Not all barbecue sauces are red. Enjoy this spicy South Carolina barbecue sauce with yellow mustard, onions, vinegar, sugar and cayenne pepper.
Please welcome Simply Recipes contributor Hank Shaw who is doing a series on barbecue sauces here. If you love mustard, you will love this sauce! ~ Elise
Yellow BBQ sauce?
Not all barbecue sauces are red. In fact, one of my favorites comes from South Carolina and is a bright yellow, mustard-based sauce that’s just as delicious as a vinegar- or tomato-based sauce.
Yes, I know such things are blasphemy in the Barbecue Belt, where your local style of grilling is the real deal. Luckily I’m from New Jersey where we don’t really have a local barbecue. This gives me the freedom to enjoy them all.
This sauce can be as simple or as complex as you like. It must have yellow mustard, vinegar, sugar and onions. Everything else is icing.
This version pairs with brown sugar and apple cider vinegar, plus some dry mustard and cayenne pepper for kicks.
Ripens when cooked
Like most barbecue sauces, South Carolina BBQ sauce matures as it cooks. You should let it cook for at least 30 minutes, but if you’re keeping it for hours you may need to add a little more mustard and water to keep it pourable.
What are you supposed to wear? Really everything. As Emeril Lagasse says, you could spread this sauce on a bumper and it would taste good.
I usually put it on pulled pork, country pork ribs, regular pork ribs, pork belly – see a trend here? – but I also use it for grilled chicken or turkey, and I bet it might even be good for a big piece of swordfish, sturgeon or catfish.
BBQ sauce with South Carolina mustard
Use this sauce towards the end of grilling meat, as the sugar will quickly caramelize and then burn. So leave it until the last 45 minutes or so and spread it out in layers, allowing each layer to cook into the meat a bit before adding the next.
ingredients
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4 tbsp. butter
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1/2 onion, grated
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1/2 cup yellow mustard (the kind you get at the ballpark)
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1/2 cup brown sugar
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1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
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1 tablespoon dry mustard (like Coleman’s)
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1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
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1 bay leaf
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Salt to taste
method
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Heat the butter over medium-high heat until foamy, then add the onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Do not let the onions turn brown.
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Add everything else, stir well and simmer slowly for 30 minutes or more.
