Switch Up Summer Barbecues With A Sauce You've Probably Never Tried

When it comes to condiments, mayonnaise, ranch dressing, and ketchup grace the top three spots in U.S. popularity (via Statista). Mustard squeaks by at number five, but barbecue sauce doesn't quite make the top five list. However, it makes sense that consumers are looking for the best of the best among these options. And what could be tastier than combining the flavors of two of the top condiments?

Unless you're from the Carolinas, mustard barbecue sauce may sound foreign to you. Sure, barbecue sauce in general is familiar, even if you avoid store-bought barbecue sauces for health or quality reasons. But you're probably envisioning the reddish-brown, ketchupy, sweet sauce that America came to love. This mustardy Southern belle, on the other hand, has its roots in South Carolina. It has infiltrated North Carolina and Georgia cuisine for many years now, and the rest of the country is finally catching on, too. 

All the differences among every regional barbecue style and barbecue sauce might confuse most consumers, but at least the golden color of this unique condiment is easy to distinguish. While it's certainly not mild or neutral tasting, it can definitely appeal to a wide audience of barbecue aficionados. 

Unlike the creamy spiciness of an Alabama-style sauce or the thick tomatoey goodness of Texas barbecue sauce, this Carolina classic boasts a scrumptious juxtaposition of tangy and sweet. Given the heavy proportion of mustard as its base ingredient, it follows that the resulting barbecue sauce should be invigorating, even astringent, just like mustard. But its other ingredients help balance out the acidity. Besides mustard, this Southern sauce contains apple cider vinegar, sugar (or another sweetener like honey), and plenty of spices. 

Popular U.S. brands include Sweet Baby Ray's and Maurice's Southern Gold, whose signature recipe is a true South Carolina classic. You can certainly make your own Carolina barbecue sauce at home and tweak it to perfection, but the bottled varieties provide a delicious starting point. As with its ketchup-based cousin, mustard-based barbecue sauce comes in variations that cater to differing tolerances for sweet and heat. No matter which version you choose, though, a little goes a long way, so don't drown your food with this powerful stuff.

Because of its more acidic quality when compared to ketchup-based sauces, this mustard-based condiment goes best with dishes that normally call for vinegar. A rack of all-American barbecue ribs would certainly fit the bill if you're subbing this sauce for a standard oil-and-vinegar marinade.

It's also an option wherever you would use Dijon mustard. The added sugars in the barbecue sauce will soften the astringent bite a bit when compared with straight Dijon mustard. The smoky taste is another delicious benefit of the stuff. Next time you mix up some honey mustard coleslaw for a picnic, swap mustards (barbecue sauce for dijon) for a grill-worthy side dish. Potato salad or sautéed green beans are another flavor-loading opportunity. Let this mustardy topping be your go-to meat and vegetable marinade for a fresh-tasting summer.