Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce
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This Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce is a sweet and tangy mustard barbecue sauce. This delicious and healthy Carolina gold sauce can be made at home in just 30 minutes and enjoyed for many meals.
Mustard barbecue sauces are my favorite!!
Confession time: before I went to college I had no idea there were different styles of barbecue sauce. Since then, I have lived in both Nashville and Atlanta and had my fill of barbecue and the accompanying sauces.
I never really liked the super sweet and sticky bbq sauce that I grew up with but fell in LOVE with Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce. It has a mustard base so it is super tangy, but still sweet enough. I wanted to make a delicious Whole30 barbecue sauce so I sweetened this one naturally with 100% pineapple juice.
What type of mustard is best for Carolina gold sauce?
For this mustard barbecue sauce I prefer to use yellow mustard. I keep it simple with a classic French’s yellow mustard.
What kitchen tools will I need to make this Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce?
- Measuring spoons and measuring cups
- Liquid measuring cup
- Mixing bowls
- Sauce pan
- Whisk
- Wooden mixing spoon
What ingredients will I need to make this golden BBQ sauce?
You will be amazed at how easy it is to make this Whole30 friendly mustard barbecue sauce at home with just a few simple ingredients.
- Yellow mustard
- Tomato paste
- Apple cider vinegar
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Black pepper
- Smoked paprika
- Cayenne pepper
- Water
- Pineapple juice
- Arrowroot starch
How to make Carolina gold BBQ sauce
Step 1: Mix the ingredients
First, combine tomato paste, yellow mustard, apple cider vinegar, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper in a small mixing bowl. Then, add 1/2 cup water to the mixture and mix again.
Step 2: Reduce pineapple juice to a syrup
Next, pour pineapple juice into a sauce pan. Bring the juice to a boil and then immediately reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 16 minutes stirring frequently until a syrup-like mixture remains.
Step 3: Simmer and thicken the sauce
Then, pour the sauce into the pan with the pineapple syrup. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes then while mixing pour in the arrowroot starch slurry. Allow the sauce to cook for an additional minute and thicken.
Step 4: Enjoy!
Finally, remove the sauce from the heat. Allow to cool and then pour into an airtight container like a wide mouth mason jar and store in the refrigerator.
How long will this healthy homemade BBQ sauce keep in the fridge?
Once prepared, you should store this sauce in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It will keep for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
Check out these other healthy homemade sauces
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce
A tangy Whole30 friendly mustard bbq sauce that is sweetened naturally with pineapple juice
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup yellow mustard
- 1/3 cup tomato paste
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- Arrowroot starch slurry – 1 tbsp arrowroot powder and 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Combine tomato paste, mustard, apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl with a whisk or fork
- Add 1/2 cup of water to the bowl and mix again until a smooth sauce remains
- Add 1 cup of pineapple juice to a sauce pan and bring to a boil
- Reduce the mixture to medium low amd simmer for 16 minutes stirring frequently until a syrup like texture remains
- Pour the sauce mixture into the pot with the pineapple syrup
- Mix thoroughly and simmer for 5 minutes
- In a small bowl, combine arrowroot strach and water
- Optional thickening step: while stirring with a wooden mixing spoon pour in the arrowroot starch and water mixture
- Allow the sauce to simmer and thicken for another minute and then remove from heat
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator
Sarah says
Hi!
I want to make this for the slow cooker meatballs, but I’m missing pineapple juice. I have orange juice, would that be the same?
Madeline says
Hi Sarah! I think that will work! It just might not be as sweet. If you arent worried about it being natural sugars you could always omit the fruit juice and use some brown sugar to sweeten!
Renee says
I was pleasantly surprised by the taste of this barbecue sauce. Honestly, I was worried that the “Tangy” would translate into “sharp,” but that was not the case at all. The sauce is very well balanced with the pineapple juice syrup. I also found it much more tolerable than some of the acidic tomato-based sauces. Will definitely be making again.
★★★★★
Madeline says
Wonderful!! Thank you for the detailed review!
Robin says
Needed to add salt and a touch of honey. I did not even thicken it. Wow and fist bump was what I got.
★★★★★
Madeline says
Yay!! So glad!! and I like that you went ahead and added your own touches 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
Ken says
What is the intention behind evaporating the water out of the pineapple juice to create a syrup but then also adding additional plain water? Why not just use the unaltered pineapple juice and skip the water?
★★★★★
Madeline says
the liquid ratio would be off. This is a way to control for proper thickness. feel free to change it up as you see fit!
Kimberly Sanford says
Could this recipe be made without pineapple juice? I’m looking for a bbq sauce that’s unsweetened.
Madeline says
Sure, but it wouldnt taste very good in my opinion.
Wendy says
I thought the same thing and used juice to create the syrup + water liquid component. All else the same. It is excellent.
Heather R Tippel says
Could you can this???
Madeline says
Hi Heather, I am not very familiar with the canning process so I would not be sure what to advise for this one. I am sorry!
Tobie L Storey says
Hi I am wondering if you can freeze this Carolina Gold sauce
Madeline says
Hi there! I would not recommend it for this sauce.