It’s officially summertime here on the Eastern Shore, and our grill is almost always fired up. We do a lot of the classic stuff – steaks, burgers, dogs, chicken. But once in a while, I like to go all out and smoke a pork butt on the grill for hours on end. I don’t have a fancy smoker or anything, I just throw some soaked wood chips onto the grates of my gas grill. The smoke infuses the pork with delicious flavor, and it ends up falling off the bone and melting in your mouth. And for barbecue of that caliber, you need some awesome sauce to go along with it.
My strawberry-chipotle barbecue sauce is a favorite, takes less than 2 minutes (literally) to bring together and is absolutely delicious. But, I wanted something different. I’d never made a vinegar based sauce before. The weekend before we’d gone to our local homebrew shop, and stopped at a notorious local barbecue joint on the way for lunch. I’d debated the red sauce or the vinegar sauce…went for the red, then was craving Carolina style ‘cue all week long. So, that’s what I went with…
It turned out absolutely delicious. The sweet mustardy tang paired with the smoky saltiness of the pork was out of this world good. All the flavors mingled and married so well. I can’t wait to try it on grilled chicken or pork chops next!
If you’re looking for something a little different or special for your 4th cookouts, a homemade barbecue sauce is just the ticket. I hope that everyone has a safe & happy Fourth of July!
Carolina-Style Barbecue Sauce
1 cup prepared yellow mustard
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon Worstershire sauce
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
Comine mustard, sugars, vinegar, water, chili powder, black pepper, salt, cayenne and Worstershire in small saucepan. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Stir in butter and liquid smoke and simmer for 10 additional minutes.
Can be stored in airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Source: adapted from Big Daddy’s Barbecue Sauce