In the Carolinas, vinegar based barbecue sauce and pulled pork go hand in hand. You can't have one without the other. It is tangy and slightly sweet with a bit of spicy heat.
This vinegar based Carolina Barbecue Sauce Recipe is easy, cheap, and fast to make. There is NO reason to buy it. I can be made in 5 minutes with ingredients you likely have on hand.
"My boss loves to cook, so when he smoked pork butts for his employees, he made this sauce. I liked it so much that took a bottle of it home. All I can say is that it will keep for months, not weeks, and it only gets better with age. Vinegar never spoils." ★★★★★ -L.T.
Carolina Barbecue Sauce Recipe
My husband makes the BEST PULLED PORK!! I am so spoiled. I have never been to another restaurant that can come even close in flavor to his beautiful hunks of pork.
I am not just saying this because he is incredibly cute and the father of my child… I am saying this because he really makes the BEST Pulled Pork ever…
And when he makes his beautiful Pulled Pork; I use my homemade Carolina Barbecue Sauce Recipe (aka Mop Sauce). The vinegar enhances the lovely smoked flavor of the pork creating a delicious combination of flavor.
Follow these steps and tips on how to make it! I hope you love this Carolina-style barbecue sauce as much as we do!Enjoy! Xoxo~ Katie.
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Ingredient notes and substitutions
You will need the following ingredients to make this Carolina Barbecue Sauce.
- apple cider vinegar-Apple cider vinegar is recommended for the best flavor. However, if you are in a bind and have no apple cider vinegar on hand, you can substitute with white vinegar.
- brown sugar- I prefer dark brown, but light brown sugar works too.
- ketchup-Ketchup adds a little sweetness and a little tomato flavor. Trust me! The sauce won't taste like ketchup.
- cayenne pepper- This gives the sauce a little kick. It won't be too spicy. However, if you want it mild, you can omit this.
- red pepper flakes
- ground black pepper
- salt-Use a good corse salt like Kosher or sea salt.
*Full recipe with measurements is located at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.
How to make vinegar-based bbq sauce from scratch
Here are the steps to make spicy, tangy, vinegar-based bbq sauce from scratch.
- Place apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, ketchup, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper in a sauce pan. Cook on stove top at Medium heat.
- Bring to a boil.Whisk together until sugar and salt are completely dissolved. Remove from heat.
- Cool to room temperature. Pour sauce into a jar or bottle. For best results, refrigerate one day before serving. Shake well before serving.
Storing Tip
Mason jars, ketchup bottles, and salad dressing bottles are great for storing your sauce.
Watch how to make it
How do you store leftovers?
This vinegar based barbecue sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several weeks.
There is enough acid from the vinegar to prevent spoilage. However, overtime, the breakdown of the ingredients from the vinegar may change the freshness of the flavor.
Tips for cooking pulled pork
The secret to my husband's beautiful Pulled Pork is Time, Patience, Babysitting, Salt and Pepper, and a Green Egg. Here are tips he gives for cooking juicy pulled pork:
- Salt and pepper heavily a Boston Butt Pork Shoulder. It makes a juicy tender cut!
- Heat your Green Egg Grill to 220 to 250 degrees. Cook the pork shoulder real slow until meat temperature gets to 195 to 200 degrees. The grill's temperature can go up and down, so this requires babysitting.
- When the meat is the temperature your want, wrap it in tinfoil and lets it rest.
Tip on how to keep pulled pork moist
Wrapping the pork in tinfoil is very important to keep the moisture and juice to settle in the meat. If you cut it too quickly, the juice will run out of the meat and the pork will not be as juicy and tender.
We know from experience. When you see that beautiful meat, you loose all patience and want to tear into it immediately. Ignore the urge, and let the meat rest!
As the saying goes, "The best comes to those who wait!"
If done correctly, you can pull the pork apart easily with a fork, hence "Pulled Pork."
*This post contains affiliated links.
