This Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce is a tangy, slightly sweet and mildly spicy. It’s ready in minutes and is delicious served over any kind of pork—pulled pork, pork chops, you name it! It’s also wonderful spooned over grilled turkey burgers.
Table of contents
Ingredients in carolina gold bbq sauce
- prepared yellow mustard
- apple cider vinegar
- honey
- molasses
- tomato paste
- Worcestershire sauce (or liquid aminos to keep it vegan)
- Frank’s hot sauce (or Tabasco if you like it spicier)
- cayenne pepper
- garlic powder
Is this bbq sauce Spicy?
Carolina gold barbecue sauce is mildly spicy. This recipe uses both Frank’s hot sauce and a dash of cayenne. But, here’s the thing with this sauce—and all barbecue sauces—you can make it as spicy or mild as you’d like.
If you like things on the mild side, start by decreasing the cayenne or leaving it out altogether. Love it fiery? Use Tabasco instead of Frank’s and increase the cayenne a pinch.
What does carolina gold bbq sauce taste like?
Carolina Gold is a unique barbecue sauce that’s unlike any other. The base of the sauce is yellow mustard—you can imagine the wonderful tang it adds!
The addition of honey and tomato paste balance out the tang with just enough natural sweetness. Plus, a few tablespoons of molasses add depth without making it reminiscent of the all-too-sweet sticky brown sauce over-served here in the midwest.
All that to say, this sauce is tangy, slightly sweet, and mildly spicy.
How to make Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce
Ya’ll (for all you southerners) this sauce is easy with a capital E. truly. Combine everything in a saucepan, bring to a boil, then remove from heat and let cool. Done!
How long does this sauce keep?
Stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, this sauce will last for about a month.
How to make this BBQ sauce vegan
There are just a few ingredient modifications you’ll need to make in order for this sauce to be vegan.
- use coconut sugar, maple syrup or brown sugar in place of the honey
- use liquid aminos or coconut aminos in place of the Worcestershire sauce
What to serve this Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce with…
- Grilled Pork Chops
- Roasted Pork Tenderloin
- Crispy Oven-Fried Chicken
- Charred Cauliflower “Steaks”
- Juicy Grilled Turkey Burgers
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Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce
Description
Ingredients
- 1 cup prepared yellow mustard
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce or liquid aminos
- 1 teaspoon Frank’s hot sauce or Tabasco sauce
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Whisk all of the ingredients together in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Bring sauce to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Store BBQ sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Notes
Nutrition
Wow! this sauce was so easy to whip up and it’s delicious!! We used this on pulled pork and grilled chicken this week. We will be making this regularly. thank you!
This sauce is amazing and complimented my pulled pork sandwich perfectly.
Hi David! I’m so glad you enjoyed this! I’ve got to make some pulled pork—I bet it holds on to the sauce beautifully!
I made this sauce for chicken wings and it was incredible! I’ve been searching for a perfect gold BBQ sauce for a while and this was it. My husband and I couldn’t get enough and he’s requesting me to make more already. We were unable to find molasses at the store so I subbed about a quarter cup of dark brown sugar (started out with 2T, but adjusted for taste), which worked really well.
Thank you for the awesome recipe!
Hi Kate! I am so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Love the tip for using brown sugar—I bet it added great flavor!