Friends, this Carolina Gold Mustard BBQ Sauce belongs in the bbq sauce hall of fame. It’s the perfect balance of zingy vinegar + pinch of sweet + just the right amount of spice – and I am fully enjoying slathering it on just about everything right now. You can whip this sauce up in less than 5-minutes and make dinner over-the-top delicious!
The origins of Carolina Gold Mustard BBQ Sauce
After 5-minutes of “very careful and arduous” research, I’m inclined to believe this Eater article that claims that we owe the invention of mustard-based bbq sauce to German immigrants settling in South Carolina. After arriving (toting ample amounts of delicious German mustard with them) the first iteration of this delicious sauce was born and dubbed ‘Carolina Gold.’
What type of mustard is best to use?
If you’ve ever made it through my 375 word super long spiel on the various types of mustard in this post, you’ll know I am a particularly huge fan of the condiment. Though I use Dijon in many of my recipes, I find that a classic yellow mustard is the best option for this bbq sauce. The mild spice and vinegary flavor of classic mustard provides an excellent base for this bbq sauce and gives it it’s signature golden-hue.
What should I serve this bbq sauce on?
Really, the sky is the limit. My favorite way to serve this Carolina Gold Mustard BBQ Sauce is on these Pressure Cooker Boneless Beef Ribs, but it’s also phenomenal on shredded chicken, pork, and beef. This is a fantastic way to dress up basic grilled chicken and I have a suspicion it would be brilliant on burgers and brats too!
A note for special diets
This Carolina Gold Mustard BBQ Sauce is gluten-free, grain-free, low-carb, and easily made friendly for Paleo and Keto diets.
For those following a strict Paleo diet, you may swap the Worcestershire sauce for coconut aminos.
For those following a strict Keto diet who do not want to consume honey (even in such a small amount), you may substitute the honey for 1 tbsp monkfruit or equivalent sweetener. Please note that these swaps may slightly change the flavor of the bbq sauce.
Estimated nutrition facts for this recipe when swapping honey for monkfruit (per 2 tbsp serving): cal: 22, fat: 2g, sod: 251mg, carb: 0g, fib: 0g, sug: 0g, prot: 1g
Carolina Gold Mustard BBQ Sauce
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Butters & Condiments
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 cup classic yellow mustard
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp raw honey (may sub 1 tbsp monkfruit for Keto)
- 1 tbsp garlic oil (may sub 1 tbsp olive oil + 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
- 1 tbsp unsweetened ketchup
- 1 tbsp Tabasco hot sauce
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce (or coconut aminos for Paleo)
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
Instructions
- In a small glass mixing bowl or jar, whisk together all of the ingredients until smooth.
- Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Notes
Nutritional information on Whip & Wander is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tbsp
- Calories: 32
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 251 mg
- Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 3 g
- Protein: 1 g
I love the colour of this barbecue sauce and it sounds delicious with just the right amount of tang and sweetness. I can’t wait to try this on grilled chicken. Thanks!
★★★★★
It’s fantastic on grilled chicken! Pork and beef too!
How long will this last ? Will it go bad ?
I spent many years in the Carolinas and. have been searching for a recipe like this one for years! Thanks for sharing it and I am looking forward to putting it to a delicious use!
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With grilling season here, you can’t have too many sauces. This mustard sauce looks amazing. It would go with so many proteins, and even as a great condiment. Love the colour too. What a great gift to take to a BBQ party.
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I love a good mustard sauce and yours looks stellar. And yes, I’m thinking hall of fame too! 🙂 I can’t wait to try it and it’s now on my must make list!
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I looooove sauces!! A good sauce can make the entire dish. I can’t wait to try this because it sounds delicious and I love yummy mustards 🙂
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My husband and I both love mustard sauces and this one looks so yummy! Love the golden color!
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Ooh, this mustard sauce looks good! The golden color is stunning, and the combination of flavors sound yummy. Definitely want to give it a try!
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YUMMMM!!! I am such a fan of bbq sauce myself and actually much prefer yellow mustard to dijon in any one of them. I am so pumped to give this delicious looking sauce a try!
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Oh my….I am definitely making this bbq sauce! i love a vinegar based sauce and this sounds incredible!
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Love the photo of it water falling down the meat lol. This sounds like a super tasty sauce for any protein!
Mmmmm, I think my favorite was Mustard BBQ sauce on Pork Chops. The Carolinas do know a thing or 2 about BBQ.
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yumm!!! hall of fame worthy=MUST TRY! and it’s so on point with the color of the season! 🙂
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That color is epic! And the ingredients are something you can feel good about using. Definitely a keeper recipe!
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This sauce is the bomb dot com! It looks fantastic and sounds so flavorful..great shots too!
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This looks incredible! I am imagining all the different meats to try it on. I think chicken will be first on my list.
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I have never had mustard bbq sauce, yours looks great- and I love the history of it being created by Germans settling in Carolina, it just makes sense!
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Love the color of this sauce and how versatile it is! I’ve never heard of this before but going to make a batch this weekend! Looks so easy!
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Well, I certainly agree with you about the deliciousness of mustard. And naturally to me the minute I hear mustard I think German. I prefer mustard to ketchup any old day. This sauce sounds like just what we need for our pulled pork.
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Ooooo! Up in New England it is so rare to see this type of barbecue sauce offered but I truly love it! I am so excited grilling season is here and look forward to trying this recipe.the combination of the tangy mustard and sweet honey and the punch of worcestershire is such a great flavor combo!
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This is great! I lived in North Carolina for several years and came across this type of condiment lots of times. Yours sounds amazing with all of those layers of flavors. I am definitely going to try this, especially now that BBQ season is starting. Pinning this for reference, thank you!
