Golden BBQ Sauce

Looking for an awesome golden bbq sauce recipe for grilling this summer? This tangy, sweet gold bbq sauce is fantastic on pork chops, pork tenderloin, grilled chicken and more.

spoon in jar of bbq sauce with text overlay for facebook

There is nothing I love more than a good, homemade sauce. Throw in the fact that it’s super versatile and easy to make and I’m sold.

This golden bbq sauce hits the mark every time. Perfectly tangy, slightly sweet and taste good on just about anything.

The options for this sauce are really endless. You can serve it alongside your favorite pulled chicken and pork for topping sandwiches, too!

brushing sauce onto pork on grill

Ingredients for Mustard-Based BBQ Sauce

Golden bbq sauce is a mustard-based sauce that comes together easily with items you likely already have in your pantry and fridge. Here’s a quick-reference check list of the ingredients you’ll need:

  • Prepared yellow mustard – we recommend the traditional prepared yellow mustard, which will create that beautiful golden sauce color. Spicy brown or grainy mustard is not ideal for this barbecue sauce recipe.
  • Apple cider vinegar – apple cider vinegar is traditionally used in making bbq sauce. ACV will give your sauce that perfect tanginess.
  • Honey – like many bbq sauce recipes, honey will create a complimentary sweetness.
  • Molasses – we used blackstrap molasses, which can be found in the baking section of most grocery stores. The molasses will give your sauce a great depth of flavor.
  • Tomato paste – even thought this is a mustard-based sauce, using a small amount of tomato paste will provide complimentary flavor and thickness to the sauce.
  • Worcestershire sauce – this versatile sauce adds a great amount of complimentary flavor.
  • Hot sauce – we used Frank’s hot sauce to add some mild spiciness and zest. Feel free to use your preferred hot sauce brand.
  • Liquid smoke – just a small amount of liquid smoke will add the ideal amount of smokiness to this bbq sauce recipe. You can find liquid smoke in the condiments section of your grocery store. It smells delightful the moment you open the bottle.
  • Spices – ground pepper, garlic salt and garlic powder are the only spices you’ll need to add the perfect amount of flavor to this bbq sauce recipe.

How to Make Golden BBQ Sauce

You are going to love how easy it is to make this homemade bbq sauce!

  1. Combine ingredients. To a saucepan, add the mustard, vinegar, honey, molasses, tomato paste, Worcestershire, hot sauce, liquid smoke, and spices. Whisk all the ingredients together over medium-low heat.
  2. Heat sauce. Once the sauce comes to a low simmer, reduce the heat to low and simmer. The sauce will slightly thicken.
  3. Allow to come to room temperature. Remove from heat and let the sauce come to room temperature. If you are brushing the sauce on meat, make sure the sauce has cooled to room temperature.
whisk in pan with sauce

How to Use Golden BBQ Sauce

Golden bbq sauce is perfect for pork and chicken. Brush is on grilled pork chops, pork tenderloin, and grilled chicken thighs, quarters and wings. It is also fantastic on chicken foil packets.

Gold bbq sauce is also great as a topping for pulled pork and chicken like baked chicken quarters or honey bourbon bbq pork chops.

Storage and Reheating

Storage: For best results, store the barbecue sauce in the refrigerator in an airtight container, like a mason jar or other resealable container. The sauce will keep for up to one month, refrigerated.

Freezing: You can also freeze this bbq sauce. Put it in an airtight container and it will stay for up to 3 months.

spoon in jar of golden bbq sauce

Frequently Asked Questions

What is golden bbq sauce made of?

Golden bbq sauce is made with a mix of yellow mustard, vinegar, honey, molasses, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, liquid smoke and spices.

What flavor is golden bbq?

The flavor of golden bbq sauce is very similar to honey mustard sauce, with a bit more tanginess.

Is golden bbq the same as honey bbq?

Golden bbq is a bit different than a traditional honey bbq sauce. Golden bbq sauce is mustard based, where honey barbecue sauce is traditionally a tomato based sauce.

What is southern gold bbq sauce?

Southern gold bbq sauce is a mustard-based barbecue sauce that is like a honey mustard sauce

collage of golden bbq sauce for pinterest

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spoon in jar of sauce with text overlay for pinterest
spoon in jar of golden bbq sauce

Golden BBQ Sauce

This tangy, sweet Golden BBQ Sauce recipe is fantastic on pork chops, pork tenderloin, grilled chicken and more! Great for sandwiches too!
5 from 4 votes
Course: Sauce
Cuisine: American
Keyword: golden bbq sauce
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 2 cups
Calories: 310kcal
Author: Erin Indahl-Fink

Ingredients

  • 1 ¼ cup yellow prepared mustard
  • ½ cup apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 2 tablespoons molasses
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 teaspoons hot sauce
  • 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

  • To a medium saucepan, add the mustard, vinegar, honey, molasses, tomato paste, Worcestershire, hot sauce, liquid smoke, garlic powder, garlic salt and pepper.
  • Use a whisk to mix the sauce together well. Heat over medium-low heat and bring to a low simmer.
  • Once the sauce begins to simmer, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. The sauce will thicken slightly.
  • Remove from heat and let the sauce cool to room temperature. Brush on to pork or chicken during grilling or baking.
  • If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.

Notes

Important safety tip: if brushing sauce onto meat, pour the needed sauce into a separate container and brush meat with sauce from this container only. Discard any remaining sauce that has come into contact with raw or undercooked meat. Do not refrigerate this leftover sauce or serve this sauce later.

Nutrition

Calories: 310kcal, Carbohydrates: 62g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 0.4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.02g, Sodium: 2300mg, Potassium: 754mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 54g, Vitamin A: 247IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 160mg, Iron: 4mg
Jessica Formicola of My sauce Recipes
Meet the Author

Jessica Formicola

Jessica is a cookbook author and Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School certified recipe developer. See her work in Parade Magazine, Better Homes & GardensMashed, AllRecipes AllStars and The Daily Meal Food + Travel and more!

More About Jess
5 from 4 votes

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Recipe Rating




Questions and Reviews

  1. 5 stars
    i can’t wait for bbq season again~ we used this golden bbq sauce for grilling chicken and it was SO tasty

  2. 5 stars
    Oh, yum! The weather is warming up, and I’ll be using this soon. I’ve never seen yellow barbecue sauce like this before. It sounds fantastic.

  3. 5 stars
    Such a fantastic BBQ sauce! Different from what I’m used to but in a good way. It’s nice to amp things up once in a while!

  4. 5 stars
    I loved the recipe, I have not made bbq sauce at home till now. But definitely try this recipe and let you know…