Published June 30, 2021.This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This simple-to-make delicious vinegar-based Carolina-Style BBQ Sauce has the perfect combination of tangy, sweet, and spicy for all of your BBQ dishes.
Sauces can oftentimes make or break recipes, especially when it comes to BBQ. If you want to try out some new sauces that will absolutely make your next smoked pork shoulder or smoked ribs amazing, then definitely try my Sweet BBQ Sauce or Mustard BBQ Sauce.
Carolina BBQ Sauce
Eastern North Carolina BBQ sauce is considered the mother of all the BBQ sauces out there. With generations-old history, this thin condiment is fantastic when mopping your whole hog barbecue all day long. The well-balanced combination of flavors greatly enhances the flavor of smoked proteins and helps to tenderize due to the high vinegar content.
The basic ingredients for this tasty Carolina style Vinegar BBQ Sauce are:
- Vinegar: Most often apple cider is vinegar.
- Spices: Pepper, cayenne, salt, and onion are commonly used.
- Red Pepper: Crushed pepper flakes are a staple
- Hot Sauce: any hot sauce will do.
How to Make BBQ Sauce from Scratch
Use these easy-to-follow instructions for making this delicious Carolina BBQ sauce from scratch:
Add the vinegar and brown sugar to a medium-size saucepot and bring to a boil.
Turn the heat down and add in the remaining ingredients and simmer on low heat for 5 minutes.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: You can make this up to 3 days ahead of time. The longer it sits the more flavors that will come out.
How to Reheat: Add the desired amount to a small size saucepot and cook over low heat until warm.
How to Store: Cover and keep in the refrigerator for up to 21 days. This will not freeze well.
Chef Notes + Tips
- Substitute the onion and garlic granules with powder.
- You can lightly caramelize finely minced garlic and onions in oil before adding it to this recipe substituting for the onion and garlic granules.
- This would go excellent with beef, pork, chicken, and French fries.
More Sauce Recipes
- Pesto
- Tahini
- Beurre Blanc
- Chimichurri
- Mornay
Be sure to follow me onFacebook,YouTubeInstagram,andPinterest, and if you’ve had a chance to make this then definitely drop me a comment and a rating below!
Video
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Vinegar Based Carolina BBQ Sauce Recipe
5 from 37 votes
This simple-to-make tasty vinegar-based Carolina-Style BBQ Sauce has the perfect combination of tangy, sweet, and spicy for your BBQ.
Servings: 4 cups
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
Ingredients
- 3 cups of apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons garlic granules
- 2 teaspoons onion granules
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1/3 cup of ketchup
Instructions
Add the vinegar, brown sugar, and salt to a medium-size pot and bring to a boil.
Add in all the other ingredients and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.
Cool and serve.
Notes
Chef Notes:
Make-Ahead: You can make this up to 3 days ahead of time. The longer it sits the more flavors that will come out.
How to Reheat: Add the desired amount to a small size saucepot and cook over low heat until warm.
How to Store: Cover and keep in the refrigerator for up to 21 days. This will not freeze well.
Substitute the onion and garlic granules with powder.
You can lightly caramelize finely minced garlic and onions in oil before adding it to this recipe substituting for the onion and garlic granules.
This would go excellent with beef, pork, chicken, and French fries.
Nutrition
Calories: 127kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 1418mgPotassium: 284mgFiber: 1gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 699IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 41mgIron: 1mg
Course: sauce
Cuisine: American, southern
Author: Chef Billy Parisi
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81 comments
- Doug Armstrong
How do you thicken it up?
- Reply
It’s not supposed to be thick.
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- Rhonda
Yes I did make it. It was great! I will definitely put this in my recipe file.
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- Deborah Sanders
Can this sauce be made and canned in jars for my pantry??
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without testing it, I’m not 100% sure.
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- Sharon Jordan
I made this, and now it stays in my refrigerator forever! This reminds me of my grandmom-I let it simmer just a tad so that it can thicken up even more… Just like hers! Thank you Chef, for your ability to help me to remember her through your food.🌹
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- Kim
We all loved it.
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- Marie Wilson
Love your videos. Thanks!
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- KEN TERRY
Just the way my granny made it.
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love it!
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- Barbie Doll
Elevated my BBQ and everyone begged for the secret. I told them Chef Billy Parisi springs my cooking to a higher level with simple techniques. 😊
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excellent!
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so good!!
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- Marlin
Simple and a really good sauce.
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so good!!
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- Janet Miehle
I’ve been looking for a good recipe for Carolina barbecue sauce.. we lived and breathed the whole hog barbeque places when we lived there 40 years ago.. this sauce is the closest one to those that i ever had.. so good.. thank you
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my pleasure!
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- Cheryl
The nutrition chart at the bottom of the recipe. Is that for a total of all 4 cups or what?
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yes
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- Chris Powell
Absolutely delicious!
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many thanks!
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- Tim Bramsen
Awesome sauce! Thanks!
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my pleasure!
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- Andy Heath
Awesome! From pork to chicken, really adds great flavor!
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so good!!
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- Camille Sutherland
Every Chef Billy Parisi recipe I make is just perfect! Thank you! <3
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Awesome!
