Columbia Gold: A South Carolina Mustard Sauce

An outsider wandering into a Charleston, South Carolina, barbecue joint is likely to be jolted when served a pulled pork sammie with a yellow sauce. In a swath of mid-South Carolina, from around Columbia to the coast around Charleston, barbecue sauce is yellow, not red, a by-product of the region’s German heritage (in Germany, pork and mustard are a common combination).

The taste profile is similar to conventional red barbecue sauce, sweet-tart, but the base flavor is mustard, not ketchup, and the sweetness is cane sugar, not molasses. It works! In fact, I prefer it to red sauce on pulled pork. I also use it on hot dogs or brats or anywhere I might use bottled mustard. Here’s a quick and easy typical South Carolina mustard sauce.

Makes about 3 cups

Takes 30 minutes

• 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon celery seeds
• 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules or 1 chicken bouillon cube, crushed
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups yellow ballpark-style mustard
• ⅔ cup apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste or ketchup
• ½ teaspoon Tabasco Chipotle Sauce or your favorite hot sauce

1. Prep. Crush the rosemary and celery seeds in a mortar and pestle or in a blender or coffee grinder. Transfer to a bowl, add the remaining ingredients, and mix thoroughly.

2. Cook. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning as you wish. Storing it overnight in the fridge helps meld the flavors.