LILLIE'S Q: Carolina Dreaming BBQ Set – Carolina Dirt Rub, Carolina & Gold Sauce

Both Carolinas, one box

The Lillie's Q Carolina Dreaming BBQ Set is a three-piece Carolina barbecue kit: Carolina Dirt BBQ Rub, the Western Carolina tomato-vinegar Carolina Barbeque Sauce and the South Carolina mustard-based Gold Barbeque Sauce, all from Chef Charlie McKenna's Chicago barbecue brand. Rub the meat with Dirt, cook it low and slow, then put both sauces on the table and let everyone pick a side of the great Carolina sauce argument. It's $4.10 cheaper (10% off) than buying the three on their own.

The flavour

Carolina Dirt is sweet paprika and brown sugar with sea salt, garlic, onion and a light chilli warmth that builds a deep red bark. Carolina sauce is tomato sweetness up front, then a sharp vinegar and mustard tang with a molasses finish. Gold swaps the tomato for a yellow mustard base: tangy, peppery and bright, the classic South Carolina partner for pork and chicken.

How to cook with it

• Rub a pork shoulder all over with Carolina Dirt the night before, then smoke it low and slow until it pulls
• Fold Carolina sauce through the shredded pork and serve Gold on the side
• Dust chicken thighs with Dirt, grill them, and glaze with Gold in the last few minutes
• Season pork ribs with Dirt, smoke, and brush with Carolina sauce for the final 20 minutes
• Rogue move: mix a spoon of Gold into potato salad, or shake Dirt over hot chips

In the box

One 170g shaker of Carolina Dirt BBQ Rub, one 380ml squeeze bottle of Carolina Barbeque Sauce and one 380ml squeeze bottle of Gold Barbeque Sauce. Each item is the same full-size product we sell on its own.

Ingredients & Dietary

Ingredients: Carolina Dirt BBQ Rub: Sugar, paprika, brown sugar, sea salt, spices including chili pepper, salt, onion and garlic powder, mustard seed, celery seed, extractives of paprika (color) and not more than 2% tricalcium phosphate added to prevent caking. Carolina Barbeque Sauce: 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. Gold Barbeque Sauce: Water, yellow mustard (distilled vinegar, water, mustard seed, salt, turmeric, paprika, spice, garlic powder), cane sugar, distilled vinegar, tomato paste, molasses, corn starch, salt, apple juice concentrate, spice, onion, garlic, lime juice concentrate, paprika, tamarind paste and natural flavor.

Dietary: All three are vegan and all natural per the Australian distributor, and made with gluten-free ingredients but not gluten-free certified. Lillie's Q lists them as non-GMO, dairy free and nut free. All three contain mustard; the rub also contains celery seed. Allergens — always check the physical label.

Questions answered

What's in the Lillie's Q Carolina Dreaming BBQ Set? One Carolina Dirt BBQ Rub 170g, one Carolina Barbeque Sauce 380ml and one Gold Barbeque Sauce 380ml — all full-size.

Is the set spicy? Barely. Both sauces have no chilli heat, and Carolina Dirt has a slight chilli lift — 2 out of 11 on our Sting Gauge at most.

What's the difference between the Carolina and Gold sauces? Carolina is a Western North Carolina tomato-vinegar sauce; Gold is a South Carolina mustard-based sauce. Same region, two very different sauces.

Is it gluten free? All three are made with gluten-free ingredients but aren't gluten-free certified. They're also vegan, dairy free and nut free.

The Rub Smuggler's Verdict

Two Carolinas and the rub that won Memphis, all in one go. Rub a pork shoulder in Carolina Dirt overnight, smoke it until it pulls, then put Carolina and Gold on the table and watch the family split into camps. Cheaper than buying them one at a time, and nobody has to pick.