More Southern BBQ Sauces
Depending what part of the South you are in, you will find a mustard based sauce, sweet and tangy sauce, tomato based sauce, the brown sugar and molasses sauce, or the smokey spicy sauce… I could go on and on…
In the Carolinas, you can not have pulled pork without the tangy flavor vinegar based barbecue sauce.
However, we also like to have the sweet and thicker sauce on hand!
My Southern friend Karrie Holland (She lives in New Hampshire, but is originally from Florida) makes a really good sweet and tangy sauce for the crock-pot. If you want to create your own Sweet & Tangy sauce, check out her Slow Cooker BBQ Sauce recipe.
If you are going to purchase the sweet and tangy sauce, skip the chain, massed produced stuff.
Our favorite store bought for the sweet tangy sauce is George's BBQ Sauce. It is made locally, here in North Carolina and when we put it out at our cookouts, the jar goes empty. They have a hot, original, and special flavor... all good! The "Special Flavor" is the thicker and sweeter sauce. The original is a combination of vinegar and sweet. The hot is hot version of the vinegar sauce.
Other Homemade BBQ Sauces to try!
You might want to also try my Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce. Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce is vinegar and mustard based. It's roots come from South Carolina and has trickled into the homes of some North Carolinians.
Unlike North Carolina bbq sauce, which is vinegar based with ketchup, brown sugar or molasses; the Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce (aka golden sauce) is a mustard base sauce with vinegar, sugar, and/or honey, and spices.
I like to have multiple sauces at my parties so my friends have a variety to choose from. This is another easy recipe that is whipped up in 10 minutes.
Another favorite is my thick, sweet, spicy, smokey blueberry bbq sauce. The chipotle peppers really spice it up!
Top your pulled pork with your favorite sauce, then add my HOMEMADE SOUTHERN COLESLAW! Yum!
By the way, my Bacon Ranch Potato Salad and Baked Calico Beans would make awesome side dishes to any pulled pork!!! Both dishes are a favorite at any cookout I have and I never have leftovers.
Add in a couple of vegetables or a salad and you have a wicked good spread!!!! Just saying.....
Please leave me a comment below if you make this bbq recipe, and tell me what you thought about it. I would love to hear back, and so would my readers.
Also post your picture of your Carolina bbq sauce on Instagram or Facebook, and tag @aforkstale with #aforkstale hashtags! I will share with my followers! xoxo!
📖 Recipe
Carolina Barbecue Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon of ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, ketchup, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper in a sauce pan. Cook on stove top at Medium heat.2 cups apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, 1 tablespoon ketchup, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon of ground pepper, 1 teaspoon salt
- Bring to a boil.Whisk together until sugar and salt are completely dissolved. Remove from heat.
- Cool to room temperature. Pour sauce into a jar or bottle. For best results, refrigerate one day before serving. Shake well before serving.
Babs says
Hi, do I need to use dark brown sugar or could I use regular white sugar? What would be the difference?
Katie Crenshaw says
You can definitely use regular white sugar if that's what you have. It will still make a delicious sauce! The main difference is that brown sugar contains molasses, which gives the sauce a deeper, richer flavor and a hint of caramel. Dark brown sugar has more molasses than light brown sugar, so it adds the most depth. With white sugar, the sauce will be a little brighter and tangier since it won't have that molasses flavor, but it will still turn out great.
Karen says
How long will it last in refrigerator in mason jar
Katie Crenshaw says
For several weeks. There is enough acid from the vinegar to prevent spoilage for several months. However, overtime, the breakdown of the ingredients from the vinegar may change the freshness of the flavor.
Janet Baxley Hall says
We love this easy to prepare bbq sauce!
Bethany says
Is this sauce supposed to thicken up as it cools? Mine isn't. What did I do wrong?
Katie Crenshaw says
Hi Bethany, I am sorry, but this is not meant to be a thick barbecue sauce. It is a true vinegar-based sauce. It will not thicken and that is by design. The vinegar adds a bright, tangy bite that really compliments pulled pork and cuts through the richness beautifully. If you are used to a thicker, sweet sauce, this one will taste different, but it is a NC classic. I hope you like it.
Mitch Daniel says
perfect!
