Swig & Swine’s Mustard BBQ Sauce Recipe
I am a big fan of Swig & Swine, and their South Carolina mustard bbq sauce recipe is one of the main reasons.
Chef Anthony DiBernardo’s restaurants serve True ‘Cue certified BBQ, barbecue cooked using wood as its only heat source. The meat products Swig & Swine serves are terrific, even without any sauce, but each of the sauces is amazing, too.
Like any good barbecue restaurant, Swig & Swine serves its barbecue without sauce, but they currently provide five sauces on each table for you to choose from.
Seen below are the Sweet Red, Vinegar, Jalapeño, Alabama White, and a nod to an SC original, a mustard sauce. 
Swig & Swine Sauce Options
We recently stumbled across a video of Chef DiBernardo making his mustard BBQ sauce recipe. DiBernardo doesn’t necessarily claim it to be the same concoction they use at Swig & Swine, saying something along the lines of it simply being “a traditional South Carolina mustard-based BBQ sauce recipe.”
That said, it is not a huge leap to assume there are a number of similarities between the two.
What I can say is that the finished product definitely has the same look and general taste as Swig & Swine’s mustard-based BBQ sauce.
Flavors Among SC Mustard BBQ Sauce Recipes
What you get from the recipe is a mustard BBQ sauce that allows the mustard flavor to exist, as it should, without being either overpowering or absent.
That is to say, some South Carolina Mustard BBQ sauce recipes are VERY strong on the mustard flavor. For instance, we wrote the following in our review of Jackie Hite’s restaurant:
“Meh..” I agreed. “I didn’t really like it. It was so mustardy… it was like straight mustard,” I continued.
The family all agreed, but we were not accustomed to that style of sauce. Those who are, love it.
While Jackie Hite’s place closed two years after his passing, it remains one of our favorites for reasons beyond that sauce. If you’d like to try a mustard bbq sauce recipe like Jackie Hite’s, I recommend Harry Hite’s recipe.
On the other hand, some SC mustard BBQ sauce recipes hide the flavor of the mustard altogether.
For instance, try my wife’s mustard BBQ sauce recipe. We think it is the best mustard sauce you’ll ever make, but I have to confess mustard, although the primary ingredient, is not a prominent flavor.
Swig & Swine’s Recipe
This recipe from DiBernardo, however, strikes the perfect balance of mustard flavor with other, deeper notes of sweetness and tanginess.
If you’re going to make this sauce, I feel it is important to note that no measurements were provided; however, in watching the video, we have made educated guesses as to the quantity of each ingredient. Those estimates are provided below.
Here is a Swig & Swine-style, South Carolina Mustard BBQ sauce recipe. Enjoy:
Swig & Swine Style Mustard Sauce Recipe
A classic SC BBQ mustard-based barbecue sauce by Chef Anthony DiBernardo with a bright yellow color, tangy mustard flavor tempered by sweet undertones.
Ingredients
- 1 quart French’s yellow mustard
- 2 tsp cayenne
- 1/4 cup dry mustard powder
- 1 tbsp black pepper, cracked
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Whisk together all ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes.
Notes
Note: These measurements are estimates taken from a video in which Chef Anthony DiBernardo shows viewers how to make "a traditional mustard-based BBQ sauce." Unfortunately, that video is no longer available online.
Yield and serving size: Expect approximately 6 cups of sauce, or 48 servings of 2 tablespoons each. This is an estimate based on the mustard, vinegar, molasses, dissolved brown sugar, and seasonings, allowing for some evaporation during the 30-minute simmer. Measure the cooled finished sauce if you need an exact yield; simmering time and pan size may change it.
Nutrition: Figures are approximate per 2 tablespoons, assuming 48 servings and all eight ingredients as listed, including two cups of packed brown sugar (about 440 grams), ¼ cup molasses, and one quart of French’s Classic Yellow Mustard. French’s label lists 55 mg sodium per teaspoon; a quart contributes about 10,560 mg sodium to the batch, or 220 mg per estimated serving, before other ingredients. The calories and sugar account for the brown sugar and molasses, not just the prepared mustard. Your finished volume, sugar packing, and ingredient brands will affect actual values. Not laboratory-tested.
Storage: Cool promptly, refrigerate in a covered container within two hours, and use within 3–4 days or freeze smaller portions for longer storage. The simmer does not make this homemade sauce shelf-stable or safe for pantry storage or canning without a tested preservation recipe.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
48Serving Size:
2 tablespoons sauceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 55Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 225mgCarbohydrates: 11gNet Carbohydrates: 10gFiber: 1gSugar: 10gSugar Alcohols: 0gProtein: 1g
Approximate values per 2 tablespoons, assuming 48 servings (about 6 cups of finished sauce). Calculated from 1 quart French’s Classic Yellow Mustard, 2 cups packed brown sugar (about 440 g), ¼ cup molasses, 1 cup apple cider vinegar, ¼ cup mustard powder, and the remaining listed spices/Worcestershire. French’s label gives 55 mg sodium per teaspoon, or about 10,560 mg per quart (220 mg/portion before other ingredients). The dissolved sugar and 30-minute simmer make final volume uncertain. Ingredients themselves are estimates reconstructed from a now-unavailable chef video; not the restaurant's confirmed formulation. Not laboratory-tested.
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Check out these other authentic SCBBQ recipes we’ve published on destination-bbq:
Eastern SC Vinegar-Based Sauce Recipe
Home Team BBQ’s Alabama White Sauce Recipe
And we’ve published the following sauce recipes in the SCBBQ Recipes: Going Whole Hog cookbook (read more about that here):
Sauces and Rubs:
Vinegar-Pepper Sauces
- Jay Phillips’ Whole Hog Sauce Recipe
- Dad’s Mop Sauce Recipe
- Eastern SC Vinegar-Pepper Sauce Recipe
- Moore Family’s Little Fisher Hog Sauce Recipe
- Lowcountry Vinegar Sauce Recipe
Mustard Sauces
- Swig & Swine’s Mustard BBQ Sauce Recipe
- Dukes BBQ-Style Sauce Recipe
- Dukes BBQ Sauce – “Actual Recipe”
- Simple South Carolina Mustard Sauce Recipe
- Bessinger’s-Style Gold Sauce Recipe
Tomato-Based Sauces
- John Padgett’s Kansas City BBQ Sauce Recipe
- Honey-Hickory Barbecue Sauce Recipe
- Bullies BBQs Thin Basting Sauce Recipe
- Cherrywood Signature BBQ Sauce Recipe
- “Carolina Red” Light Tomato Barbecue Sauce Recipe
- Basic Tomato Barbecue Sauce Recipe
Other Sauces
- Home Team BBQ Alabama White Sauce Recipe
- Moe’s Original BBQ’s Alabama White Sauce Recipe
- Brisket Mojo Sauce Recipe
- Roller Family Hot Sauce Recipe
- Salsa Verde with Avocado for Pulled Pork Recipe
Rubs
- Sticky Fingers’ Basic Dry Rub Recipe
- JB’s Smokeshack-Style Spicy Dry Rub Recipe
- Sticky Fingers’ Texas Rub Recipe
- BlackJack Barbecue Dry Rub Recipe
- Sticky Fingers’ Sweet Rib Rub Recipe
- Home Team BBQ Dry Rub Recipe for Chicken Wings Recipe
- John Lewis BBQ-Style Brisket Dry Rub Recipe
