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The Ultimate Brown Sugar And Mustard Glaze Recipe

ham on a grill bring brushed with glaze.

Southern Comfort is one of the secrets to this flavorful multipurpose brown sugar and mustard glaze recipe.

Danny Gaulden, now retired, owned Danny’s Place in Carlsbad, NM for many years and developed a simple sauce/glaze recipe that is legendary. The idea, he says, was to create a simple glaze that adds a sheen and brings a little flavor to the party, but not so much as to cover the other flavors.

To my shame, I have ignored this recipe for years because it seemed just too damned simple. A great sauce has gotta have lotsa stuff, right? Wrong. While most sauces envelop and hide your meat and rub, Danny Gaulden’s Glaze really lets your rub shine through. It frames it beautifully. I love it on ribs, and it is killer on smoked sausage and that Easter ham. If you have a signature rub, lay it on thick, because this is the only sauce to use if you want to show it off.

If you’ve spent any time on this site, you know I’m a tinkerer, so it will not surprise you that I have made a few minor adjustments to the original. One adjustment was suggested by Jack Waiboer of Charleston, SC, a champion competition barbecue cook and teacher of cue. He’s the one that came up with replacing some vinegar with Southern Comfort.

Brown sugar and mustard glaze recipe

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Danny Gaulden

Brown Sugar And Mustard Glaze Recipe

3.92 from 50 votes
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Danny Gaulden's recipe for a barbecue sauce glaze with brown sugar and mustard is simple and wonderful on pulled pork or ham.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Servings: 1 quart (950mL)
Course: Sauces and Condiments
Cuisine: American
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients
 
 

Method
 

  1. Prep. Whisk all the ingredients together thoroughly in a cold saucepan.
  2. Cook. Heat gently over medium heat, stirring frequently until the sugar and mustard are dissolved completely, about 4 minutes. If it starts to boil, turn it down immediately.
  3. Serve. Here’s how to use it, in Danny’s own words: “The instant the ribs are pulled from the pit, coat them with a generous brushing of warm glaze. If you pull the ribs, chase the dog, talk to your buddy for a couple of minutes, then try and apply the glaze, you’ve waited too long.” You can also serve it as a dipping sauce, warm, at tableside.

Notes

About the liquor. If you don’t have Southern Comfort, use Bourbon, rum, or brandy. I haven’t tried it, but I bet Amaretto will work. If you object to the alcohol, replace it with more cider vinegar (as per the original recipe).
About the salt. Remember, kosher salt is half the concentration of table salt so if you use table salt, use half as much. Click here to read more about salt and how it works.
Amp it up with. 1 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce.
Build depth. 3 tablespoons of your favorite rub adds a layer of complexity.
Make it silky. 3 tablespoons of butter will add richness and depth.

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Published On: March 1, 2017
Last Modified On: April 2, 2026

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BBQ Hall of Famer Meathead founded AmazingRibs.com in 2005 to help people master barbecue and grilling. Today he and his team of culinary experts have created a site with more than 2,000 pages of myth-busting, science, recipes, methods, product reviews, and the Pitmaster Club—the world’s largest BBQ association—dedicated to making you a legend.