Carolina gold barbecue sauce has roots in South Carolina and gets its gold color, and name, from mustard. The mustard is usually thinned with vinegar and enhanced with other spices to make a zingy complement to the region’s pork-heavy barbecue.
The sauce is believed to have been created in part by German immigrants who brought mustard on their journey west. Mustard is also a sizeable crop in South Carolina today.
The sauce itself is becoming increasingly available outside of the region in which it was born, both in restaurants and on grocery store shelves. The rise of Carolina gold has accompanied growth in other regional sauces, including Alabama White barbecue.
Market research firm Datassential reports that 52% of the population knows about Carolina gold barbecue sauce but only 31% have tried it.
Click through the gallery to learn more about this Flavor of the Week and see how one brand is using Carolina gold barbecue sauce on its menu.