of pork are other great options!

Here are a few meats that are delicious with thistraditional bbq sauce.

• Pulled pork
• Pulledpork sandwiches(with or without a little coleslaw for some crunch)
• Chicken wings
• Chicken legs
• Shredded chicken
• Pork chops
• Pork ribs
• Pork tenderloin

For a truly South Carolinian experience, try one of these side dishes with your barbecue:

• hush puppies
• fried okra
• cornbread muffins
• skillet cornbread
• Charleston red rice

Carolina Gold barbecue saucealso makes a greatdipping saucefor your hush puppies, fried okra, and evenfrench fries!

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