South Carolina Mustard Sauce Recipe | Grilling

By
Joshua Bousel
a photo of Joshua Bousel, a Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Joshua Bousel
Joshua Bousel is a Serious Eats old-timer, having started sharing his passion for grilling and barbecue recipes on the site back in 2008. He continues to develop grilling and barbecue recipes on his own site, The Meatwave, out of his home base of Durham, North Carolina.
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Updated Aug. 09, 2018
A jar of South Carolina-Style mustard sauce for barbecue.

Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel

South Carolina is a microcosm of sorts representing the diversity of barbecue sauces across the land.

The coast likes a thin vinegar sauce, a tomato-based sauce is mopped on in the north, and a thick ketchup mixture adorns smoked meat in the west, but a large majority smack dab in the center of state enjoy a sauce that's uniquely their own: the mustard sauce.

Only a recent convert to loving all-things-mustard, I had a hard time fathoming why anyone would choose to dress their cue in something so mustardy, but lately I've been siding with this concoction, which is born from a collision of German ancestry and American barbecue.

This simple sauce starts with a mustard base, mixes some sweetness in with sugar, the vinegar gives it a barbecue tang, and just enough spices create a uniqueness between one sauce and another.

Unlike my unbridled enthusiasm for North Carolina Vinegar Sauce (which I've been perfecting thanks to all of your comments), I've approached the mustard sauce more cautiously.

Though it makes a nice alternative on a pulled pork and slaw sandwich, I'm not quite feeling it on ribs or with any beef yet. Being new to the South Carolina way, I'm wondering how you use this mustard sauce?

Adapted from Big Bob Gibson's BBQ Book by Chris Lilly

Recipe Facts

Prep: 5 mins
Chill: 24 hrs
Total: 24 hrs 5 mins
Serves: 14 servings

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Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup prepared yellow mustard

  • 1/2 cup honey

  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

  • 2 tablespoons ketchup

  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar

  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce

Directions

  1. In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix well. Make at least 24 hours prior to usage for best flavor. Store refrigerated in a tightly covered jar for up to two weeks.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
52 Calories
0g Fat
12g Carbs
1g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 14
Amount per serving
Calories 52
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 1%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 177mg 8%
Total Carbohydrate 12g 4%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Total Sugars 11g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 0mg 2%
Calcium 11mg 1%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 46mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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