Dad’s Vinegar-Based Mop Sauce Recipe

What is a mop sauce?

A mop sauce is a thin vinegar-based barbecue sauce that is spiced with salt and black and/or red pepper. This sauce is used to baste meat on the grill and on a larger scale, to provide flavor and moisture at the end of cooking a whole hog, as is the tradition in South Carolina.

That tradition echoes the history of barbecue itself and you can taste that tradition in this recipe.

Watch as James Beard-award winning pitmaster, South Carolina’s own Rodney Scott — originally of Scott’s BBQ in Hemingway and now at Rodney Scott’s BBQ in Charleston — literally mopping sauce onto a whole hog (and steak!) in this video:

What is in Rodney Scott’s barbecue sauce?

Just watch and you’ll see Rodney share the ingredients in his famous mop sauce: “Black pepper, red pepper, vinegar, and…..” We’ll let you listen in to find out the secret ingredient! (Skip ahead to 2:19 if you’re impatient.)

Recently, he was seen on national tv, making an appearance on The Today Show.

Through this visit, the secret was revealed, and now we officially have Rodney Scott’s mop sauce recipe and Rodney Scott’s rib rub recipe, provided by the pitmaster himself.

If you make all of that, you’ll have all the ingredients ready to make Rodney Scott’s BBQ Ribs Recipe.

Gifts for Your Favorite Pitmaster

(even if that’s you!)

VISIT OUR ETSY STORE

On

Etsy

Shirts, hats & more designed exclusively by Destination BBQ

How is a mop sauce used?

In most applications, you simply baste your choice of meats periodically during the cook.

For quicker things like steak or chicken, you will want to hit them on the turns, as you are flipping the cuts. For longer cooks like ribs, you will want to mop occasionally throughout the time on the grill.

But won’t your ribs become soggy?

Using a mop will not make your ribs soggy. In fact, the sauce will actually attract smoke to the meat, giving them smokier flavor in less time.

And, if you’re grilling the ribs low and slow, as you should be, a mop will help keep the ribs from drying out.

Ok then, show me an authentic SC BBQ mop sauce recipe, please.

This anonymous submission is actually the second recipe submitted to our site. It is primarily used to mop ribs but works in any standard application.

“The mop sauce at once both slightly cool and flavor the meat, and because the sauce is so thin, it penetrates to flavor deeply,” our contributor noted.

We’re not sure if “Dad” is the person who submitted the recipe or, maybe, that person’s father? Regardless, we pass it on to you.

Dad’s vinegar-based Mop Sauce recipe works well in Rodney Scott’s ribs recipe as well as his Collard Greens recipe, where a vinegar pepper sauce adds the critical flavor to the finished dish.

In addition, you can use this recipe in Rodney Scott’s Smoked Turkey Recipe. There seems to be a trend here.

If you’re looking for a different but equally authentic finishing sauce for when your barbecue comes off the grill, try the sauce my wife made famous among all our friends.

Continue to Content

Dad’s Mop Sauce

Yield: 24 Servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

A vinegar-pepper BBQ mop sauce typical

Print

Ingredients

• 2 cups apple cider vinegar, Heinz
• 1/2 cup white vinegar, Heinz
• 1/2 cup apple juice
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 tbsp Kosher salt, or any coarse salt
• 1/2 tbsp black pepper, freshly ground
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp sweet paprika

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Stir and reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.

Notes

I prefer to make this the day before cooking at the same time I season my ribs and allow it to cool overnight to room temperature. Baste ribs every hour during cooking.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Cuisipro Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons
• 
  OXO Measuring Cups with Magnetic Snaps
• 
  OXO Good Grips 3-Piece Angled Measuring Cup Set

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 17Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 0gSodium: 293mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 1g

Want More Authentic SC BBQ Recipes?

Check out our SC BBQ Cookbook. Complete with over 150 pages of recipes from generations-old family cookbooks and today's top pitmasters.