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Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce is tangy, slightly sweet, and super easy to make from scratch! The perfect pairing for pork, chicken, ribs and more! It takes only 20 minutes to whip up a batch and you can store it in the fridge all week long.
Carolina BBQ sauce is mustard-based so it has a golden yellow color. It contains much less sugar than other barbecue sauces and is wonderfully tangy. Pour it over BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches or serve with Instant Pot Shredded Chicken.
Table of Contents
Why We Love This Recipe
- Tangy and Just Slightly Sweet – Mustard BBQ sauce is tangy from the vinegar and has a subtle sweetness.
- Ready in 20 Minutes – Super quick to mix up!
- Make Ahead Friendly – Store in the fridge all week long to have ready for serving.
Ingredients For Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce
You only need 5 simple ingredients plus a few spices to make a tangy, homemade BBQ sauce!
- Yellow Mustard – The basic kind you put on your hot dog!
- Honey
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Brown Sugar – You can use dark or light brown sugar.
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Spices – Black Pepper, Garlic Powder, Cayenne Pepper.
How To Make Carolina Gold Barbecue Sauce
See recipe card below for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Cook BBQ Sauce – Add all of the ingredients to a small pot and whisk together. Heat over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer for about 5 minutes, whisking and stirring often.
- Cool – Remove from the heat and let cool.
- Serve or Store – Serve the bbq sauce or you can store in the fridge to enjoy later.
FAQs
Compared to other barbecue sauces, Carolina gold sauce is mustard and vinegar based. Other barbecue sauces contain more sugar and are very sweet while Carolina BBQ Sauce contains less sugar and is much tangier.
This Carolina-style sauce does not have ketchup or tomato in it. But, the sweeter Kansas City-style barbecue sauce does typically have a ketchup or tomato base. Here is a recipe to make a ketchup-based barbecue sauce.
Serving Suggestions
- Pulled Pork – Make pulled pork in the slow cooker or in the instant pot.
- Pulled Chicken – Make shredded chicken in the slow cooker or in the instant pot.
- Dipping Sauce for Fries – Bake up a batch of homemade french fries for dipping.
- Spread on Sandwiches – Spread on a grilled chicken sandwich or on these ham and cheese sliders.
- Marinade for Grilled Chicken – Brush chicken breasts with the sauce and let sit for 20 minutes while the grill preheats to add flavor and make the meat tender.
Variations
- Spicy – As written, this sauce is mildly spicy but you can add more cayenne pepper if you prefer a spicier sauce.
- Sweeter – Try adding more honey to make a sweeter version.
- Vegan – To make this vegan, just swap maple syrup or coconut sugar for the honey and use a vegan Worcestershire sauce.
Leftovers and Storage
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. You could also freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- Adjust to Taste – This sauce is so easy to adjust to your preferences. Like it sweeter? Add a little more honey. Like it tangier? Add a little more vinegar.
- Prep in Advance – The great thing about this recipe is it can be made a week in advance so it’s ready when you need it.
More Easy BBQ Recipes
- Easy Baked BBQ Chicken
- BBQ Chicken Drumsticks in the Slow Cooker
- Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
- Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
- Pulled Chicken (Crockpot BBQ Chicken)
Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup yellow mustard
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne powder
Instructions
- Whisk all ingredients together in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- Serve as desired – we love it with pulled pork and pulled chicken.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.
