South Carolina’s contribution to regional American barbecue is mustard sauce. Barbecue buffs — from Columbia, S.C., through Georgia, and in parts of Kentucky and Florida — understand the wonders that mustard can work on pork; how the spice enhances the meat’s sweetness, while the acidity cuts through the fat. Mustard may be the addition of the German immigrants who settled in South Carolina in the 18th century and whose descendants opened barbecue restaurants still revered in the state, such as Bessingers in Charleston, Sweatman’s in Holly Hill and Hite’s in West Columbia. A good mustard sauce is a study in balance: the bite of mustard and mouth-pucker of vinegar offset by the sweetness of honey or brown sugar. Tradition calls for using ballpark-style mustard, but try the suaveness of Dijon-style mustard or a grainy mustard from Meaux in France.

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Persons: — Locations: Columbia, Georgia, Kentucky, Florida, South Carolina, Charleston, Sweatman’s, Holly Hill, Hite’s, West Columbia, Dijon, Meaux, France