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- Spitz Debra
Loved the vinegar based sauce!!
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so good!!
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- Jody Hart
As a professional BBQ Judge I really loved your recipes of the different sauces!!! Thank you so much!
Jody Hart
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that’s awesome!
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- Capt. Jeff Polizzotto
My favorite BBQ sauce. Solid recipe. Miss that here in Alaska-brings me back to Hickory, North Carolina.❤️⚓
#themaggiesea.com- Reply
so good!!
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- Doug Bearden
Excellent BBQ sauce!
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- Eli Pupovac
Gonna make it this week-sounds like a knockout!
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Excellent, my friend!
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- Sara R.
This sauce turned out amazing! We put a pork loin in the crockpot for 4 hrs, then shredded it & added this sauce. Was so tasty with some homemade coleslaw on a grilled Hawaiian bun 😋
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Perfect!
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- Ryan Raymond
It was pretty tasty but was lacking a bit of heat for my palette. Added some gochujang and that kicked it up.
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- Sherry
Can I use some of the Carolina sauce on my Boston Butt while it is almost done when cooking it in slow cooker?
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why not?
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- James Danley
Great sauce. I’m a die-hard Memphis BBQ fan but this one is on point and way better for pulled sandwiches (sorry Mr. Neely).
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thanks for giving it a shot!!
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- Susan
This is the BEST!I don’t like bbq sauce,but Billy I adore yours.ty for a sauce I use on almost anything
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so good!!
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- Nick C
Made the sauce two days ago. Used it on chicken today. It was delicious. Thank you.
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thanks for giving it a shot!!
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- Debby Sheets
Delicious! My family loved it’
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Awesome!
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- Tim
I made a keto version. Using no sugar ketchup, Swerve Brown Sugar Substitue. As the ketchup had no sweetner and Swerve is not as rich as reg brown sugar I doubled it so ½ cup packed.
Used Frank’s Hot sauce and left the pepper flakes out. Added 1 tsp of gluten free soy.
It is awesome. Such a simple recipe that was super easy to convert to sugar free. Tangy mildly sweet with a hint of heat on the backside. Ideal for pulled pork and good for chicken.
Makes a great mop as well for the pit.
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- Kimberly LaRoux
This BBQ sauce is fabulous! It’s the perfect amount of heat and sweet/ acidic balance. I’ve made several of Chef Parisi’s recipes and I’ve not been disappointed in a single one! They’re all equally wonderful!
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thank you so kindly!!
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- Andria Hall
New favorite! We will be barbequing all summer just for this sauce!
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- Sherri Voebel
This is delicious and so easy to make!
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so good!!
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- Sue
I left a bit of sugar and ketchup out, as husband diabetic. So good. Love your videos, humor, and ability to speak to all levels of “chefs”. Thank you.
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- Andy Heath
Awesome !
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fantastic
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- Amy Dawson
The best sauce recipe! So easy and delicious! Has become a family favorite for our BBQ’ing.
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excellent!
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- Kelly Smith
So delicious !
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fantastic
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- Cathy
Delicious !
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many thanks!
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- HCampbell
Made this on Memorial Day to serve with smoked pork butt. When I was putting it together, my husband was skeptical about the vinegar. But once we put it on our pulled pork, we were both completely sold. That acidity brightened the flavor of the meat, and really complimented the flavor of the rub. Fantastic!
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thanks for giving it a shot!!
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- Linda
Made this today! House smells like vinegar heaven! Just the right amount of kick. Thank you!!
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Awesome!
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- Carol O’Brien
So love your shows and watching you make all those yummy recipes!! Do you think you could post the recipes each time you make something in the comments so we can screenshot it!! I just love Pasticio. I hope I spelled it correctly is Greek lasagna FU could make that I would greatly appreciate it and love the recipe.!!
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In the comments of what?
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- Cathie Zimmerer
I added a dash of soy to half of it and extra sugar in other half, both were delicious
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nice!
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- Tami
I love this recipe….for slaw burgers it is a must!
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so good!!
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- M
Great flavor. Mine came out thick rather than the thin sauce pictured (I halved the recipe and maybe cooked it too high for the 15 minutes?) but the sauce is still great. I used fresh onion and garlic. Siracha for my hot sauce. Nice spicy taste. Will cook at a lower temp next time to see if it’s more saucy
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- Terri Armstead
I LOVE this sauce. Family doesn’t like the heat of the pepper so when I make it again, I will see how it is with half the pepper. Thank you!!
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- chuck
its on the stovetop now simmering…..i substituted my powdered smoked habaneros i grew in my garden for the pepper flakes.,….. Oh My this is coming out terrific….
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- Donna A Pollock
I have made this recipe 3 rimes in one week already. It’s so good I think someone here must be drinking it….. We have a Fathers Day/ Birthday part this weekend and we are putting this on everything. We love you Sweet Vinegar Based sauce. You can always make it a little hotter or just keep it cool for the kids, and older adults that can’t take to much heat…Thank you so much for all your recipes….
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- Catrina Watkins
Okay, I’m looking forward to making this and I’m going to try this on some Shrimp… yes BBQ shrimp 🍤
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