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I am such a HUGE mustard fan – I CANNOT wait to try this recipe! Perfect for all the delicious dinners we’ll be making on the grill this summer. Thanks for such a great recipe!
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Now all I can think about is this sauce! I love mustard and bbq 🙂 I will be mixing this up and throwing a slab of ribs on the grill tonight.
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Girrrrrl. I’ve been salivating over this sauce since your rib post. I’m still so enamored with the idea of stepping away from the usually red ketchup-based sauces. This sounds perfectly balanced with sweet and tangy! Thanks for posting this recipe. I’m dying to try it!
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Oh man, I am definitely bookmarking this for bbqs this summer! I can’t get enough mustard in my life, and we always stick to the ketchup based ones when we make them. I could see myself using as a dip for veggies on skewers too. Can’t wait to try it!
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I just love the BBQ sauce! The mustard base gives it such a nice kick and beautiful color. I’m so glad I found this just in time for summer.
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Ok I think I have to make this today! It’s Norwegian Constitution Day so all stores are closed, but I think I’ve got all the ingredients. The color is unbelievable so no wonder they call it Carolina Gold.
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Nice to read about the origin of the sauce and loved that colour! I personally love mustard – both the American and Dijon They are perfect for sandwiches and grills.
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I was looking for a good BBQ sauce alternative for a few days now. I am so glad I’ve stumbled upon your recipe. I think it is perfect for what I have been looking for – thank you!
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OK, I see why you enjoy using it everywhere – I can already agree to this just from looking at these images. They are simply mouthwatering, and there is nothing I can do to stop myself from making this recipe!
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This sauce looks amazing, reminds me of some of the sauces I used to enjoy many years ago growing up in Georgia. I don’t eat meat but I’m sure I can use it on some of my vegetarian dishes.
The colour of this sauce really is amazing! I can imagine how good it tastes. Can’t wait to try it myself once we start bbq season!
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This barbeque sauce looks and sounds delicious. I love that it’s pretty easy to make too! Lovely photos!!
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This sounds soooooo delicious. The flavors of the mustard, honey, and vinegar sound so good! I bet this is amazing on the grill!
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I have never tried making my own mustard. I’m such a mustard head since very young, to explain this – many times since I was a kid I love having mustard on bread. Just mustard on toast. Now to make my own mustard it’s just amazing. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. Definitely saved!
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We love shredded chicken, pork, and beef in my home. I cannot wait to try this bbq sauce.
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What a gorgeous BBQ sauce–that color especially is such a lovely hue. I didn’t know that Carolina Gold Mustard BBQ Sauce was a product of German immigration to South Carolina. I always love learning about the history of dishes and how they found their way into our culinary fabric. I can think of so many uses for this sauce–this will be a summer staple in our refrigerator!
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Look at that beautiful color of the BBQ sauce, I cannot wait to make it!
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I’ve never had a mustard based BBQ sauce. I’m so excited to try your carolina gold bbq sauce.
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First I printed, then I came back to comment. This thing is the sexiest thing I have seen on a spoon in a long time. Fancy officially tickled.
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I love to read the story behind the foods..The sauce looks gorgeous and I believe this mustard sauce gives the required heat to the dishes.
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My husband is going to LOVE this! He’s always wanted me to try making a good carolina bbq, but I have not been able to replicate it yet. Thank you!
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Wow what a great idea! I’ve never had gold bbq sauce but it sounds amazing!!
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Wow! Wow! Wow! That color!
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This sauce looks amazing!! I love your version and ingredients.
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Omg this looks like it would be good on literally EVERYTHING!! YUM!
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To be honest, usually mustard BBQ sauces are at the bottom of rankings of BBQ sauces because I just think eating that much mustard at once is weird. But THIS. These pictures are amazing – that color and texture looks so good that I’ll have to try this!
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This is a summertime must, and I just love the vibrant gold color too!
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This definitely looks like an award winner. And thanks for all the modification suggestions. Can’t wait to try them all!
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I can taste all the yummy flavor from here and the photos are gorgeous!
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I love the idea of mustard bbq sauce, so tangy and delicious!
I was looking for something like this to serve with smoked pork chops tonight — thank you!
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I made this for Pork BBQ dinner last night with friends and family after the kids’ Christmas program and everyone loved it!! Delicious and easy to make. Several asked for the recipe.
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Phenomenal!
Greetings Jenni,
I hope all is finding you safe and well, and wanted to say thank you for sharing this recipe. I was wondering what kind of chili powder you use for this BBQ sauce. Is it a pure chili powder such as ancho, guajillo, or cayenne, or is it best to use the chili powder that is chili pepper with the addition of other spices, like McCormick or Badia?
Thank you greatly for your time and help.
Elizabeth
Hi, Elizabeth! I generally use the latter as they tend to be milder in flavor and nicely smoky. However, if you have a favorite type of chili powder you can feel free to substitute as desired. I personally think ancho would be really nice in this because it’s also very smoky, but slightly spicier than a generic chili pepper blend.
This sauce is great on meatloaf, also. Just lather the top with the sauce as you bake the loaf.
Wonderful! Thank you for taking the time to reply, Jenni. For our first go at this sauce, we will be sticking to your original recipe. We will be trying a batch of this on pulled pork an Friday, and we cannot wait.
Many thanks again and all the best,
Elizabeth
Can this BBQ Sauce be used as a marinade for chicken?
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I see no reason why it couldn’t. Though there is a fair amount of vinegar in the recipe, so I would not marinate more than 12 hours.