Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce

I’m a mustard-based BBQ sauce kind of girl. The sharp tang, the golden hue, the way it cuts through smoky, fatty meat never gets old. This Carolina-style sauce is everything I want on a pulled pork sandwich, sticky ribs, or crispy-edged chicken thighs. It’s punchy. It’s sweet. It’s got just enough heat to make you notice. And the best part? All you need is a food processor and a few pantry staples to make a sauce that tastes like summer with an attitude.

Table of Contents

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

Easy to put together, just all of the ingredients in a food processor
Easy to freeze
Change up from the same ketchup based BBQ sauces

What You’ll Walk Away Knowing

How to balance flavors to get a well rounded sauce
How to use time to develop flavor

This Carolina mustard sauce shines by the contrast of fresh and dried ingredients. I’ll walk you through how each piece plays its part so you’re not just making a sauce, you’re learning how to build flavor, layer by layer.

How to Build a Rounded Sauce

The dried spices lay the groundwork with a deep, mellow base, while the fresh garlic and chipotle add spikes of brightness and heat. Balancing these gives the sauce its layered, bold and balanced flavor.

So it may seem odd to double ingredients, but they all have their own purpose in the sauce. Taste as you go and once it feels right to you, let it sit to develop the flavors.

Ingredient shot of mustard, apple cider vinegar, honey, brown sugar, chipotle, and garlic.

Ingredient List

Mustard: Yellow mustard is the base of this sauce. It gives the sauce its color and tang. For a classic Carolina Mustard sauce, I wouldn’t substitute mustards like Dijon or spicy brown. It won’t be the same sauce.

Honey: Brings sweetness and warms the color of the sauce.

Brown Sugar: I prefer dark brown sugar, but light brown sugar works as well. This helps to add a bit of caramelization to the meat if you’re grilling it.

Apple Cider Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar has more character than other vinegars. It lends tartness, but also a depth of flavor that gives the BBQ sauce more dimension. The underlying flavors build a complexity to the tartness.

Chipotle Pepper in Adobo Sauce: Adds a smokiness and heat to the mustard sauce. One pepper gives the sauce a mild heat and smokiness. You can use two if you want to up the spiciness. If you don’t want to commit to a can of chipotle peppers, you can substitute ½-1 teaspoon of smoked paprika and a pinch of cayenne. It won’t have the same depth, but it will do the job.

Garlic: I always have fermented garlic in the refrigerator so that’s what I use. It’s more mellow than raw garlic. But whether raw or fermented, fresh garlic adds the heat and punch.

Garlic Powder: I like powdered spices as the backbone of recipes. It adds a warmer, deeper flavor profile than fresh. Together it makes for a dynamic sauce.

Ketchup: Adds a sweetness and umami to the recipe. The sauce won’t taste at all like ketchup.

Worcestershire: Another umami ingredient. It adds depth like the dried seasonings.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Put the garlic cloves and chipotle peppers into a food processor. Blend for 30 seconds to chop.
Add yellow mustard, honey, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, ketchup, Worcestershire, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper into the food processor.
Blend for 60 seconds until everything is well mixed and incorporated.
Pour into a container and allow the flavors to marry for 2-4 hours or overnight

Carolina mustard BBQ sauce with boneless beef short ribs and a pastry brush.

Expert Tips

This Carolina mustard sauce has a pourable consistency. It’s much thinner than a BBQ sauce from the grocery store.

Make this sauce at least a few hours before you plan to serve it so that the ingredients can marry together. After you first blend the sauce and taste it, you might not be impressed with the flavor. If you give it time to come together, you’ll get the full spectrum of flavor. So if you can, give it time.

If after time, it still isn’t balanced, you can add honey to sweeten it or more mustard or apple cider vinegar to make it more tangy.

You can either add it on cold or warm it a bit before saucing your food. Gently warm the sauce in a pot on the stove. Or in the microwave in 20 second intervals.

Save yourself the double of cutting the garlic and chipotle peppers and let the food processor do the work.

Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce come in a can and I never need to use all of them in one week. Put one and some of the sauce in an ice cube tray and freeze them. All you’ll have to do is thaw one next time you make this mustard BBQ sauce. You will save money this way.

Measure everything in a ¼ measuring cup. You’ll save yourself the dishes. I like to measure the apple cider vinegar then do the honey. It won’t stick into the measuring cup as badly that way.

What to Serve Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce with

I like to bake chicken on a high heat to get a crispy skin and then at the last ten minutes slather it with sauce to caramelize in the oven. I always have sauce on the side as well. Boneless Beef Ribs that are cooked low and slow are a perfect pairing. The savoriness and tenderness of the beef with a bright tang of mustard BBQ sauce keeps your BBQ dinner from being one note.

Storage

Store your Carolina Mustard BBQ sauce in the refrigerator for 5 days. I like to use a small mason jar to make it easier to pour. You can also freeze it in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

FAQs

Can I freeze the whole sauce?

Yes! Freeze in small jars or ice cube trays. Thaw what you need and stir well. Sometimes the sauce separates a bit when frozen, but it comes back together easily.

How spicy is this with one chipotle pepper?

Mild to medium, with smoky background heat. If you’re nervous, start with half a pepper. You can always add more.

I don’t have chipotle peppers in adobo. What’s a good substitute?

You can use smoked paprika (1/2 to 1 teaspoon) and a pinch of cayenne for heat. A little liquid smoke and hot sauce can also mimic that smoky-spicy effect. It won’t be as complex, but still delicious.

How long does this sauce last in the fridge?

It’ll stay good for up to 5 days in the fridge if stored in a sealed jar or airtight container. After that, the flavors may dull and the garlic might start to overpower the balance.

Let me know in the comments what you’re slathering this mustard BBQ sauce on. Don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter for more cozy, from-scratch recipes straight to your inbox.

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