Wingstop Dropped A Carolina Gold BBQ Flavor For A Limited Time

There was a time when enjoying a nice hot plate of wings involved heading out to a pub or pizza place, or picking up a family-size wing pack at the grocery store, and then feasting on the simple combination of savory chicken and spicy Buffalo sauce. Choosing between ranch or blue cheese for dipping was pretty much the only decision-making involved in the process. But these days, things aren't so basic. Sure, you've got classic bone-in wings, but boneless wings, chicken tenders, and crispy chicken sandwiches doused in sauce are a big hit, too. For those who like to spice things up, standard hot wings might look a little plain Jane by comparison, especially when comparing them to the offerings at some chicken chains.

When ordering from a chicken chain like Wingstop instead of making wings at home, the sheer variety of sauce options available stands out. Unless you have a mega-fridge (and don't eat a lot of other foods to fill it with), chances are there isn't room for 12 flavors of wing sauce in your refrigerator, which is what Wingstop offers. Now, the chain has added a tangy new flavor to the line-up: Carolina Gold BBQ.

Carolina Gold BBQ sauce comes from one of America's regional barbecue traditions. In the eight counties surrounding Columbia, South Carolina, you'll find barbecued pork slathered in a bright yellow mustard sauce — that's the gold (via BBQ Hub). It's sometimes sweetened with honey or brown sugar and sometimes made tangier with apple cider vinegar. But in a press release, Wingstop announced that its new version of Carolina Gold BBQ sauce doubles down on the sweetness to help balance the tanginess and acidity of the mustard, explained Wingstop Culinary Director Chef Larry Bellah.

But was Wingstop able to nail the flavor profile of this South Carolina barbecue favorite? One reviewer on Uproxx did note that it was nontraditionally sweet, "with just a hint of mustard flavor on the aftertaste." However, they also said that the balance of the sauce "makes it incredibly addictive" – especially in boneless wing and chicken sandwich form. Carolina Gold BBQ is a limited-time flavor at Wingstop.