LILLIE'S Q: Carolina Barbeque Sauce – 380ml

A Western Carolina sauce with a world title to its name

Lillie's Q Carolina Barbeque Sauce is a Western Carolina-style tomato-vinegar BBQ sauce from Chef Charlie McKenna's Chicago barbecue brand, made for pulled pork, ribs and chicken. According to Lillie's Q, this formula took first place in the vinegar sauce category at the 2024 World BBQ Championship. It's built with low-and-slow pork in mind, but it earns its keep on pretty much anything that's spent time near smoke.

The flavour

Front is tomato and cane sugar sweetness, the middle brings a sharp hit of distilled vinegar and yellow mustard tang, and it finishes with molasses depth and a whisper of garlic, onion and lime. Balanced rather than sugary — this is a grown-up sauce.

How to cook with it

• Baste pulled pork in the last 30 minutes on the smoker so the sugars caramelise without catching
• Fold straight through freshly shredded pork shoulder or chicken as a finishing sauce
• Serve alongside ribs or burnt ends as a dipping sauce
• Loosen with a splash of apple cider vinegar to make a mop sauce for the whole cook
• Rogue move: stir a spoonful through baked beans for an instant upgrade

In the bottle

Deep reddish-brown, medium-thick and properly pourable — loose enough to squeeze straight onto a plate but with enough body to cling to pulled pork.

Ingredients & Dietary

Ingredients: Tomato concentrate (water, tomato paste), cane sugar, water, distilled vinegar, yellow mustard (distilled vinegar, water, mustard seed, salt, turmeric, paprika, spice, garlic powder), molasses, corn starch, salt, apple juice concentrate, spices, garlic, onion, paprika, lime juice concentrate, tamarind paste, natural flavor.

Dietary: Vegan and all natural per the Australian distributor; made with gluten-free ingredients but not gluten-free certified. Lillie's Q lists it as non-GMO, dairy free, nut free and free of high-fructose corn syrup. Contains mustard. Allergens — always check the physical label.

Questions answered

Is Lillie's Q Carolina Barbeque Sauce spicy? No. It's tangy and sweet with no chilli heat, so it suits the whole table — 0 on our Sting Gauge.

Has it won any awards? Lillie's Q says the formula took first place in the vinegar sauce category at the 2024 World BBQ Championship.

What's it best used on? It's built for pulled pork and ribs, and works just as well folded through shredded chicken or served with pork belly.

Is it gluten free? It's made with gluten-free ingredients, but it isn't gluten-free certified. It's also vegan, dairy free and nut free.

The Rub Smuggler's Verdict

Tomato, vinegar and a mustard snap — this is the Western Carolina bottle that makes pulled pork taste like it came off a proper pit. Rub a shoulder in Meat Church Honey Hog, smoke it over Western Apple Wood Chips at 120°C, then fold this through the shredded meat and pile Acide Dill Cucumber Chips on the bun. Straight-shooting sauce, no fuss.