Lorna Rintamaki says
These measurements don't seem right. 2 Cups of Vinegar to 1 tablespoon of ketchup and other ingredients don't make sense of their quantity!
Katie Crenshaw says
Hi Lorna, the measurements are correct. It is a vinegar barbecue sauce. It will be thin and and pour like a liquid. It will not be a thick, sweet, and smokey barbecue sauce. I hope this helps.
Karen says
Sounds like a lot of people are loooking for a little bit different kind of sauce. I added about 4 Tbls of tomato paste and a little bit of liquid smoke to get it to what I prefer. Maybe try that?
Elisabeth Pasqualini says
This is fabulous and just what I was looking for. I ran low on cayenne pepper so I substituted some Texas Pete hot sauce. Worked out perfectly. Brings back happy memories from my time in NC.
Doni Meyer says
We make smoked pulled pork. Cooked at 225° for 18 or more hours.
This is NC pulled pork sauce. Taste just like Big Dave’s.
Thank you
Dmnnp says
This taste like NC aka eastern NC pulled pork sauce. It’s perfect
Deb Harrison says
Absolutely delicious and so easy to make as well as being economical. So much better than the overly sweet store brands.
Dan Franklin says
Only reason I gave it a 4 is because I was trying to duplicate the sauce I grew up with (old Poss' Barbecue of Athens,GA - it was served in a paperboard French fry boat with a plastic spoon as hot sauce, the Barbecue was presauced). I plan to tweek this recipe to use on pulled pork and Camp (Brunswick var.) Stew.
christie says
How long does the BBQ sauce last in the refrigerator? It was delicious!
Katie Crenshaw says
I am glad you liked it Christie. It will last several weeks in the refrigerator. There is enough acid from the vinegar to prevent spoilage. However, overtime, the breakdown of the ingredients from the vinegar may change the freshness of the flavor.
Kit Smith says
The best NC style sauce ever
JB says
Delicious 🤤. I added a little corn starch to thicken. 👍
Sandi Taylor says
Love it!! Made this to put on my BBQ sandwich with some Texas Pete!!
Kitty Finn says
Can I cook with this sauce in a slow cooked for pulled chicken?
Katie Crenshaw says
I have had it on smoked chicken and it was good. However, the chicken will have a completely different flavor in the slow cooker. I am not sure how the vinegar flavor will pair with it. It could be good.... or it could be bad... I honestly have not tried it to to know. I have cooked slow cooker pulled chicken with a thick, molasses barbecue sauce and it was great. If you want to try it with the Carolina BBQ Sauce, my suggestion is to cook the chicken, and do a taste test with the sauce at the end. If it is good, mix it in with the chicken. If it doesn't work, you can mix in a different barbecue sauce. This way, you won't have a ruined meal. I am sorry I could not be more helpful. I just don't want to ruin your dinner if it doesn't work out.
Babs says
This sauce has become an absolute must have in our family. I add a little more heat to it but it is the best! Thank you for sharing…
Katie Crenshaw says
That is one of the sweetest compliments! Thank you!
Theresa Jones says
Perfect!
R Mer says
I made this. Everyone liked it. I didn't really measure and got it a tad too sweet, but it was still quite good, and spicy . I'd like to ask why many recipe writers extoll coarse salt in recipes where the salt is just going to be dissolved in a liquid. As long as you get the right amount of salt (and the volume measurements ARE slightly, probably insignificantly,different with table salt and kosher or coarse) it's going to taste the same.
Katie Crenshaw says
Coarse salt is less refined and doesn't contain additives like anti-clumping or anti-caking agents. It is not fortified with iodine and other trace minerals, allowing the pure flavor of the salt to pull through without an aftertaste. You are correct in that the flavor difference is insignificant when you are cooking it down. I just personally use coarse salt for all my cooking over iodized.
Chris says
I could probably eat my pulled pork with just apple cider vinegar and be happy but this is delicious. I was always told the vinegar based is East Carolina and the mustard based is West Carolina. I make and love both. Also make an Alabama White sauce which is to die for with smoked ribs.