This zesty and delicious, southern inspired Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce makes the perfect addition to so many recipes!
Unlike ketchup-based bbq sauce, this tangy mustard blend has robust notes of tomato paste, brown sugar, cider vinegar, and a handful of savory seasonings. Don’t forget the Worcestershire sauce for that signature flavor that we all know and love! This savory sauce has so many applications. Use it as a glaze for meat, a dip for veggie bites, or a simple condiment on burgers, hot dogs, and onion rings. This Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce recipe will end up being a kitchen staple, for sure!
What is Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce?
- Take your bbq game to the next level with this sweet, savory and spicy sauce that is perfect as a dip, a dressing, a sauce, or a glaze!
- Reviews of this copycat recipe say it’s just like the gourmet version from Trader Joe’s, or Cattleman’s but here you can adjust the sweet or spicy profile to create a sauce that’s best for your recipes.
- Naturally, gluten-free Carolina Gold bbq sauce can be made sugar-free or vegan!
Ingredients & Variations
MUSTARD: Start with a basic yellow mustard like French’s. Since there are dozens of mustard flavors on the market, experiment to find your favorite. Stone ground, horseradish, honey, or Dijon will all produce amazing results!
SWEET: Brown sugar can be replaced with honey or maple syrup, or use a sugar substitute like Swerve or Monkfruit.
SAVORY: AKA ‘umami’ ingredients like tomato paste, Worcestershire, and vinegar give Carolina Gold its depth of flavor. Molasses can be added to create a thick, flavorful sauce and natural smoke flavor is optional, but both are delicious! Use coconut liquid aminos instead of Worcestershire for a nutritional vegan recipe.
How to Make Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce
Just two easy steps create this gorgeous thick and rich BBQ sauce:
- Bring the ingredients (except for optional natural smoke flavor) to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until desired consistency is reached.
- Add natural smoke flavor, using a small amount at a time, to reach the desired flavor.
- This recipe makes about 1 ¼ cup of sauce.
How to Use
Use Carolina Gold barbecue sauce as a glaze for meatballs, or chicken drumsticks, or let the sauce infuse into ribs or pulled pork. It’s also great as a dip for veggies like roasted cauliflower, and air fryer broccoli.
How to Store
Keep Carolina Gold BBQ sauce in a cruet or mason jar in the refrigerator for up to a month. Shake or stir before serving. Freeze in ice cube trays and pop out a cube or two to add to a soup or stir fry!
More Sauce Recipes
- Simple Sweet and Sour Sauce – Sweet and tangy.
- Cranberry Orange Sauce – Easy to make.
- Spicy Chocolate Sauce – So addictive!
- Homemade Barbecue Sauce – A simple, yet versatile sauce.
Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ cup yellow mustard
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste puree
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon white pepper or freshly ground black pepper
- 2-3 dashes hot sauce or to taste
- 1 Tablespoon molasses optional
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt optional
- 1 teaspoon natural smoke flavor optional
Instructions
- Mix together all ingredients, except the natural smoke flavor, in a medium saucepan. Stir and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes, or until it reaches desired consistency.
- Add optional smoke flavoring a small amount at a time, to taste.
Notes
- Molasses is optional, but highly recommended! It creates a darker sauce with enhanced flavor.
- This sauce will thicken as it simmers and reduces.
- Alternately, thicken the sauce using a slurry made with 1 Tablespoon cornstarch and 1 Tablespoon water.
- Whisk a small amount of the slurry into the sauce until desired thickness is reached. All of the slurry mixture may not be needed.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information does not include optional ingredients or garnish and is an estimate. It may change based on actual ingredients and cooking methods used.
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