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Home » Keto Carolina BBQ Sauce for Pulled Pork

Keto Carolina BBQ Sauce for Pulled Pork

By Kim Hardesty

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Carolina BBQ sauce (apple cider vinegar bbq sauce) is perfect for pulled pork. This low carb recipe has a vinegary-peppery taste tempered with a subtle sweetness.

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While I grew-up eating Southwest food and my mom’s Italian recipes… my husband dined on southern staples like southern green beans, biscuits, and pulled pork with Carolina BBQ sauce. Over the years we’ve shared our childhood favorites with each other and are better for it!

Carolina BBQ Sauce

BBQ is one of the great pleasures of the backyard cook. The term bar-be-que means different things to different people.

In upstate New York (where my parents are from) BBQ is a verb, and refers to cooking something on the grill.

When I was a kid, BBQ meant grilled chicken slathered with a semi-sweet tomato based sauce.

Down South, where my husband is from, BBQ is a noun meaning pulled-pork or pulled-chicken which is cooked in a crock pot or cooked low-and-slow on a grill/smoker.

Easy Pulled Pork Recipe is easily shredded with forks on a cutting board.

You can almost tell from which region of the U.S. a person is from by the style of BBQ sauce they prefer. To my knowledge there are 5 traditional styles of U.S. BBQ sauce:

  1. Sticky-sweet Kansas City BBQ Sauce
  2. Less-sweet, tomato based Texas BBQ Sauce
  3. Apple cider vinegar BBQ sauce or North Carolina BBQ Sauce
  4. Mayonnaise based Alabama White Sauce
  5. South Carolina Sweet Mustard BBQ Sauce
Alabama white BBQ sauce with smoked chicken quarters.

If you haven’t had Carolina BBQ sauce or “thin BBQ sauce” it’s a vinegar condiment most often found in North Carolina.

There are almost as many recipes for it as there are cooks! But, they all start with apple cider vinegar.

Carolina Sauce for Pulled Pork – The Perfect Marriage

Let’s be honest, pulled pork is succulent with fat and the vinegary Carolina sauce is a great foil. Its intense acidity cuts the fat in the meat much like adding malt vinegar to fried fish does. It perks up the taste buds for sure!

Some versions of vinegar BBQ sauce are more pungent than others. In this Carolina BBQ sauce recipe I strived for balance.

How to Make Carolina BBQ Sauce

Many homemade Carolina BBQ sauce recipes are short and simple; vinegar, a little sugar, salt and pepper, and maybe some red pepper flakes for heat. Simmer the ingredients until the sugar and salt dissolve. Cool, then store in a jar or a squeeze bottle. Shake before use. Any additional ingredients than what’s listed above is considered fancy!

I prefer to temper the acidity by adding balance to the sauce with a little more sweetener. Cayenne pepper adds subtle heat and a little ketchup adds body.

This version of Carolina style bbq sauce may appeal to those who are used to the sticky sweet bbq sauces found in the grocery store. Try it on pulled chicken, too!

Carolina BBQ Sauce (apple cider vinegar sauce) in a jar with pulled pork.

Carolina BBQ Sauce

Carolina BBQ sauce (apple cider vinegar bbq sauce) is perfect for pulled pork. This low carb recipe has a vinegary-peppery taste tempered with a subtle sweetness.
4.63 from 8 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Basics
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Carolina BBQ Sauce
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 8kcal

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 3 tbsp Low carb brown sugar (coconut sugar or brown sugar if not low carb)
  • 1 tbsp Low sugar ketchup (reduced sugar or regular ketchup)
  • 1 dash Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 tsp granulated garlic
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions

  • Place all ingredients into a small pot and heat until it comes to a boil. Cool and place into a lidded jar or a squeeze bottle. Refrigerate up to two weeks. Shake before using. Tastes better the next day.
  • Makes 1 cup. Serves 4. 

Nutrition

Calories: 8kcal | Carbohydrates: 0.68g | Protein: 0.004g | Fat: 0.02g | Sodium: 180mg | Fiber: 0.1g
Easy Pulled Pork Recipe is easily shredded with forks on a cutting board.

Easy Pulled Pork (low carb, crock pot)

BBQ Dry Rub For Chicken and Pork

BBQ Dry Rub for Chicken and Pork

About Kim Hardesty

Kim is a self taught cook with over 30 years experience in the kitchen. She develops and tests low carb and keto recipes in her California home. She began her low carb journey in 2009 and at the urging of friends, started blogging in 2014. Kim shares delicious low carb and keto recipes no one would believe are sugar-free. Her recipes are featured in newsstand publications and on sites all over the internet.

View all posts by Kim Hardesty | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest

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Filed Under: Condiments, Dips & Sauces, Pork Tagged With: Under 30 Minutes

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  1. Cindy

    March 16, 2022 at 7:42 pm

    This sauce is great! I was out of cayenne, so I used crushed red pepper flakes. I made it last night and had to make it again tonight!

    Reply
  2. Josh

    April 15, 2021 at 4:49 pm

    Quick question:

    Refrigerate up to two weeks. – What does this mean in the instructions above?

    Does it go bad after two weeks?

