Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce for Pulled Pork

This sauce has a sweet tang with a hint of heat and it is perfect for pulled pork, hot dogs, sausages, chicken and so much more

A bottle of mustard sauce next to pulled pork on a bun.

I love BBQ. I like cooking, eating and hosting a BBQ. A good BBQ obviously has great meat but it also has some good sauce. I make a lot of different sauces and this Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce is one of my favourites.

Pulled pork, baked beans and mustard sauce.

Every region in the US has their own take on what makes a good BBQ sauce. This recipe is a classic Carolina mustard based BBQ sauce. Tangy, sweet with a little heat, this mustard sauce is awesome on smoked pulled pork, sausages, burgers hot dogs and more.

Ingredients gathered and placed on a wooden cutting board.

Ingredient Notes

  • Yellow mustard – classic yellow mustard is perfect for this Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce.
  • Brown sugar – this provides the sweetness to the sauce. You could use white sugar or even honey.
  • White vinegar – the BBQ sauce definitely has a tang and that comes from the vinegar.
  • Chili powder
  • Garlic powder
  • Onion powder
  • Cayenne pepper – this provides some heat to the sauce. You can increase or decrease depending on your preference.
  • Salt
  • Butter – the butter gives the sauce a bit of richness and a nice gloss coating.
Ingredients mixed in a saucepan.

How To Make BBQ Sauce

Preparing this sauce is very simple. Add all the ingredients to medium saucepan and use a whisk to mix it so that the mustard and brown sugar is all dissolved.

A whisk in a saucepan after mixing the sauce.

Heat the sauce over medium heat and stir occasionally. As the butter melts, mix it into the sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil and then reduce the heat to a medium low.

Mustard sauce bubbling in a saucepan.

Let this sauce simmer for a few minutes on low heat, stirring often to make sure that it does stick or build up on the bottom of the saucepan. Remove it from the heat and let the BBQ sauce cool down.

How To Store This Sauce

I place this sauce in a 500ml mason jar and keep it in the fridge. It should stay good in the fridge for a few weeks. When serving for a BBQ or picnic, I love to transfer this sauce to a squeeze bottle. This makes it easy for people to add the sauce to a bun of pork, hot dogs and more!

BBQ sauce in a plastic squeeze bottle.

More BBQ Sauce Recipes!

I have another BBQ sauce, which is awesome with pulled pork, that I call Carolina Red Sauce and it is popular in places like Piedmont and Lexington. I really like having both of these sauces side by side any time I have a picnic with lots of pulled pork.

Here are even more sauces for your next BBQ and grilling session.

BBQ squeezing on a bun with pulled pork

Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce for Pulled Pork

5 out of 5
8 reviews
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This recipe is a classic Carolina mustard based sauce. Tangy, sweet with a little heat, this mustard based sauce is awesome on pulled pork, sausages, burgers hot dogs and more.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 15

Ingredients

  • 1 cup prepared yellow mustard
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup vinegar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 tbsp butter

Instructions

  • Whisk all the ingredients together in a saucepan until smooth. Cook on medium low heat for about 20 minutes to allow the flavors to combine.
  • Store in a jar or squeeze bottle in the fridge.

Nutrition

Per serving:

Calories: 77kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 1gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 368mgFiber: 1gSugar: 11g

Nutrition Disclaimer

This recipe was originally posted in May 2013.

Categories

A bottle of mustard sauce next to pulled pork on a bun.

Did you try this recipe?

Leave a comment and let me know how it turned out. Or, take a picture to share on Instagram and tag me @theblackpeppercorn.

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Recipe Rating




24 comments

  • Can this recipe be canned?

    • Reply
    • I am not sure that this recipe could be canned. I just store mine in the fridge.

  • 5 stars
    🙌🙌👍👍❤️❤️

    • Reply
  • Thank you so much! I love this sauce. It is my go to for pulled pork sandwiches and everyone whose tried it loves it also!

    • Reply
  • 5 stars
    Made it for the first time tonight. Used apple cider vinegar which gave it a nice twist ! Look forward to using it on grilled smoked thick pork chops!

    • Reply
  • Can you use apple cider vinegar?

    • Reply
    • Sure – should work out just fine!

      • Reply
  • 5 stars
    I made this tonight and it was great! Thank you!!

    • Reply
    • I added it to some gourmet(expensive) baked beans that I found a bit flat and much too sweet!
      Then i added more.
      Perfecto!

      • Reply
  • 5 stars
    I made this specifically for pulled pork. I live in NC so BBQ is like a staple for us but you have to have a great sauce to go with it. I love making my own so when I saw your recipe I had to try it. It is AWESOME!! My husband and son loved it too. We put it on BBQ, grilled chicken, grilled shrimp, I even made a pasta salad and dressed it with a little of the sauce. It was really good. Definitely a keeper. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

    • Reply
  • 5 stars
    I made it for my pulled pork that I usually just add BBQ sauce to. It was delicious!!

    • Reply
  • Thank you for this recipe, sounds great!

    Now all I need ia to learn how to make “pulled pork” lol..

    Fabby

    • Reply
  • Are you using “table” salt or kosher salt ? Because the conversions are different based on size of kosher salt. Thank you. Look forward to trying this recipe

    • Reply
    • I just use table salt.

      • Reply
    • I just use table salt. I hope you enjoy the recipe!

      • Reply
      • Ok. Thanks. Going to make some this afternoon. Thanks for the quick reply !!!

        • Reply
        • No problem! Enjoy! I love it with pulled pork.

          • Reply
    • 5 stars
      A tad bit on the spicy side but a real winner. Everyone liked it and will definitely make again. Thanks

      • Reply
  • 5 stars
    Made this for pulled pork. Used about 3 teaspoons of chili powder and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne. Used my immersion blender to mix it. Delish! This one is a keeper. Thanks for sharing it.

    • Reply
  • been wanting to find a good spicy mustard sauce for the longest for pulled pork ive made my own mustard sauce b4 and it taste good but i wanted to try someone elses for a change and this sounds so good to try and im sure i will enjoy,..thank you for sharing dis recipe!!

    • Reply
  • I love mustard sauces for pulled pork and it is really hard to find a good one. Just made this one and everyone LOVES it. I had to dump out a squeeze bottle of honey mustard in the fridge just so I could keep the rest. Will definitely being using it for more than just the pork.

    • Reply
  • Helpful information. Lucky me I ran across your web site accidentally, using this program . shocked precisely why that incident didn’t occurred beforehand! We bookmarked the item.

    • Reply
  • Can’t wait to make this sauce – love the colour! How long do you think it would keep in the fridge?

    • Reply
    • Hey Adam! I make this sauce and keep it in a squeeze bottle in the fridge. The kids love it for hot dogs and sandwiches as well. It lasts a month in the fridge (at least) before we run out and I need to make another batch.

      • Reply

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