Honey BBQ Country Style Pork Ribs

Barbecue sauce has been used to add flavor to grilled and smoked meats for as long as 300 years. The history of barbecue sauce isn't clear, but we know that the mustard-based sauce that's native to South Carolina has been traced back to 17^th century Germany. Barbecue masters have their own special sauce recipe, but depending on where you set up your smoker in the United States, you'll probably use a different style of sauce. This is because each region, sometimes even within a state, has its own signature style. Sauces are used in a few different ways. Some meats and ribs are marinated in sauce and then grilled and basted. Other meats, like beef brisket and pork butt, are typically cooked with a dry rub and then sauced after they've been sliced or pulled.

Homemade BBQ Sauce

The precise origin of barbecue sauce is unclear. Some trace it to the end of the 15th century, when Christopher Columbus brought a sauce back from Hispaniola, while others place it at the formation of the first American colonies in the 17th century. References to the substance start occurring in both English and French literature over the next two hundred years. South Carolina mustard sauce, a type of barbecue sauce, can be traced to German settlers in the 18th century.