A recipe for smoky grilled chicken legs slathered in a tangy South Carolina-style barbecue sauce. Jump to recipe.
Our family has a range of feelings about mustard. Our younger daughter would be perfectly content to have a dinner of mustard and nothing else, while our older one won’t touch it. Brian could spend an hour browsing the mustard section of our local international food store. And I fall somewhere in the middle. But, a mustard-based barbecue sauce – that’s something that brings us all together. The first time we a made it, it was because it was easy. The second time, it was because the first iteration was just shy of completely addictive. At its best, mustard-based sauce, also known as South Carolina-style barbecue sauce, gets some zip from mustard and is heightened by additions like apple cider vinegar, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce.
For this post and recipe, we’re excited to partner with all-natural French’s yellow mustard, since stand out South Carolina-style barbecue sauce starts with great ingredients. In a world where sneaky things frequently make their way into old favorites, you might be surprised to learn that French’s mustard sports a short, completely pronounceable list of quality ingredients – just #1 grade mustard seeds, vinegar, salt, and a few spices with no fillers, chemical preservatives, or thickeners. This commitment to quality, and the knockout flavor, makes French’s a mainstay of our pantry (and our mustard barbecue sauce). For a bit of inspiration and ideas for making everything better with mustard, check out the French’s Pinterest page.
Our South Carolina-style sauce was slathered on a mess of grilled chicken legs, and it was nothing short of amazing. Perfectly smoky and sweet, caramelized and slightly gooey – the kind of meal where extra napkins are required. Keeping things simple, we served up our barbecue with an easy green bean and tomato salad and (more) grilled corn. It was one of the best meals of the summer (so far, anyway.)
As your barbecue sauce bubbles away, play with the flavors – add spice or sweetness, kick up the vinegar, or add a hint of cumin. Versatility is the name of the game.
A recipe for smoky grilled chicken legs slathered in a tangy South Carolina-style barbecue sauce.
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup minced red onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 cup French’s yellow mustard
- 1/3 cup turbinado sugar
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- splash hot sauce
- pinch chili powder
- pinch sea salt and black pepper
- 2 pounds chicken legs and thighs , skin on and bone in
- olive oil
- sea salt
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To make the South Carolina-style barbecue sauce, heat olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the minced onions and sauté for 10 minutes. Edge heat down slightly if onions start to brown. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute more.
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Next, stir in all of the remaining ingredients. Bring mixture to a gentle boil and then turn heat to low. Stirring often, cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Adjust sweeteners, spices, vinegar, and salt levels to taste. Spoon half the sauce into a bowl for brushing on the grilled chicken, and reserve remaining sauce for serving.
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Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with sea salt.
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Get a large pile of charcoal going in your grill. When all the coals are gray, use tongs to move them to one side of the grill.
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Brush chicken on both sides with barbecue sauce and place it on the grill over the coals. (Keep an eye out for flare ups –– move chicken away from the coals for a little while if they get really intense). After 2 – 3 minutes, flip chicken.
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After another 2 – 3 minutes move chicken to the side of the grill that’s not over the coals and brush with barbecue sauce again. Cover grill and wait 4 minutes or so. Flip the chicken, brush with sauce again, and cover grill for another 4 minutes or so. Pull chicken from grill when the outside is a deep golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
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Rest chicken for 10 minutes before serving.
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Serve chicken with a generous drizzle of barbecue sauce.
This post was sponsored by 100 percent natural French’s classic yellow mustard. Thanks for supporting Brooklyn Supper’s sponsors!
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This looks amazing! I’m thinking this will need to be on my dinner menu for next week.
Thanks Kristi! We LOVE this sauce on pretty much everything. Enjoy!
This looks really good!
Mustard – the word alone makes my mouth water!
I live in an apartment and can’t barbecue anything, but I bet this chicken would taste amazing in the oven, too.
Hi Patricia, Yes! Glad to find another big time mustard fan. Though I haven’t tried this recipe in the oven, I absolutely agree that it should be fantastic. You could also try marinating the chicken in the sauce first, for added flavor.
Thanks for dropping by!
I freaking love this recipe and I freaking love French’s. It’s the only mustard my family uses. We buy it in bulk, and still run out. I seriously want to run outside right now (it’s 3 am) and fire up my grill asap so I can make the chicken and the corn. Fabulous job.
Hi Kim, Wow! Such high compliments from the grill master herself REALLY make my day! Thank you! And yes to French’s –– it’s the best, right? I love the clean flavor, and in this barbecue sauce it’s truly off the hook. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to see what goodness you’ve been cooking up on Kiss My Smoke.
Sold! Making this for dinner tonight! Love, love, love your photos too!
Awww, thanks, Kate. Glad you like the images and the recipe! I can’t say enough how much I love this barbecue sauce –– as far as I’m concerned, it hits all the right flavor notes.