• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Low Carb Maven
  • About
  • Start Keto
    • Low Carb Diet Beginners Guide
    • How To Start A Low Carb Diet In 3 Easy Steps!
    • Low Carb Keto Food List
    • How to set yourself up for success on your new Keto Diet (free printable)
    • The beginners guide to Keto meal planning (+ a free healthy meal planner!)
    • Best Low Carb Sweetener: The Best Sweeteners & How to Choose Them
    • U.S. to Metric Baking Chart
  • Newsletter
  • Recipe Index
  • Amazon Shop
  • Keto Discounts
Home » Carolina BBQ Sauce for Pulled Pork

Carolina BBQ Sauce for Pulled Pork

By Kim Hardesty

Pin6.8K
Share94

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.

THIS POST INCLUDES AFFILIATE LINKS TO SHARE THE THINGS I LOVE.

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.
4.75 from 4 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Basics
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Carolina BBQ Sauce
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 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 Sukrin 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. 

Notes

Nutrition Facts
Carolina BBQ Sauce
Amount Per Serving
Calories 8
% Daily Value*
Fat 0.02g0%
Sodium 180mg8%
Carbohydrates 0.68g0%
Fiber 0.1g0%
Protein 0.004g0%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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 HardestyKim 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

Pin6.8K
Share94

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

LCM NEWSLETTER

Join thousands of subscribers to get a FREE low carb recipe e-book, access to special deals, tips, and more!

Thank you!

You have successfully joined our mailing list.

Previous Post: « Alabama White BBQ Sauce
Next Post: Mediterranean Cucumber Salad (tomato cucumber salad recipe) »

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. AvatarChris

    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 HardestyKim 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
  2. AvatarTanja

    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 HardestyKim 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
  3. Avatarconnie

    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
  4. AvatarSidney

    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 HardestyKim 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
  5. AvatarDebra 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
  6. AvatarAlison 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
    • KimKim

      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
  7. AvatarJulia

    September 14, 2018 at 4:31 am

    Looks yummy, thanks for all the good stuff.

    Reply
    • KimKim

      September 14, 2018 at 8:31 am

      My pleasure, Julia. -Kim

      Reply

Primary Sidebar

Welcome!

Kim HardestyHi, I'm Kim. I love coffee, steak, and love to bake. Are you looking for great Low Carb, Keto recipes that taste like the real thing? You're in the right place! Sign up for my NEWSLETTER and never miss a post!


Follow Keto Diet App Blog - get it for free

Footer

As featured on: The Feed Feed, Men's Health, Bulletproof, Huffpost, Health, Delish, Brit + Co, County Living, BuzzFeed, The Diabetes Council, BuzzFeed, Greatist, Shape, Parade, Women's Health, Keto Summit

LCM NEWSLETTER

Join thousands of subscribers to get a FREE low carb recipe e-book, access to special deals, tips, and more!

Thank you!

You have successfully joined our mailing list.

INFORMATION

Terms and Privacy
About
Contact
Low Carb Maven is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Copyright © 2021 Low Carb Maven on the Foodie Pro Theme