The Popular BBQ Sauce You Should Be Adding To Your Steaks

Depending on what part of the country you're from, you might enjoy a style of barbecue that most resonates with your taste and local experience. The U.S. has numerous regional varieties of barbecue sauce to go with many styles of barbecue. The great thing is, no matter what style you prefer, you can probably make it at home. The kind of sauce people can most easily prepare is a BBQ sauce made with just three ingredients: ketchup, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Whether your favorite is a version of this simple tomato-based sauce, is sweet or spicy, or contains tangy vinegar, most people have a preference. There are even barbecue sauces that veer away from tomato altogether and are worth serving alongside your next steak dinner.

One popular variety that's just as good drizzled on steaks as it is coating ribs hails from South Carolina; in its standard form, it's called Carolina gold sauce. It's made with a unique base of yellow mustard, giving it a golden hue and a tangy bite. Carolina gold sauce shines as a barbecue sauce, and can also be used as a marinade or dipping sauce. It has mildly spicy elements that balance well with its sweet and tangy notes, and pairs well with steak in a similar way as the pungency of horseradish pairs with beef. The brightness of the mustard base and vinegar notes of Carolina gold sauce cut through the fat in a steak, complementing the beef's flavor and making it lighter on the palate.

Carolina gold sauce is rooted in a larger tradition of condiments inspired by German immigrants and their affinity for mustard-based sauces. It goes well with steak, of course, but also with chicken, pulled pork, and smoked meat. Mustard-based barbecue sauces are quite different from tomato-based sauces, which can range from smoky to spicy to tangy. However, you can customize any homemade barbecue sauce by adjusting or adding ingredients to emphasize one or more of these nuanced flavors, including using mustard for an entirely different version than the more familiar tomato-based sauces.

To make a tasty Carolina mustard-based barbecue sauce that pairs especially well with beef brisket and steak, combine yellow mustard, apple cider vinegar, honey, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. This combination of ingredients yields a mildly spicy, sweet, and tangy sauce that works wonders with steak and other grilled meats.

Like other barbecued meats, steaks are often cooked in a smoker or grill, and there's a method for adding Carolina gold sauce during the cooking process for the best results. If you're going to grill meat, the best time to add BBQ sauce is toward the final stages of cooking time, often just minutes before the meat is finished. This way, the barbecue sauce provides ample flavor without burning.