I am smoking some pork butts tomorrow night for an office party on Friday. Since different folks have varied tastes, I'll be serving it with a choice of sauces including my favorite Piedmont style sauce, a sweet sauce, and a mustard sauce.
Yeah, a barbecue sauce made from mustard.
Unless you hail from central South Carolina, that probably sounds weird to you. But mustard and vinegar based bbq sauces are the standard in the "Mustard Belt" across South Carolina. They are tangy, spicy, and sweet.
For me, I fell in love with mustard BBQ sauces about the same time I was falling in love with Alexis. We were co-workers and often shared lunch together at Woody's BBQ in Jacksonville, FL. They used mustard BBQ sauces. I hadn't seen a golden BBQ sauce before but I loved how it tasted on the large turkey sandwiches that I would usually get.
Last night, I did a test run and made 4 batches of mustard style sauces and then we did some blind taste testing.
We both ended up picking the same one out of the four. It is a variation of the one we have used for years, but drops a thing or two and adds two "secret ingredients".
 |
| See all of those specks of flavor? |
The chipotle mustard and "apple pie" moonshine are my secret ingredients and give it the signature flavor I was looking for. The chipotle adds a smoky and spicy profile. The apple pie moonshine is a kickier version of cider vinegar.
South Carolina Style Mustard BBQ Sauce
source: www.nibblemethis.com
1/2 cup yellow mustard (you want a plain yellow mustard like French's)
1/4 cup chipotle mustard (I used World Classics brand)
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup apple/cinnamon flavored moonshine
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp butter
Tonight, we tested it on grilled chicken. We fired up Alexis' Big Green Egg to 350f. Notice how the storms have stripped all but one of the Eggs off of our Easter Tree?
Grilled them 6-8 minutes per side, glazing them with some of the sauce in the last 2-3 minutes.
I pulled them off individually as they hit an internal temperature of 160f. Within a minute of bringing them into the house, Trevor came bouncing down the stairs saying, "I smell something GOOD!"
They came out excellent and the sauce grilled onto them nicely, yielding a bit of all the flavors.
Now I can't wait to taste it on pulled pork Friday morning!
Great lookin chicken! Good luck with the butts, I smoked one a couple of weeks ago and it was really good. I, like you opted for a vinegar based sauce to top the pulled pork sandwiches. At first I thought It wasnt going to work, the whole house reeked of vinegar but it eventually mellowed out and I recieved many compliments for that sauce. Have a great party!
ReplyDeleteLooks like you're doing it up right for the folks on Friday. I'll have to give the sauce a try - where did you get the shine. The chicken looks delicious as always.
ReplyDeleteIAs a spicy mustard lover, I'm totally onboard with this!
ReplyDeleteI've had mustard bbq sauces before and they are fantastic! I must have spent time in the south in another life cause no one else I know has had it before!!
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna blow off our BBQ party we are having on Friday and come to yours....mmmmm smoked pork butt!!!!
I need to put this in my arsenal! I bought some Stubb's BBQ sauce yesterday and was immediately ashamed that I bought sauce instead of making it. I love mustard sauces! I need to try this!
ReplyDelete@FoodGracious - Oh yeah, you stink the house up when cooking a vinegar based sauce. I always do it up in advance because of that.
ReplyDelete@Larry - Bob's Liquors on Kingston Pike & Ebeneezer but I'll just bring mine to the breakfast and let you have half of it. I only use a little and it's a BIG jar.
That grilled chicken looks fantastic, as always.
ReplyDeleteI like them of course, but mustard sauces aside, you forgot a mention for our Deep South barbecue sauce. Down here it is thick, sweet AND spicy, but hold the mustard. :)
Hope you have a nice weekend!
We love mustard BBQ sauce - have not tried it with moonshine(!) and I don't even know where I would find that up here?! Our state run liquor stores usually carry just the basics so I don't know if they'll have any! I'm sure there are some good ol' boys back in the forest who must brew their own but I won't be going into the forest - vampires, sasquatch, and assorted vermin...so I'll check to see if I can order your version on line - thanks!
ReplyDeleteMmmm, I want to try this. I LOVE mustard. I put mustard on everything (beans, tuna sandwiches, dip chips/pretzels in it).
ReplyDeleteI love mustard bbq sauces for something different. A favorite bottled version is Reverend Marvin's from South Carolina. And I'm anxiously awaiting the release of Pork Barrel BBQ's new mustard sauce.
ReplyDeleteWhile I'll pass on most things with mustard, there's something about the richness of a smoked pork butt that just begs for that tangy mustard flavor. I'd love to try this one, chipotle and apple, holy deliciousness!
ReplyDeleteHmm....where does one buy moonshine? Shows what I know! The sauces sound great.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that sounds flippin' amazing...and the color is so gorgeous. Love your secret ingredients :D
ReplyDeleteLooks like a winner. I wasn't raised on mustard-based sauces, but I really like them on pulled pork. I took a pint of Sticky Pig's Mustard sauce with me on a whim when I did my big graduation cook last year. They cleaned me out of it, and we're talking Iowans here.
ReplyDeleteMustard barbecue sauce is my favorite. I'll definitely be using this recipe (assuming I can find the moonshine in the next county over. our county is still dry).
ReplyDeleteThe differences in bbq sauce styles across the country are so interesting. We went to college in NC, so that drier, pulled meat style is great. A tangy sauce is nice too. The addition of that moonshine is smart!
ReplyDeleteHi, I came via Bo's page.. wow, u have just given me some new ideas for dinner..
ReplyDeletei've never had a mustard bbq sauce, but i LOVE homemade bbq sauce. this sounds wonderful!
ReplyDeleteGreat pics, Chris!
ReplyDeleteP.S. Take your Christmas lights down, would ya?! :-P
ReplyDeleteI am one of those very divided folks on BBQ sauce. I like the ketchup based and vinegar based ones, but not fond of the mustard. Perhaps if I tasted yours, I would be convinced to change my mind. I've been know to do so.....
ReplyDeleteSam
That reminds me I have a jar of Blues Hog honey mustard sauce that I need to use. Should be interenting.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of mustard based bbq sauce, but it beckons to the adventurous eater in me. Did you say Easter Tree? hehe
ReplyDeleteI've had mustard based BBQ sauce, it's one of my favorites!
ReplyDeleteThose mustard bbq sauces look good. I can imagine they would be great on chicken wings!
ReplyDeleteI've never even heard of a mustard based bbq sauce... I can't wait to try it - mmmm good!
ReplyDeleteI'm starting to pull away from the ketchup sauces and leaning more toward mustard. I like the tartness and the variety of mustards available to change things up, depending on my mood. I use a lot of dry mustard in my dry rubs.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog from my guest post over at Jenn's Food Journey... I'm so glad you did because it gave me a chance to check out your blog.. which I immediately fell in love with! I love that you do alot of grilling recipes... and I can't wait to try that grilled buffalo chicken wrap! I am your newest follower :)
ReplyDeletehttp://steaknpotatoeskindagurl.blogspot.com
One of my most favorite things I've ever made and posted on my blog was something called "Oink Ointment" which is a mustard based BBQ sauce for ribs. OMG it's good. I'm always willing to try new versions!
ReplyDeleteTry Country Chef's mustard grilling sauce, it will blow you away.
ReplyDelete