Add A Bit Of Texture To Mustard-Based Barbecue Sauce With One Swap

An easy way to elevate your barbecue is to swap store-bought sauce for homemade. It's much easier to make a sweet, tangy barbecue sauce at home than you probably realize with ingredients like brown sugar, honey, ketchup, vinegar, and mustard. There are many types of barbecue sauce with varying degrees of those ingredients — but swapping yellow mustard for a more refined mustard like Dijon or a grainy mustard is guaranteed to take your sauce to the next level, no matter if it's going on chicken, pork, or salmon.

Classic yellow mustard like you squirt on top of your hot dog is the go-to choice for a traditional barbecue sauce because of its acidic tang, but it lacks in any form of texture. Dijon has a fuller and creamier mouthfeel, while a grainy mustard will provide a slightly rougher consistency when eaten. Along with these textures, each add a depth of flavor to your barbecue sauce. 

When you're picking a different mustard to use in barbecue sauce, a Dijon mustard like the popular brand Grey Poupon is an excellent choice. Dijon mustard's origins date back to 1856 when a citizen of Dijon, France used verjus, a product of wine, instead of vinegar, which gives the mustard its complexity and heat. This, along with the use of finely ground seeds, creates its smooth texture. The pungent flavors means a little goes a long way, so to start out, use around 2 tablespoons, depending on how much meat you need it for.

As for whole grain mustards, these varieties are only ground enough to form the condiment but not so much that all of the seeds are crushed. Those remaining grainy seeds create an extra layer of texture to add to your sauce plus earthy, spicy flavors. If this is the type of mustard you want to use, common varieties include stone-ground mustard or seed mustard, depending on the brand.