    Thank you! I am making this tonight. : )

    Reply
    • Kim Hardesty

      April 16, 2021 at 11:51 am

      Hi Josh. It never lasts longer than two weeks at my house so I don’t know if it lasts longer. Since it’s vinegar based it should last at least 2 weeks, but i don’t know about beyond. You could always freeze half if you don’t use it fast enough. -Kim

      Reply
  3. LA

    March 29, 2021 at 8:30 pm

    I’m a NC native living in Texas, so I was looking for an authentic NC bbq sauce. This one is close, like 90+%, but still missing the key ingredient of red pepper flakes and something else but not sure what. Doesn’t matter. Great recipe – very delish! On my second batch I substituted a sugar-free bbq sauce (I didn’t have sugar-free ketchup), and it was still banging. Thanks Kim!

    Reply
    • Diane

      May 29, 2021 at 12:00 pm

      Should this sauce thicken up?

      Reply
      • Kim Hardesty

        May 30, 2021 at 4:43 am

        Hi Diane. Carolina style barbecue sauce is a thin, vinegar sauce. If you’d prefer a more standard BBQ sauce, try my keto BBQ sauce recipe. Readers seem to like it. -Kim

        Reply
  4. William Schiff

    March 19, 2021 at 6:05 pm

    How do you serve the sauce? Are you soaking the meat in it or just sprinkling some on?

    Reply
    • Kim Hardesty

      March 20, 2021 at 10:20 am

      You mix it into the pulled pork to taste; either the whole amount of pulled pork or serve it on the table for people to pour over their pulled pork. -Kim

      Reply
  5. Angie

    March 14, 2021 at 11:43 am

    This is quite possibly the most amazing sauce I’ve ever had… The flavor is SO good!! My husband licked his plate, and my 8 year old declared it is better than ketchup (still shocked at that one). Thanks for sharing this one!!!

    Reply
    • Kim Hardesty

      March 15, 2021 at 8:54 am

      Hooray! -Kim

      Reply
  6. Chris

    February 21, 2021 at 6:31 pm

    I grew up a town away from Lexington NC. I can go on and on about my snobbery towards BBQ from other parts of the state, but I digress.

    I needed a find a good keto version of vinegar BBQ sauce and this one hits the spot. I just made it an hour ago and it tastes like it’s a couple days. Keto BBQ wraps w/ this sauce and some fresh pepper jack. Thanks for the recipe!

    PS- Is granulated garlic the same as garlic powder?

    Reply
    • Kim Hardesty

      February 22, 2021 at 7:25 am

      Hi Chris. I’m thrilled you like the sauce and I won’t hold your snobbery against you! Lol. Granulated garlic is a little more coarse than garlic powder. You may want to use a little less garlic powder if a recipe calls for granulated garlic. Other than that, they are basically the same. -Kim

      Reply
  7. Tanja

    October 1, 2020 at 10:24 am

    Made the recipe and followed instructions completely any one know why it came out thin and watery.. Smelt alot more vingery then normal for sauce..

    Reply
    • Kim Hardesty

      October 2, 2020 at 5:36 am

      Hi Tanja. This is a thin and vinegary BBQ Sauce in the Carolina style. My husband’s family makes it very thin like the recipe I shared. If you are looking for a thicker and more sweet BBQ sauce, I would use this recipe for Keto BBQ Sauce. It gets great reviews. -Kim

      Reply
  8. connie

    June 28, 2020 at 9:42 am

    I just made this sauce for a pulled pork I smoked yesterday. This sauce is great! A perfect combination of sweet & tart. Very good.

    Reply
  9. Sidney

    May 5, 2020 at 6:37 pm

    I smoked a nice 8 lbs Boston butt today. I never had a Carolina sauce. My wife and I are hooked. Thank you for this recipe it’s a go to from now on in our house. I even made a batch for the kids (no heat) and two of the four liked it.

    Reply
    • Kim Hardesty

      May 6, 2020 at 5:35 am

      Hi Sidney. Carolina BBQ sauce is different than thick, sweet sauce most of us are familiar with, but it’s awesome. I’m glad you and your wife like it. And, having 2 of 4 kids like it on the first try is pretty great. Have a nice week. Be well. -Kim

      Reply
  10. Debra Adams

    August 11, 2019 at 2:03 pm

    Nice tangy sauce for pulled pork. I used Swerve instead of sukrin, but I am sure they were comparable. Probably will explore of the bbq sauces for ribs, etc, but this was perfect for the pulled pork.

    Reply
  11. Alison Rowe

    February 5, 2019 at 11:21 am

    WOW!!!
    I’m not a big fan of pulled pork, although my husband is.
    Now that I’ve tried your sauce I won’t make anything else. I don’t particularly like the heavy smoked sauces and yours is the perfect blend of tart, sweet, smoky but not overpowering and I love the hint of heat.
    Absolutely delicious!! Makes my mouth water just typing this.
    So glad I found your recipe

    Reply
    • Kim

      February 5, 2019 at 3:54 pm

      I’m thrilled you like the sauce, Alison! I don’t like the thick sauces on pulled pork either. Make sure to put the leftover pork into an avocado half or in bell peppers – so good! I have recipes for them if you want to take a look for inspiration! Enjoy your week. -Kim

      Reply
  12. Julia

    September 14, 2018 at 4:31 am

    Looks yummy, thanks for all the good stuff.

    Reply
    • Kim

      September 14, 2018 at 8:31 am

      My pleasure, Julia. -Kim

      Reply

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